MULTIBANCO and MB WAY are part of everyday life in Portugal. MULTIBANCO is much more than a cash-machine network: Portuguese ATMs and payment infrastructure can be used for bills, government payments, transfers and other services. MB WAY connects participating bank cards/accounts to your phone for instant transfers, online and shop payments, cardless cash withdrawals and other functions.

MULTIBANCO, MB and MB WAY: what is the difference?

  • MULTIBANCO: Portugal’s interbank ATM/payment network operated within the SIBS ecosystem. A MULTIBANCO ATM can do far more than dispense cash.
  • MB: the Portuguese payment brand you will see on cards, terminals and payment services.
  • MB WAY: the mobile-payment service linked to participating banks/cards and a mobile number.

Do not assume that every ATM displaying Visa or Mastercard offers the same services as a genuine MULTIBANCO terminal. For local bill/reference payments and other Portuguese functions, look for the MULTIBANCO branding. See the official MULTIBANCO site and ATM finder.

What can you do at a MULTIBANCO ATM?

Depending on your card/bank and the terminal, common operations include:

  • withdraw cash;
  • check balances and movements;
  • make bank transfers;
  • pay a Referência MULTIBANCO;
  • make certain payments to the Portuguese state;
  • perform some tax, Social Security and other administrative payments;
  • top up services;
  • activate or manage some MB WAY functions;
  • at supported machines/banks, make deposits.

The standard MULTIBANCO network states a cash-withdrawal maximum of €200 per operation and €400 per day per card. Your own bank/card can impose additional restrictions.

How a Referência MULTIBANCO payment works

A Portuguese invoice, online shop, government notice or service provider may give you three pieces of information: Entidade (entity), Referência (reference) and Montante (amount). In your Portuguese banking app or at a MULTIBANCO ATM, choose the payment-of-services option and enter those details exactly.

This is not the same as sending money to an IBAN. The reference identifies the payment within the recipient’s payment system. Check all numbers and the amount before confirming and keep the receipt/confirmation, particularly for taxes, government charges or large purchases.

Banco de Portugal lists MULTIBANCO references among the safer options for online purchases; see its online-shopping security guidance.

Getting MB WAY

You normally need a card from a participating bank and a mobile number registered/updated with that bank. You can enrol through the MB WAY app where supported, or through MULTIBANCO. The app enrolment uses your mobile number, card/bank details, a six-digit MB WAY PIN and an activation code sent by SMS.

Start with the official MB WAY enrolment instructions and participating-bank list. A foreign phone number can be used for some functionality, but the decisive issue is whether the underlying bank/card participates in MB WAY. A foreign Visa/Mastercard merely working in Portugal does not automatically make it MB WAY-compatible.

Sending and receiving money by phone number

MB WAY’s “Enviar dinheiro” lets you choose a contact instead of typing an IBAN. Transfers are immediate. The current service limit is €2,000 per transfer; the maximum for receiving is €5,000 and 50 received transfers per month. A participating bank may charge for a transfer; MB WAY says any applicable amount is displayed before you confirm.

You can also send to an international phone number if the recipient is already registered with MB WAY. If a recipient is not yet registered, MB WAY can invite them to join within the specified acceptance period.

Paying with MB WAY

Portuguese online shops frequently offer MB WAY at checkout. Typically you provide the mobile number linked to MB WAY and approve the purchase in the app rather than handing card details directly to the merchant. MB WAY also supports in-store/QR and other payment methods where offered.

The standard daily online-purchase limit is currently €1,000 when the service is activated; MB WAY says this can be changed in the app up to €10,000. Treat these as service limits, not a recommendation to set a high limit.

Cardless cash with MB WAY

Choose Levantar dinheiro in MB WAY, select the amount and confirm. The app generates a withdrawal code. At a MULTIBANCO ATM, press the green key and enter the code. MB WAY states that the code is valid for 30 minutes and can only be used once.

On the MULTIBANCO network, MB WAY withdrawals follow the €200-per-operation / €400-per-day-per-card limit. MB WAY also supports ATM EXPRESS, which has different limits. The official FAQ currently says MB WAY cardless withdrawals themselves have no user charge. See MB WAY’s withdrawal guide.

Useful everyday MB WAY features

  • Pedir dinheiro: request money from another MB WAY user.
  • Dividir conta: split a restaurant bill or shared expense among contacts.
  • Virtual-card/online-payment functions: useful when you do not want to expose your physical card details.
  • Cardless withdrawal: useful when you have your phone but not your card.
  • Instant contact transfers: common for paying friends, small shared expenses and reimbursements.

MB WAY Verified

MB WAY also offers optional MB WAY Verified, involving identity verification. MB WAY states that it is not compulsory for ordinary use, but is required for transfers above the ordinary limit where that functionality is available. Verification can involve reading an identity document and facial validation, with Chave Móvel Digital supported in some flows. Check the current MB WAY Verified FAQs.

Scams: never approve an operation because someone tells you to

MB WAY’s convenience also makes it a common name in social-engineering scams. A buyer, seller, “bank employee” or stranger should not need your MB WAY PIN, banking password or an authentication code. Do not follow instructions to “activate” MB WAY for somebody else at an ATM, and do not approve an unexpected request in the app.

If someone says they are sending you money but asks you to enter codes, approve a payment, disclose a PIN or generate/share a cash-withdrawal code, stop. Contact your bank using its official number. Banco de Portugal’s banking security information is a useful reference.

What about Wise, Revolut and foreign cards?

A Wise, Revolut or other foreign/international card may work perfectly well for ordinary card purchases and cash withdrawals in Portugal. MULTIBANCO POS and ATMs can accept international schemes including Visa and Mastercard. But that does not mean the account/card supports every local MULTIBANCO or MB WAY service.

If MB WAY and Portuguese reference payments matter to you, check whether your actual bank/card supports them. Many newcomers therefore keep an international account for currency/international transfers and a participating Portuguese account for local services.

A useful first-week setup

  1. Open/activate your Portuguese account if you want full local payment functionality.
  2. Make sure your mobile number is correctly registered with the bank.
  3. Install MB WAY from the official app store and enrol using the official process.
  4. Set sensible purchase/security limits.
  5. Learn to recognise Entidade + Referência + Montante on Portuguese bills.
  6. Save your bank’s official fraud/lost-card number.
  7. Try a small MB WAY transfer or reference payment before relying on it for an urgent deadline.

Useful official links

Last verified: 2 October 2026. MB WAY limits, participating banks, fees and app features can change; the live MB WAY and your bank’s tariff take precedence. No Amazon product is naturally relevant to this guide, so no affiliate product link is included.