When in Portugal you may notice a number of businesses which do not accept payment by card, the Bank of Portugal has clarified the law regarding this.

According to the Bank of Portugal (BdP), and reported by NM, establishments are not obliged to accept card payments.

"No one is obliged to accept cards as a form of payment for any good or service", clarifies the BdP, on its website, noting that, "in Portugal, only euro banknotes and coins are legal tender".


What about notes and coins?


On this subject, the banking supervisor clarifies that "as a rule, euro notes and coins must be accepted in all transactions, whatever their nature", and "the creditor has the duty to accept any type of note or currency, not being able, as a general rule, to refuse it".

"Eventual refusals of notes and coins in euros as a means of payment can only be founded in good faith (for example, in case of disproportion between the value of the note presented by the debtor in relation to the amount owed to the creditor of the payment) or by agreement of the parties to use another means of payment", explains the BdP.