How much is a prepaid SIM in Portugal?

A prepaid SIM is the easiest piece of Portuguese admin. No NIF, no bank account, no address: you walk into a shop with a passport and leave connected.

Prices in 2026

1. NOS: 55 GB for 10 euros a month, 100 GB for 19 euros a month.
2. Vodafone: 55 GB for 10 euros and 95 GB for 15 euros per four week cycle.
3. MEO: weekly passes, 50 GB for 2.50 euros and 100 GB for 3.75 euros, which suits short stays.

If you have a NIF and a Portuguese bank card, monthly plans undercut prepaid. Woo, the NOS low cost brand, advertises 100 GB with 2,500 minutes or SMS for 5 euros a month with no lock in, a rolling offer running to sign ups until 30 September 2026 at last check, so confirm the current cutoff before you count on it.

Where to buy

Provider shops in any shopping centre, airport kiosks, and larger supermarkets such as Continente and Pingo Doce. Airport tourist SIMs cost 10 to 25 euros for a package and are convenient rather than cheap. Staff usually ask for your passport to register the SIM, although one traveller reported the Porto airport Vodafone kiosk asking for nothing in 2026. Bring the passport either way.

eSIM instead

If your phone supports eSIM, travel plans start from about 3 US dollars for 1 GB over 7 days, around 15 US dollars for 10 GB, and from 20 US dollars for a 7 day unlimited plan. That is a sensible bridge for the first week. For a stay over a month, a local prepaid SIM with a Portuguese number is better: you need a Portuguese number for MB Way, for bank verification codes, and for every delivery driver who calls when you are not home. Our best eSIM for Portugal comparison prices Nomad, Ubigi, Airalo and Holafly against that local SIM.

Topping up

Carregamentos work at ATMs (Multibanco), in the provider apps, at supermarket checkouts and at kiosks. Set a calendar reminder for the renewal date: prepaid data bundles expire on their cycle and unused gigabytes do not roll over.