Currency Exchange

There are automated cashpoints (“Multibanco”, in portuguese) at most bank branches in Porto, at most of the larger supermarkets and in the main shopping areas of Porto.  There are also machines at the Porto airport and Porto railway stations.  They are not free for all transactions.  Look for the blue/green M signs.  Euronet cash machines (yellow and blue) are now also widely available, often outside shops.  Instructions are available in English and several other languages – you have to select the one you want.  That menu will appear once you have inserted your card into the machine. 

Note that the maximum cash for each withdrawal is 200 Euros.  You can repeat the withdrawal several times per day (for Portuguese cards it’s two times, for international cards it is many more).  When you put your card in you will be prompted for your PIN.  Do not be put off by the 6 asterisks indicating a 6 digit PIN is required – if your PIN is the more standard 4 numbers just put these in and hit the green “continuar” (continue) button.  If you get a “service unavailable” message, it is most likely that the machine is out of cash – especially at weekends and Monday mornings.  The machine will have an icon with a cross though it, but this isn’t very obvious. 

Visitors can also find Multibanco machines in several points of Porto.  VISA, Mastercard and American Express cards are widely accepted in hotels, shops and restaurants.  Petrol (gas) stations usually take credit cards and cash.  USA visitors especially beware that at night many petrol (gas) stations are automated and will only accept Chip and PIN credit cards. 

Banks do not open at weekends.  Opening hours vary and are posted clearly outside, but usually banks will be open between 08:30am and 3:30pm.  In smaller towns a bank may close for lunch.  Most branches no longer offer a foreign exchange service.