What Are the Best Credit Cards for New Arrivals in Portugal? (2026)
The verdict for new arrivals
Updated August 2026. Get the WiZink Rewards at no annual fee. On day one you have no Portuguese IBAN, no address registration and no local credit file, so the question is not which credit card is best but which issuer says yes. The retail co-brand cards clear that bar; the classic bank cards fail it. For day-one spending, a fintech debit card (Revolut, N26) opens with a passport in minutes, but it is a debit card, not credit: see the fintech apps page. After a few months of history, the local cards on the general ranking open up.
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Which credit card is the best for new arrivals?
★ Newcomer pick
WiZink Rewards
Newcomer fit 2 of 5. No bank switch, but NIF/IBAN/credit file required; applicants first need a NIF, a SEPA IBAN and a clean CRC file
- Eligibility
- No Portuguese IBAN needed
- Support
- English support is limited
Cards(3)
- WiZink FlexFree
revolving credit / annual fee · 19% TAEG · above 1% abroad
- Cartão SL Benfica WiZinkFree
revolving credit / annual fee · 19% TAEG · above 1% abroad
- WiZink RewardsOur pick hereFree
revolving credit / annual fee · 18.5% TAEG · above 1% abroad
Fees as of August 2026, verify on the issuer's price list.
More details
- Annual fee
- Free
- APR
APR
The yearly cost of carrying a balance, interest plus fees (TAEG). It only bites if you do not repay in full, and it compounds fast.
- 18.5% TAEG
- Cost abroad
- Above 1%
- Network
Network
The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it.
- Visa/Multibanco
- Portuguese IBAN
Portuguese IBAN
Whether the product needs a bank account with a Portuguese (PT50) IBAN. Foreign-IBAN accounts are legal to use, but some billers still reject them.
- Not required
Best for new arrivals who want the safest yes.
Also great
Cartão Oney Auchan+
Newcomer fit 2 of 5. No bank switch but NIF/IBAN/credit file required; applicants first need a NIF, a SEPA IBAN and a clean CRC file
- Eligibility
- No Portuguese IBAN needed
- Support
- English support is limited
Cards(2)
- Cartão Oney Auchan+Our pick hereFree
revolving credit / annual fee · 18.4% TAEG · above 1% abroad
- Cartão IKEA FamilyFree
revolving credit / annual fee · 18.4% TAEG · above 1% abroad
Fees as of August 2026, verify on the issuer's price list.
More details
- Annual fee
- Free
- APR
APR
The yearly cost of carrying a balance, interest plus fees (TAEG). It only bites if you do not repay in full, and it compounds fast.
- 18.4% TAEG
- Cost abroad
- Above 1%
- Network
Network
The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it.
- Visa/Multibanco
- Portuguese IBAN
Portuguese IBAN
Whether the product needs a bank account with a Portuguese (PT50) IBAN. Foreign-IBAN accounts are legal to use, but some billers still reject them.
- Not required
Best for new arrivals who need a different issuer.
Best value
Cartão FNAC
Newcomer fit 2 of 5. No bank switch but NIF/IBAN/credit file required; applicants first need a NIF, a SEPA IBAN and a clean CRC file
- Eligibility
- No Portuguese IBAN needed
- Support
- English support is limited
Cards(3)
- Cetelem Black PlusFree
revolving credit / annual fee · 19% TAEG · above 1% abroad
- Cartão de Crédito Banco CTTFree
revolving credit / annual fee · 18.9% TAEG · above 1% abroad
- Cartão FNACOur pick hereFree
revolving credit / annual fee · 19% TAEG · above 1% abroad
Fees as of August 2026, verify on the issuer's price list.
More details
- Annual fee
- Free
- APR
APR
The yearly cost of carrying a balance, interest plus fees (TAEG). It only bites if you do not repay in full, and it compounds fast.
- 19% TAEG
- Cost abroad
- Above 1%
- Network
Network
The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it.
- Mastercard/Multibanco
- Portuguese IBAN
Portuguese IBAN
Whether the product needs a bank account with a Portuguese (PT50) IBAN. Foreign-IBAN accounts are legal to use, but some billers still reject them.
- Not required
Best for new arrivals who need a different issuer.
Compare two providers
Already down to two? Each comparison declares a winner on every criterion that decides the purchase.
How we ranked this for new arrivals5 criteria, weights published
A reader we describe as new arrivals is not the average reader, so this page does not use the average weights. Eligibility carries 50% here against 15% on the general ranking, and Annual fee carries 15% here against 30% on the general ranking. The weights were fixed on 17 August 2026, before the prices were collected.
Criteria weighting
Fixed 17 August 2026, before pricing was collectedWhat is ruled out, and why
A blocker is not a drawback. It is something that makes the card unobtainable for this reader, however good its terms are otherwise.
Blocked for this reader
What you actually need to get a card here
A classic Portuguese credit card needs three things a new arrival does not have: a Portuguese IBAN for the direct debit, an address registration, and a credit fileat Banco de Portugal's central credit register. Issuers check all three.
The practical route is staged. A fintech card works from day one with a passport. A Portuguese account, openable in your first weeks, gives you the IBAN. After a few months of salary and direct debits, the direct issuers and then the banks start saying yes.
Every card we compared
View all 58 cardsThe full market overview: every card from every issuer with its annual fee, APR and cost abroad, filterable and re-rankable.How we compared these
Five criteria, weighted for this reader and published above, fixed before the fees were collected. Every fee comes from the issuer's own price list, dated in the catalogue. Of the 58 cards, 6 are obtainable by new arrivals.
Sources: issuer price lists and Banco de Portugal, accessed 18 August 2026. Some links earn a commission at the same rate for every issuer, so no weighting favours a payer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a Portuguese credit card with a foreign IBAN?
Most local cards require a Portuguese IBAN. Direct issuers may be more flexible if you have an IBAN from another Portuguese bank, but a foreign IBAN is usually rejected at application.
Is Revolut a credit card?
No. The standard Revolut card is a debit or prepaid card. It works for online payments, subscriptions and travel, which covers most of what new arrivals need a card for, but it is not revolving credit.
Should I wait for a local IBAN?
For a real credit card, yes. A Portuguese IBAN and a few months of banking history greatly improve approval chances and open the instalment plans the local market runs on.
Community Q&A