CGD credit cards and Revolut plans: compare APRs, limits, insurance and costs abroad to find the right card in Portugal.
This comparison examines 11 cards in Portugal, among them Caixa ISIC, Caixa IN, Caixa Classic, Revolut Standard, across the Visa, Revolut networks. Three things genuinely separate one card from another, and the annual fee is only the first: next come the bundled insurances, trip cancellation, medical cover abroad, baggage, purchase protection, whose value often exceeds the fee as soon as you travel, and foreign exchange charges, which quietly cost 2 to 3 per cent of every purchase in another currency with traditional issuers and nothing at all with the neobanks. Payment and withdrawal limits matter too, and they are negotiable. The table compares them line by line, without an overall score: the right card for a frequent traveller is not the right card for someone who rarely leaves home. Anyone going abroad twice a year usually saves more with a no-foreign-fee card than a premium card's insurance ever returns in claims.
Select 2 to 4 cards to compare side by side.
Visa
Revolut
| Criteria | Caixa IN Standard | Revolut Standard Standard | Caixa Miles&More Gold Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | Per CGD price list (included in the APR) | Free | Per CGD price list (included in the APR) |
Payment Limit/mo | Credit limit from €500 | Up to balance (debit card) | Credit limit from €3,500 |
Withdrawal Limit/wk | Credit limit from €500 | Up to balance (debit card) | Credit limit from €3,500 |
Travel Medical | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Free insurance package for you and your family, in Portugal and abroad |
Trip Cancellation | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated |
Luggage | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated |
Purchase Protection | Not stated | No credit protection (debit) | Not stated |
Car Rental | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated |
Concierge | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Lounge Access | Not stated | Lounge passes available to buy | Not stated |
Cashback | Not stated | RevPoints: 1 point per €10 spent | Earns Miles & More miles |
International Acceptance | Very wide (Visa or Mastercard, Multibanco network) | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) | Very wide (Visa or Mastercard, Multibanco network) |
Overview of all cards. Scroll horizontally on mobile.
| Criteria | Caixa ISIC Standard | Caixa IN Standard | Caixa Classic Standard | Revolut Standard Standard | Revolut Plus Standard | Caixa Gold Premium | Caixa Miles&More Gold Premium | Revolut Premium Premium | Caixa Platina Premium+ | Revolut Metal Premium+ | Revolut Ultra Premium+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | Per CGD price list (included in the APR) | Per CGD price list (included in the APR) | Per CGD price list (included in the APR) | Free | €3.99/month | Per CGD price list (included in the APR) | Per CGD price list (included in the APR) | €9.99/month | Per CGD price list (included in the APR) | €17.99/month | €55/month |
Payment Limit/mo | Credit limit from €500 | Credit limit from €500 | Credit limit from €1,000 | Up to balance (debit card) | Up to balance (debit card) | Credit limit from €2,500 | Credit limit from €3,500 | Up to balance (debit card) | Credit limit from €5,000 | Up to balance (debit card) | Up to balance (debit card) |
Withdrawal Limit/wk | Credit limit from €500 | Credit limit from €500 | Credit limit from €1,000 | Up to balance (debit card) | Up to balance (debit card) | Credit limit from €2,500 | Credit limit from €3,500 | Up to balance (debit card) | Credit limit from €5,000 | Up to balance (debit card) | Up to balance (debit card) |
Travel Medical | Not stated | Not stated | Insurance package: medical assistance, legal protection, fraudulent use | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Comprehensive insurance package | Free insurance package for you and your family, in Portugal and abroad | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Overseas medical insurance included (plan terms) | Overseas medical insurance included (plan terms) |
Trip Cancellation | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Trip and event cancellation cover included |
Luggage | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Delayed or lost baggage and flight delay covered | Delayed or lost baggage and flight delay covered |
Purchase Protection | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | No credit protection (debit) | Everyday purchase protection (plan terms) | Not stated | Not stated | Everyday purchase protection (plan terms) | Not stated | Everyday purchase protection (plan terms) | Everyday purchase protection (plan terms) |
Car Rental | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Car rental excess covered (plan terms) | Car rental excess covered (plan terms) |
Concierge | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | 24/7 Concierge & Lifestyle Management | Not stated | Not stated |
Lounge Access | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Lounge passes available to buy | Lounge passes available to buy | Not stated | Not stated | Discounted lounge access | Not stated | Discounted lounge access | Unlimited partner lounge access |
Cashback | International student card with discounts | Not stated | Not stated | RevPoints: 1 point per €10 spent | RevPoints: 1 point per €10 spent | Sempre em Caixa partner programme | Earns Miles & More miles | RevPoints: 1 point per €4 spent | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
International Acceptance | Very wide (Visa or Mastercard, Multibanco network) | Very wide (Visa or Mastercard, Multibanco network) | Very wide (Visa or Mastercard, Multibanco network) | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) | Very wide (Visa or Mastercard, Multibanco network) | Very wide (Visa or Mastercard, Multibanco network) | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) | Very wide (Visa or Mastercard, Multibanco network) | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) |
Explore details of each type of coverage and service.
| Card | Travel Medical | Trip Cancellation | Luggage | Car Rental |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Caixa ISIC | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Caixa IN | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Caixa Classic | Insurance package: medical assistance, legal protection, fraudulent use | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Revolut Standard | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan |
Revolut Plus | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan |
Caixa Gold | Comprehensive insurance package | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Caixa Miles&More Gold | Free insurance package for you and your family, in Portugal and abroad | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Revolut Premium | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan |
Caixa Platina | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Revolut Metal | Overseas medical insurance included (plan terms) | Not included in this plan | Delayed or lost baggage and flight delay covered | Car rental excess covered (plan terms) |
Revolut Ultra | Overseas medical insurance included (plan terms) | Trip and event cancellation cover included | Delayed or lost baggage and flight delay covered | Car rental excess covered (plan terms) |
* Cover depends on each card's terms; "Not stated" means the issuer does not mention it on its product page.
Our recommendations based on your usage profile in Portugal.
You travel often and want travel insurance and miles.
Earns Miles & More miles with a free insurance package for the whole family, in Portugal and abroad (18.5% APR). Revolut Metal (€17.99/month): overseas medical insurance, unlimited weekday exchange and fee-free euro withdrawals in the EEA.
You want a free card or the lowest-rate credit.
Free, fee-free weekday exchange up to €1,000 a month and euro withdrawals free of Revolut fees in the EEA. Caixa ISIC: student credit card at 12.8% APR, limit from €500, doubling as an international student card.
You want a simple credit card with a moderate rate.
14.0% APR and a limit from €500, for in-store or online purchases. Caixa Classic (17.1% APR) adds an insurance package: medical assistance, legal protection and fraudulent use.
You want a concierge and premium benefits.
24/7 Concierge & Lifestyle Management, limit from €5,000 (18.5% APR). Revolut Ultra (€55/month): unlimited partner lounge access, cancellation cover and €2,000 a month of free foreign-currency withdrawals.
Multibanco is the national ATM and payment network run by SIBS: withdrawals, bill payments, top-ups. MB WAY, the companion app, enables in-store payments and instant person-to-person transfers using a phone number.
At CGD, collected in October 2026: APR of 12.8% (Caixa ISIC), 14.0% (Caixa IN), 17.1% (Caixa Classic), 18.4% (Miles&More Classic) and 18.5% (Gold, Platina, Miles&More Gold). The APR includes the annual fee: compare it across cards and pay the full balance to avoid interest.
Standard free, Plus €3.99, Premium €9.99, Metal €17.99 and Ultra €55 a month. Fee-free weekday exchange up to €1,000 a month (Standard and Plus), unlimited above; weekend markup of 1% or 0.5%. Euro withdrawals in the EEA free of Revolut fees; in other currencies, €200 to €2,000 a month free, then 2%.
Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted, as is MB WAY. Some small shops set a minimum amount or prefer cash; American Express is less widely accepted.
Always pay in the local currency and decline the conversion offered by the terminal or ATM (dynamic currency conversion), whose rate is usually worse than your card's.
Yes, up to €100,000 per depositor per bank under the Fundo de Garantia de Depósitos. Revolut falls under the Lithuanian scheme, with the same ceiling.
The Portuguese card market stands out for the Multibanco network, the national payment infrastructure run by SIBS. Multibanco handles withdrawals, payments, transfers, top-ups and bill payments (serviços). MB WAY, the companion mobile payment app, is used for instant person-to-person transfers and in-store payments. Visa and Mastercard complete the ecosystem for international payments.
The Portuguese banking sector is dominated by CGD (Caixa Geral de Depósitos, the state-owned bank), Millennium BCP, Novo Banco (created from the 2014 resolution of BES) and Santander Totta. These banks issue Visa or Mastercard cards that work on the Multibanco network. Neobanks such as Revolut or Moey (Crédito Agrícola) and online banks such as ActivoBank attract younger customers.
Debit cards are the most used day to day, with contactless payment. Credit cards (Visa or Mastercard) are offered by every bank; at CGD their APR ranged from 12.8% to 18.5% in October 2026. MB WAY lets you pay in shops and send money instantly. Neobanks (Revolut, Wise) are popular with expats living in Lisbon and Porto.
Portuguese bank fees include the comissão de manutenção (account maintenance fee), which varies by bank and is often waived for young people or with salary paid in, and credit card fees, included in the APR. Withdrawals at Multibanco ATMs in Portugal are free. Outside the eurozone, fees depend on each bank's price list. Banco de Portugal supervises banks and the Fundo de Garantia de Depósitos protects deposits up to €100,000.
For a resident in Portugal, an account with a debit card that works on Multibanco and MB WAY is essential. For the lowest-rate credit, the Caixa ISIC (students, 12.8%) and Caixa IN (14.0%) stand out at CGD. For travel, pair your local account with Revolut, with no weekday exchange fee within plan limits. Frequent travellers should look at the Caixa Miles&More Gold, which earns miles and includes family insurance.
* Fees collected in October 2026 from issuers' official pages (CGD, Revolut). They may change: check with the issuer before applying. Supervised by Banco de Portugal. Deposits protected up to €100,000 (FGD).