Skip to content
fees

Credit Card Fees in Portugal and How to Avoid Them

By PointsExplainedLast reviewed

Read the FIN before you sign

Use the standard pre-contract sheet to list every fee and compare offers side by side.

Set the full-balance repayment option

Paying the whole statement balance by the deadline avoids interest and the 4% stamp duty on it.

Avoid cash on credit

Use a debit card for cash withdrawals instead of a credit card cash advance.

Check late fees against Decree-Law 58/2013

Apart from default interest, the lender may charge only one recovery fee per overdue instalment, within the limits described above, and no other fee because of the delay.

Where this comes from

Sources

The documents this guide relies on. If one has changed since we read it, the document is right and this guide is out of date.

  1. Decreto-Lei n.º 133/2009 (contratos de crédito aos consumidores), versão consolidada — Diário da República

    Art. 6: standard pre-contract information sheet; art. 23-A: ban on fees for processing credit instalments by the lender or a related entity.

    diariodarepublica.pt · Accessed
  2. Cartão de crédito: como escolher e como usar em segurança — Caixa Geral de Depósitos (Saldo Positivo), 07-11-2025

    Costs to watch: card fee (annual fee), cash machine withdrawal fees, fees for use abroad, insurance, early repayment costs; cash on credit carries high additional costs, use only in emergencies.

    cgd.pt · Accessed
  3. Glossário de Cartões — Caixa Geral de Depósitos

    Definitions of 'comissão de disponibilização de cartão' (charged annually/monthly for holding the card) and 'adiantamento de numerário a crédito'.

    cgd.pt · Accessed
  4. Cartão de crédito: como usar (bem) este meio de pagamento — Santander Portugal (Salto), atualizado a 9 março 2026

    Card costs incl. stamp duty on the annual fee, interest and capital; cash withdrawal commissions; fuel, inactivity and international processing charges outside the EEA on some cards; not all cards have these costs.

    santander.pt · Accessed
  5. Código do Imposto do Selo — Anexo II (Tabela Geral), versão consolidada — Diário da República

    Stamp duty items 17.2.4 (0.141% on monthly average of daily balances for undetermined-term consumer credit under DL 133/2009), 17.3.1 (4% on interest) and 17.3.4 (4% on other financial-service commissions).

    diariodarepublica.pt · Accessed
  6. Regulation (EU) 2021/1230 on cross-border payments in the Union — EUR-Lex

    Art. 3: charges for cross-border payments in euro equal to charges for corresponding national payments.

    eur-lex.europa.eu · Accessed
  7. Payments, transfers and cheques — Your Europe (European Union), last checked 28/04/2026

    When paying in EU currencies other than euro, the card provider may charge a currency conversion fee.

    europa.eu · Accessed
  8. Decreto-Lei n.º 58/2013, de 8 de maio (juros, capitalização e mora do devedor) — Diário da República

    Art. 8: default interest capped at a 3% annual surcharge; art. 9: recovery fee ≤4% of the overdue instalment, €12 minimum allowed, €150 maximum, 0.5% cap above €50,000, once per instalment, no other default fees, documented third-party expenses may be passed on; art. 9(9): €12 and €150 updated annually by portaria in line with the CPI. Diário da República lists no amendments to the decree-law.

    diariodarepublica.pt · Accessed
  9. Decreto-Lei n.º 3/2010 (proibição de cobrança de encargos; comissões em aplicações de pagamento), versão consolidada — Diário da República

    Art. 3: payee may not charge for use of a given payment instrument; art. 3-D: no fees for photocopies or second copies of statements.

    diariodarepublica.pt · Accessed
  10. Regime Jurídico dos Serviços de Pagamento e da Moeda Eletrónica (Decreto-Lei n.º 91/2018), versão consolidada — Diário da República

    Art. 101(2): no charges for information duties; art. 101(7): no surcharges for cards with interchange fees regulated under Regulation (EU) 2015/751.

    diariodarepublica.pt · Accessed
  11. Decreto-Lei n.º 227/2012 (PARI e PERSI), versão consolidada — Diário da República

    Art. 8: no fees for renegotiation and no interest-rate increase in arrears agreements.

    diariodarepublica.pt · Accessed
Questions

About this guide

Can a shop in Portugal charge extra because I pay by card?

For cards whose interchange fees are regulated by EU Regulation 2015/751, no: Portugal's payment services regime bars the payee from charging for their use, and Decree-Law 3/2010 bars payees from charging for the use of a particular payment instrument.

Is stamp duty charged on my annual fee?

Santander's guide lists stamp duty on the annual fee among card costs, and the stamp duty table charges 4% on financial-service commissions (as of September 2026).
Keep reading

Choosing Your First Credit Card in Portugal

Your Rights as a Credit Card Holder in Portugal

Credit Card Interest in Portugal: TAN, TAEG, Usury Caps and Minimum Payments