Times are changing rapidly, and our world is transforming very quickly. New rules, new technologies and of course, new life hacks! We are still very grateful to you, our readers, for choosing WithPortugal, following our articles, and news, and supporting us in every way possible! As a thank you, we have decided to expand our article on the most important life in Portugal, which can make your life in Portugal much easier and save you a lot of time and money. We have added 10 more top 10 most essential tips that you might find useful.
Perhaps you know some other useful life hacks? Share them in the comments, we and our readers will be very grateful!
20 Most Important life Hacks in Portugal
I, the author of this article, have been living in Portugal for six years. With my natural curiosity, I have been actively trying different methods and strategies that could help me in one way or another in my new country. In no way are the following life hacks an advertisement for any company. They are just the results of my numerous experiments and personal experience. I have tried a lot, made a lot of mistakes and what is written below has been tested by me and really works.
Here are 20 life hacks that I think will help you in Portugal:
- Using free health insurance
You do not want to spend money on paid medical insurance, but at the same time, you do not want to wait for months to see a doctor in the state polyclinic? There is a way out! For this you just need to go to the nearest large Continente store and there get a discount card in your name. Then you can go with this card to almost any private clinic, give the card store and say that you have health insurance Plano de Saúde Well's (on this site you can see a list of paid clinics that accept this insurance). I.e., the very presence of a discount card of this store gives you the right to use medical insurance in a private clinic and receive significant discounts.
To give you an example: I recently went to see a doctor in a private clinic and the consultation there cost 70 euros. I showed my Continente discount card and was only charged 35 euros. And the next day I received a refund of another 10 euros on my store card (this money can be spent on shopping or something else). That is, in fact, a doctor's appointment, which originally cost 70 euros, cost me only 25. Profitable, isn't it?
- Getting the maximum cashback in the SONAE network
Such a familiar and familiar word in the CIS countries as cashback, probably, most people in Portugal have hardly heard of it. Nevertheless, there is a network of SONAE establishments in the country, such as Continente stores, which we mentioned above, GALP gas stations, WORTEN electronics stores, pharmacies with a limited set of household drugs Well´s, Solinca gyms, where you can get a refund for your purchases on the already known to us discount card Continente. For example, the Continente supermarket will constantly give you discount coupons. If you have a coupon for a 15% refund on your purchases, you can go to the store and immediately buy for a month, for example, spending 300 euros. In this case, 45 euros (i.e. 15% of 300) you will return to your card Continente as a cashback. And you can use this money at the gas station, in the pharmacy and directly in supermarkets network SONAE. For example, I, for a little more than 5 years of living in Portugal, have already received about 1000 euros cashback for purchases in this network.
- Staying warm in winter without heaters
I think everyone knows firsthand the misery of winter in Portuguese unheated houses and apartments. If you are about to buy your tenth heater, I suggest instead to buy a device with a complicated name "Desumidificador". It is a dehumidifier, and although its cost (from 100 euros and more) scares many people away, it is the only thing that can really help to reduce the humidity in the apartment and freeze less.
For example, now, when I have somewhere 15-16 degrees in my house, and the humidity is about 70-80%, then turning on the dehumidifier, the humidity after a couple of hours drops by 20-30%, and the temperature increases by 3-4 degrees. And when the room is already 19 degrees, then in principle often and heater is not needed. In addition, with a dehumidifier you will never have mold in the room, and with health will be fewer problems, because you will remove excess moisture, which does not help health and creates cold in the apartment. In general, a dehumidifier in Portugal is not a luxury, but a real necessity.
- Transferring money with MB WAY app
If you need to transfer money to a friend in Portugal, pay off a debt or split a restaurant bill, you don't have to waste time going to an ATM to make a transfer. With the MB WAY app, you can make a transfer to another Portuguese card in a couple of seconds, and the recipient will receive the money immediately, not a couple of days later as is the case with ATM transfers. Also, considering the fact that Portuguese debit cards cannot be used to pay for purchases in online stores, in this application you can create a virtual credit card and use it to pay for your order online. Very convenient.
- Buying railroad tickets with significant discounts
If you buy your ticket in advance (at least 5 days or more in advance) online at cp.pt, you will get a much cheaper ticket than if you buy it at the last minute or in person at the ticket office at the train station. Be careful, as such promotional online tickets are non-refundable.
- Buying products and services at huge discounts all year round
Thus, once popular in some CIS countries, coupon sites are also present in Portugal in some form. Hotels, restaurants, zoo tickets, goods and services with big discounts are presented in full on the Odisseias website.
- Using the Via Verde app for discounts
Hotels, museums, zoos and other goods and services with big discounts will be available to you if you install the Via Verde app. You will drive on toll roads and at the same time accumulate points, which you can then spend on entertainment, goods or services.
- Enrollment in private clinics, government services online
I can't remember the last time I called a hospital or other institution to make an appointment. Nowadays, almost everywhere you can either download an app (e.g. CUF, Trofa Saúde, etc.) or sign up online on the website, or at most sign up online via email or contact form. For example, in the case of the Social Security or the Tax Office. Service or the Tax Office. Use online enrollment, chat rooms and apps and save time.
- Growing fruits and vegetables in a free vegetable garden
Everyone knows that with Portugal's warm climate and the most sunny days of the year in all of Europe, having a vegetable garden in the country is extremely advantageous. You can grow fresh fruit and vegetables almost all year round. But what if you live in a rented apartment, and you don't have a country house or land on which to build your own vegetable garden or garden? It turns out that in Portugal, you can have a vegetable garden without having your own plot of land. "Hortas Comunitárias" are so-called community vegetable gardens that are created by local municipalities. All you need to do is go to your nearest Junta de freguesia local government office and ask if there is space in your nearest community garden. Not only will you be allocated a plot of land, with accessible water and other infrastructure, but some municipalities will even help you with training and teach you when, how and what to plant. Some community gardens even have their own website. Here, for example, you can get acquainted with such a vegetable garden in Cascais.
- Saving on buying groceries in bulk
You've probably heard of Cash and Carry, where you can buy food in bulk at a lower price than in conventional supermarkets. There are also various Cash and Carry stores in Portugal. The most famous of them are Recheio, Makro and Arcol. So in many stores you will be allowed to make purchases and issue a client card even if you are a regular freelancer, which, for example, is a programmer and is not connected with the food network at all. To do this, just go to the nearest Cash and Carry supermarket and try to open a customer card, showing your registration as a sole proprietor in Portugal. In most cases, having an open sole proprietorship in Portugal will be more than enough to open a customer card. And then, you will be able to make purchases at more favorable prices, which will help to save your family budget, especially if you have a large family.
- Buying a car under warranty at a discount
I will be honest, I have never tried this life hack, but I read in social networks the story of a young man who actively uses it and the elegance and benefits of this lifehack simply amazed me. The thing is that car dealerships of official brands in Portugal (they are often called "stands" in Portuguese) as well as all over the world practice test drives for potential customers. The cars used for test drives are the newest, most recent models. So here is the trick: you can go to the official salon of a certain car brand and ask if they sell cars that are used for test drives? Anyway, the salon needs to get rid of these cars so that potential customers can drive the newest model of the new year. Since these cars are really little used and always in perfect condition, it is a great opportunity to buy an almost new car with a huge discount, because naturally they are sold cheaper. You end up buying a car with a manufacturer's warranty, with minimal mileage and in excellent condition. The author of the given lifehack went even further and wrote that he thus buys cars for only a couple of years, until the manufacturer's warranty expires, then sells it and buys a new car in the same way. As a result, he always owns a nearly new car with a manufacturer's warranty. What do you think? As far as I am concerned, it is simply impossible to come up with a more elegant and well-thought-out trick.
- Learning Portuguese anywhere in the world at any time of the day or night
The importance of speaking Portuguese should not be downplayed, because, for example, to use the car-buying lifehack above. You need to have a good command of Portuguese to communicate with car dealerships and negotiate, whether it's about your future car, apartment, your child's education or anything else. So how can you learn the language when the borders are closed, university courses and language school classes are also highly irregular due to the current situation of restrictions around the world? Actually, all you need to learn Portuguese is an internet connection and a computer and phone. And you can study at any time of the day or night when it suits you, without being tied to your teacher's schedule and without depending on other people.
- Getting priority on the road in case of an emergency
This lifehack relates directly to the Portuguese mentality and to the "unspoken rules", namely the behavior of motorists on the roads of Portugal. It is not customary in CIS countries, but, for example, in Portugal there is an ambulance, or a police or firefighters' car with a siren. All cars move aside and press to the side of the road to give way to the ambulance or fire truck. In the same way, if you have an emergency (for example, you need to take a person to the hospital), and the roads are jammed, just turn on the "emergency" and put a white handkerchief in the window of the car, jamming it with the glass. Cars will also start to give way to you, realizing the importance and urgency of the situation. Hopefully, you will never need this kind of handkerchief, but if you see such a car with a white handkerchief on the road - give way to it.
- Traveling during a pandemic
Times are changing, in Portugal, as in the rest of the world in 2021 there are a number of restrictions on the movement of citizens and border crossings. In light of the events of the last two years, many people are deciding not to travel at all, as it involves expensive tests and constantly changing restrictions in one country or another. If you still really want to travel and at least leave the territory of mainland Portugal for a while, we recommend visiting the Azores or Madeira in 2021. The government of these autonomous regions will pay for the expensive PCR test, so you lose nothing in terms of money.
- Traveling in Europe with free insurance
If you do decide to venture out and visit other European countries in 2021, then a useful lifehack for you is to get a free European Health Insurance Card. I went through the steps of this article myself and literally in 1 minute was able to request this card online, and it arrived in the mail to me in about a week. Simple, fast, and most importantly free. With such a card, it is much more relaxing to travel around Europe knowing that it will be possible to get medical care in any country if necessary.
- Doing free coronavirus tests in Portugal
If you are reading this article in July 2021, you already know for sure that many establishments in Portugal (such as restaurants or hotels), on certain days of the week and in certain regions, can only be accessed with a vaccination certificate. Or with a negative test result. What if you don't have the vaccine and don't want to pay for the test? In July, the government announced that Portuguese citizens and residents registered in the health system have the opportunity to do 4 free antigen tests (TRAg) per month in July, and this measure is likely to be extended thereafter. If you really need a free test, you can find the nearest pharmacy or laboratory on this website and have it done for free. Such a test, by the way, is accepted even when entering some European countries, so they can be used not only for going to a restaurant.
- Saving money on dining out and helping the economy
On June 1, Portugal launched a unique support system for the restaurant and tourism business. This mechanism is called IVAucher and it will allow you to accumulate VAT paid in cafes and restaurants, hotels and other cultural places, such as theaters. And then the accumulated amount can be used for new purchases in the same areas. It's simple - this summer, don't forget to enter your tax number in all restaurants, hotels and other cultural and tourist places in Portugal. The accumulated balance will be calculated in September, and from October to December you can spend the accumulated amount on purchases in the same restaurants and hotels, saving up to 50% of your check. This program is a great example of how consumers can be actively encouraged to help the economy, so don't forget to save up more VAT this summer to spend in the fall and winter.
- Get a Golden Visa in Portugal on the most favorable conditions
You can also participate in the program through investment and venture capital funds, about which the site also has a very detailed material with specific offers and options. So hurry up to get your "golden visa" in 2024, so that you do not miss out on the most favorable conditions.
- Solve any of your issues with WithPortugal
When I moved to Portugal, the WithPortugal portal did not exist yet and all the information had to be searched through Facebook groups, encountering a lot of negativity and a lot of false information. Now, WithPortugal portal has the latest and verified information, so if you are interested in immigration to Portugal, you can always find answers to any of your questions here.
- Stay positive and open to new experiences
As cliché as it may sound, this is the main life hack and advice I can give to all those who are about to move to Portugal or have already moved. You have made an important step and moved to a new country, so maybe you should start to look at many things in a new way and use new approaches to solve old problems and tasks?
As soon as I started to put this advice into practice, I saw many new opportunities. Something that used to be annoying in Portugal or in the locals became not so essential and I started to focus only on positive things and new opportunities. It really works!
