Do people in Portugal still pay in cash?
Less and less. The share of cash at the point of sale fell by 10 percentage points between 2022 and 2024, according to the ECB, and only 8% of Portuguese say cash is their main in-person payment method. Card cash withdrawals fell to 381.1 million in 2024.
In detail
Less and less. The share of cash at the point of sale fell by 10 percentage points between 2022 and 2024, according to the ECB, and only 8% of Portuguese say cash is their main in-person payment method. Card cash withdrawals fell to 381.1 million in 2024.
How people pay in Portugal in 2026
Online, shoppers expect MB WAY, Multibanco references and cards at checkout. Cash use is falling fast, and BNPL from Klarna, Cofidis Pay and others is still young.
Payment by cash in Portugal
Cash is losing ground quickly in Portugal. The ECB's 2024 study on payment attitudes found that the share of cash at the point of sale fell by 10 percentage points between 2022 and 2024 in Portugal, one of the largest drops in the euro area. Card cash withdrawals fell 3.2% to 381.1 million in 2024, worth €30.6 billion, according to the Banco de Portugal. In a 2024 Nuek survey, only 8% of Portuguese respondents said cash is their main way to pay in person.
More detail in our #PayWorldTour guide Payment methods in Portugal.