If your online store sells to customers in Portugal, it should accept MB WAY and Multibanco references alongside card, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Many Portuguese buyers pay this way every day and expect to see both at checkout. There are two routes: Stripe, which accepts both directly, or a Portuguese provider such as Easypay, Eupago, ifthenpay or SIBS. Either way, the change goes beyond a new button. It affects the checkout screens, how orders are confirmed and how invoices are issued. This article walks through each part.
Why Portuguese buyers look for them
MB WAY lets people pay with their mobile number and a tap in the app, without typing card details. For anyone wary of entering a card on a site they have not used before, it is the quickest way to buy with confidence.
Multibanco references suit a different buyer. The customer receives an entity number, a reference and an amount, and pays later at a cash machine or in online banking. It is the method of choice for people without a card they use online, for those who prefer to pay straight from their account, and for many companies and associations that settle orders through the bank.
When these methods are missing, you lose the sale at the worst possible moment: the customer has filled the basket, typed the delivery address and gives up on the last step. A store that sells mainly within Portugal feels this far more than one selling across Europe.
How each method works
With MB WAY, the customer enters their mobile number at checkout. The MB WAY app shows them the payment request, and they have a short time limit, set by the provider, to approve it. Meanwhile the store shows a waiting screen and moves to the confirmation page as soon as the payment goes through. If time runs out, the customer can try again or pick another method without losing their basket.
With a Multibanco reference, the store generates a reference with a payment deadline, shows it on screen and sends it by email. The order is recorded as awaiting payment. When the customer pays, the provider notifies the store, and only then does the order move forward. The gap between purchase and payment can be minutes or days.
With card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, payment is immediate and bank authentication happens inside the checkout. We show all five methods on the same step, so customers choose without leaving the page.
Choosing a provider
Stripe accepts Multibanco and MB WAY in the same account you already use for cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. It suits stores that also sell abroad, run subscriptions or want one dashboard for everything. There is more on our Stripe integration page.
Easypay, Eupago, ifthenpay and SIBS are Portuguese providers whose core business is MB WAY and Multibanco. They suit stores that sell mostly in Portugal, want support in Portuguese or already have an account with one of them. We compare the options on our MB WAY, Multibanco and card payments page.
When choosing, we look at five things:
- the payment methods you need now and a year from now;
- each method's fees, published by each provider and often tiered by volume;
- how long it takes for money to reach your bank account;
- the platform your store runs on, and how well the provider connects to it;
- refunds, which providers do not all handle the same way for every method.
The account is always in your business's name, and the money goes straight into your own bank account.
What changes at checkout
Accepting MB WAY and Multibanco means designing screens a card-only store never needs:
- A mobile number field for MB WAY, with the Portuguese country code filled in and the number checked before the request is sent.
- A clear waiting screen that says "Approve the payment in your MB WAY app", shows the time left and offers a way to choose another method.
- A Multibanco reference page with the entity, reference and amount in large type, a copy button for each, and the payment deadline.
- An email with the reference, so customers can pay later without keeping the page open.
- Stock held while a reference is unpaid, and released if the deadline passes.
Much of this happens on phones, so every one of these screens has to work without zooming and without making the customer switch apps more than once.
What changes in payment confirmation
The most important rule is simple: an order becomes paid only when the payment provider confirms it. A customer landing back on your site proves nothing. So the store receives the provider's notifications, checks they are genuine and only then updates the order.
Three more details matter:
- The same notification can arrive twice. The store recognises it and never records a second payment or sends a second email.
- Multibanco payments can take time. With Stripe, for instance, confirming a Multibanco payment can take a few days. The store sends a reminder before the reference expires and cancels the order if payment never arrives.
- Your team is told. Every confirmed payment alerts whoever packs the orders, so nobody has to check the bank statement.
What changes in invoicing
In Portugal, most businesses must issue invoices from software certified by the Tax and Customs Authority (AT), and every invoice carries an ATCUD code and a QR code. The rules, including who is exempt, are set out in Decree-Law 28/2019 and on the Portal das Finanças. Check with your accountant what applies to your business. Your store's order number is not an invoice.
In practice, we connect the store to the certified invoicing software the business already uses, through that software's API. Once payment is confirmed, the invoice is issued from the order details and emailed to the customer. At checkout, an optional field asks for a tax number (NIF) from anyone who wants it on the invoice. When an order is refunded, the store issues the matching credit note.
Refunds need the same care. With MB WAY, the money usually goes back to the account linked to the app. With Multibanco, it depends on the provider: Stripe, for example, refunds from the dashboard, while others ask for the customer's IBAN and send a bank transfer. It is worth knowing this before you choose, and spelling the process out in your returns policy.
Doing this by hand works with a handful of orders a week. Beyond that, mistakes creep in: forgotten invoices, mixed-up tax numbers and totals that do not match the payment.
An example: the reference that never gets paid
A customer chooses Multibanco at ten at night, gets the reference by email and closes the tab. The store holds the stock and marks the order as awaiting payment. Two days later, still unpaid, a reminder goes out with the same reference and its deadline. When the deadline passes, the order is cancelled, the stock goes back on sale and the customer gets a short email explaining what happened, with a link to place the order again. Nobody on the team had to step in.
Checklist
- Checkout offers card, MB WAY, Multibanco, Apple Pay and Google Pay on one step.
- MB WAY requests have a waiting screen, a visible time limit and a fallback.
- The Multibanco reference appears on screen and by email, with its deadline.
- Stock is held while a reference is unpaid.
- Orders become paid only on the provider's confirmation.
- A reminder goes out before a reference expires, and the order is cancelled after.
- Invoices come from AT-certified software once payment is confirmed.
- Refunds produce a credit note.
Where to start
If you already run a store, check which methods your current provider supports: sometimes it is a matter of switching on MB WAY and Multibanco and adjusting the checkout. If you are planning a new online store, choose the provider before designing the checkout, because it shapes some of the screens.
If you would like help choosing a provider and wiring everything up, request a quote. Every project is quoted individually, based on the store you have or the one you want to build.