BPI

  There are several banks in Portugal, including international ones, but they are all bounded to the national bank system. As a student you can open a bank account for free in most banks, and many universities have agreements with banks. Withdrawing money might make you paying a high fee (depending on your home bank) when using your home country bank card, especially if it is not from the Euro zone. Payment All bills and payments are connected to the Portuguese ATM system, meaning you can pay it at every ATM. Gas, electricity, water, internet, insurances, car fines and even taxes, you pay do all that in the ATM machine. However, in order to be able to do this you need to have a Portuguese bank account. Cell phones are also topped up using the ATM.   Why open a bank account?

• You can pay for Cantine meals easier, since international bank cards doesn't work on the ticket machines;
• No taxes to pay;
• You can top up your cell phone everywhere;
• You can use debit card basically everywhere;
• It is safer, since there is no need to withdraw big amounts of cash each time.

BPI the ESN PORTUGAL partner bank BPI stands for Banco Português de Investimento, and is the ESN PORTUGAL partner bank for the year of 2010/2010. ESN negotiated special advantages for International Students studying in Portugal with BPI which provide you with:

• Free bank account and debit card;
• No need for Portuguese TAX id when opening your bank account (EU address necessary);
• Internet banking in English;

How to open a BPI bank account

1. Go to BPI Arcada on Rua Viana do Castelo, nº 1 - 6  (see mat at the bottom)
2. Tell the bank employee you are looking for a “NON RESIDENT BANK ACCOUNT” based on the ESN PROTOCOL. The form exists in English, French or German language;
3. Inform the bank you want to receive bank letters in Portugal, and provide the bank with your current address in Portugal;
4. Don’t forget to ask for home banking access details and any additional information you need.

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