Portugal has a payment culture of its own. Both of its favourite online methods come from SIBS, the national interbank network, and according to industry estimates they account for the large majority of Portuguese e-commerce payments. They suit very different moments, though.
MB WAY: the instant option
MB WAY is a mobile app linked to the customer’s bank account. At checkout the customer enters their phone number and approves in the app with a PIN or biometrics. It had about 6.5 million users in 2025, around three-quarters of Portugal’s banked population.
Best for: mobile shoppers, everyday purchases, anything that needs instant confirmation (deposits, digital goods, tickets).
Multibanco: the pay-later option
A Multibanco reference is a set of numbers (entity, reference and amount) that the customer pays later in their banking app, online banking or at any Multibanco ATM. References are usually valid for up to seven days.
Best for: higher-value purchases, customers who want to check with their bank first, and people who prefer not to pay online at all.
Getting the details right
For MB WAY
- Pre-fill the phone number for logged-in customers.
- Show a clear waiting screen: “Approve the payment in your MB WAY app.”
- Set a short timeout and offer a retry or another method if the customer doesn’t approve.
For Multibanco
- Show the entity, reference and amount clearly, with copy buttons.
- Email the reference so it’s easy to find later.
- Send a reminder before it expires, and release reserved stock once it does.
- Don’t promise instant delivery: fulfil when the payment notification arrives.
Show both
The two methods complement each other. Offering MB WAY first on mobile, with Multibanco as a visible alternative, covers both the “pay now” and “pay later” customer.
Add MB WAY and Multibanco through Tuskpay. Talk to us.