Banking in Portugal: 25 Portuguese words for accounts, cards and payments

🇵🇹 PortugueseA2–B125 words

Opening a bank account is one of the first tasks after moving to Portugal, and paying by card or MB WAY quickly becomes routine. This list covers the words used by banks, cash machines and payment apps, with examples you can use at the branch.

Where you will use it: Opening an account, paying, transfers and cash machines.

Portuguese words for banking and money — The word list

Meanings and translations are in English.

Portuguese	Meaning and example
a conta à ordem	Current account.“Queria abrir uma conta à ordem.”I'd like to open a current account.
o IBAN	IBAN; international bank account number.“Pode confirmar o IBAN antes de enviar?”Could you check the IBAN before sending?
a transferência	Bank transfer.“Fiz a transferência esta manhã.”I made the bank transfer this morning.
levantar dinheiro	To withdraw cash.“Preciso de levantar dinheiro para o mercado.”I need to withdraw cash for the market.
o cartão de débito	Debit card.“Posso usar o cartão de débito aqui?”Can I use my debit card here?
a comissão	Fee; commission.“Esta operação tem alguma comissão?”Is there a fee for this transaction?
a agência bancária	Bank branch.“A agência bancária abre às oito e meia.”The bank branch opens at half past eight.
o extrato	Bank statement.“Preciso do extrato do mês passado.”I need last month's bank statement.
a poupança	Saving; savings.“Esta conta é para a minha poupança.”This account is for my savings.
MB WAY	Portuguese mobile payment service.“Posso pagar por MB WAY?”Can I pay using MB WAY?
o saldo	Account balance.“Vou consultar o saldo da conta.”I'm going to check my account balance.
o depósito	Deposit.“Queria fazer um depósito em dinheiro.”I'd like to make a cash deposit.
o débito direto	Direct debit.“Pago a eletricidade por débito direto.”I pay for electricity by direct debit.
o cartão de crédito	Credit card.“O meu cartão de crédito foi recusado.”My credit card was declined.
o código PIN	PIN; personal identification number.“Nunca partilhes o teu código PIN.”Never share your PIN.
a taxa de juro	Interest rate.“Qual é a taxa de juro desta conta?”What is the interest rate on this account?
o empréstimo	Loan.“Estou a comparar propostas de empréstimo.”I'm comparing loan offers.
a prestação	Instalment; regular repayment.“A prestação é paga todos os meses.”The instalment is paid every month.
a dívida	Debt.“Quero pagar esta dívida até dezembro.”I want to pay off this debt by December.
o numerário	Cash.“Aceitam pagamentos em numerário?”Do you accept cash payments?
a moeda	Coin; currency.“Preciso de uma moeda de um euro.”I need a one-euro coin.
a nota	Banknote.“Tem troco para uma nota de vinte euros?”Do you have change for a twenty-euro note?
o câmbio	Currency exchange; exchange rate.“Qual é o câmbio de hoje?”What is today's exchange rate?
o comprovativo de pagamento	Proof of payment.“Envie-me o comprovativo de pagamento, por favor.”Please send me proof of payment.
a ordem permanente	Standing order.“Quero criar uma ordem permanente para a renda.”I want to set up a standing order for rent.

Tips for learning Portuguese words

Learn the article with the nounWrite o comboio or a paragem, not just the noun: the article tells you the gender, and adjectives agree with it.
Listen before you speakEuropean Portuguese swallows many unstressed vowels, so words sound shorter than they look. Play the audio and repeat each example aloud.
Type the accentsIn WordNest a missing accent counts as a mistake. Typing água, não and amanhã correctly from the start saves relearning them later.

European, not Brazilian Portuguese

Portugal and Brazil share one language but differ in everyday words, pronunciation and grammar: a train is a comboio in Portugal and a trem in Brazil, and "I am eating" is estou a comer rather than estou comendo. WordNest teaches the Portugal variety — example sentences, pronunciation and AI corrections all follow Portugal's norms.

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

European vs Brazilian Portuguese: 50 everyday words that differ →How to learn European Portuguese with WordNest →

Questions about this list

Is this European or Brazilian Portuguese?

European Portuguese, as spoken in Portugal. Where Brazil uses a different word, the list gives the Portugal one — for example comboio instead of trem.

How do I practise Portuguese words for banking and money?

Start with five words, listen and say each example aloud. Then recall the Portuguese word from its English meaning and review it over several days.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 words and phrases with English meanings and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete course.

Study these words with spaced repetition

Create a free account, choose Portuguese as a study language and add these words to your own deck.