Month 1
Time
10 min
Cost
Free
Difficulty
Easy
What to bring
A Portuguese bank account with a debit card
A Portuguese mobile number
Not needed: A separate app. Your bank's app usually has MB Way built in
Your options
Your bank's app
Activate it where your card already lives
Free
ActivoBank, Millennium, CGD and the rest all have MB Way activation inside their own app. Two minutes, no new login to remember.
MB Way app (standalone)
The official app from SIBS
Free
Works with any Portuguese card. Useful if your bank's app is clunky, but it's one more app and one more PIN.
Skipping it
Living on card-only
Free
You'll survive, but friends splitting dinner, your landlord, marketplace sellers, and half the market stalls will all ask "tens MB Way?". And cash is disappearing.
Prices checked June 2026
Do it
- 1
Activate in your banking app
Find "MB Way" in the menu, link your Portuguese mobile number and debit card, set a 4-digit PIN.
- 2
Test it with a transfer
Send €1 to a friend by phone number. It lands instantly, free, no IBAN needed.
- 3
Learn the Multibanco trick
At any Multibanco ATM you can withdraw cash with an MB Way code instead of a card, handy the day you lose your wallet.
- 4
Use it for the boring stuff too
Multibanco "Pagamentos de Serviços" references (the entidade/referência on bills) can be paid straight from the same app, no queuing at an ATM.
Words you'll hear
MB Way
Pay-by-phone-number, used by everyone from landlords to market stalls. 'Manda por MB Way' = send it to my number.
Multibanco
The national ATM and payments network. Pay bills, top up SIMs, and buy tickets at any machine.
Common questions
Does it work with a foreign phone number?
Most banks require a Portuguese mobile number to activate MB Way, one more reason the SIM card comes first in your checklist.
Are transfers really free?
For everyday person-to-person amounts at most banks, yes. Heavy users should glance at their bank's price list, some cap the free tier.
Is it safe to give my number out for payments?
Your number is just the alias, every payment is confirmed in-app with your PIN. Never approve a request you didn't expect; "accidental transfer" refund scams exist.
Full checklist tracking and task completion live in the Settli app for Lisbon.