# What Are the Best Credit Cards for New Arrivals in Portugal? (2026) > The credit and payment cards you can actually get in Portugal before you have a Portuguese IBAN, an address registration or a credit file. Ranked with the weighting published. By Jules de Bruin · URL: https://www.how-to-portugal.com/finance/credit-cards/best-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. ## Which credit card is the best for new arrivals? ★ Newcomer pick ### WiZink Rewards 2.0Newcomer 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 EligibilityNo Portuguese IBAN neededSupportEnglish support is limited[Get the WiZink Bank card](https://www.wizink.pt/public/content/dam/wizink-web-pt/documents/general/PRE-FT.pdf)Cards(3) - WiZink FlexFreerevolving credit / annual fee · 19% TAEG · above 1% abroad - Cartão SL Benfica WiZinkFreerevolving credit / annual fee · 19% TAEG · above 1% abroad - WiZink RewardsOur pick hereFreerevolving credit / annual fee · 18.5% TAEG · above 1% abroad Fees as of August 2026, verify on the issuer's price list. Annual fee FreeMore detailsAnnual feeFreeAPR?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% TAEGCost abroadAbove 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/MultibancoPortuguese 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 requiredBest for new arrivals who want the safest yes. Also great ### Cartão Oney Auchan+ 2.0Newcomer 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 EligibilityNo Portuguese IBAN neededSupportEnglish support is limited[Get the Oney Bank card](https://www.oney.pt/cartao/cartao-oney-auchan-mais)Cards(2) - Cartão Oney Auchan+Our pick hereFreerevolving credit / annual fee · 18.4% TAEG · above 1% abroad - Cartão IKEA FamilyFreerevolving credit / annual fee · 18.4% TAEG · above 1% abroad Fees as of August 2026, verify on the issuer's price list. Annual fee FreeMore detailsAnnual feeFreeAPR?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% TAEGCost abroadAbove 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/MultibancoPortuguese 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 requiredBest for new arrivals who need a different issuer. Best value ### Cartão FNAC 2.0Newcomer 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 EligibilityNo Portuguese IBAN neededSupportEnglish support is limited[Get the Cetelem card](https://www.fnac.pt/cartaocreditofnac-cetelem)Cards(3) - Cetelem Black PlusFreerevolving credit / annual fee · 19% TAEG · above 1% abroad - Cartão de Crédito Banco CTTFreerevolving credit / annual fee · 18.9% TAEG · above 1% abroad - Cartão FNACOur pick hereFreerevolving credit / annual fee · 19% TAEG · above 1% abroad Fees as of August 2026, verify on the issuer's price list. Annual fee FreeMore detailsAnnual feeFreeAPR?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% TAEGCost abroadAbove 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/MultibancoPortuguese 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 requiredBest for new arrivals who need a different issuer. **This ranking differs from the general one.** The general page picks **Cartão Unibanco Clássico**. The reason is the weighting, not new information: **Eligibility** moves from **15%** to **50%** and **Annual fee** moves from **30%** to **15%**. ## Compare two providers Already down to two? Each comparison declares a winner on every criterion that decides the purchase. [Revolut vs N26](/finance/revolut-vs-n26)[Revolut vs MoeyRevolut wins 1 of the 5 computed criteria, moey! wins 0.](/finance/compare/revolut-vs-moey)[ActivoBank vs BankinterOn the structured fields these two are effectively tied: same fee, same protection band.](/finance/compare/activobank-vs-bankinter)[CGD vs Millennium bcpCaixa Geral de Depósitos wins 1 of the 5 computed criteria, Millennium BCP wins 0.](/finance/compare/cgd-vs-millennium-bcp)[Santander vs NovobancoSantander Portugal wins 3 of the 6 computed criteria, Novo Banco wins 0.](/finance/compare/santander-vs-novobanco)[Moey vs ActivoBankActivoBank wins 1 of the 5 computed criteria, moey! wins 0.](/finance/compare/moey-vs-activobank)[Wise vs RevolutRevolut wins 2 of the 5 computed criteria, Wise wins 0.](/finance/compare/wise-vs-revolut)[Banco CTT vs ActivoBankActivoBank wins 2 of the 5 computed criteria, Banco CTT wins 0.](/finance/compare/banco-ctt-vs-activobank)[Openbank vs N26On the structured fields these two are effectively tied: same fee, same protection band.](/finance/compare/openbank-vs-n26)[SMB vs Moeymoey! wins 1 of the 5 computed criteria, All deposit-taking institutions wins 0.](/finance/compare/smb-vs-moey)[Revolut Business vs Novobanco NegócioNovo Banco wins 1 of the 5 computed criteria, Revolut Business wins 0.](/finance/compare/revolut-business-vs-novobanco-negocio)How we ranked this for new arrivals5 criteria, weights publishedA 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 collectedEligibility*IBAN, address and income checks that rule cards out*****15%50%Annual fee*What holding the card costs every year*****30%15%Cost abroad*FX margin and ATM fees outside the euro area*****25%15%English support*App, contract and helpline language*****10%15%Rewards*Cashback or miles, net of their conditions*****20%5%** General ranking** This pageWeights total 100% on both. A blocker caps any score at 1.0. ## What 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 Cartão Unibanco ClássicoRequires a Portuguese IBAN, which a new arrival does not have yetWiZink FlexRequires a Portuguese IBAN, which a new arrival does not have yetCartão Universo+Requires a Portuguese IBAN, which a new arrival does not have yetCetelem Black PlusRequires a Portuguese IBAN, which a new arrival does not have yet ## 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 file**at 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.→](/finance/credit-cards-price-research) ## 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. --- Source: https://www.how-to-portugal.com/finance/credit-cards/best-for-new-arrivals Last updated: n/a Format: LLM-readable Markdown twin (.md) of the canonical HTML page.