Online tithes and offerings in Portugal: card, SEPA direct debit and MB WAY
- Offerings
- Payments
In short
- For the monthly tithe, SEPA direct debit or card. For one-off gifts, MB WAY or card. For people who prefer online banking, a bank transfer.
- MB WAY does not repeat payments on its own. Card and SEPA direct debit do.
- SEPA direct debit takes days to confirm and can be disputed for up to eight weeks afterwards, without giving a reason.
- Fees vary by method and by provider. We do not list them here: check the payment provider's fee table.
For churches in Portugal.
To take tithes and offerings online in Portugal, the most practical combination is this: SEPA direct debit or card for people who give every month, MB WAY or card for one-off gifts, and bank transfer for those who prefer online banking. Each method confirms payment at a different pace, has its own limits and handles disputes differently. Knowing them avoids surprises in the treasury.
We do not give fees in this article, because they change and depend on the provider. Check the payment provider’s fee table before you decide.
Three methods, three behaviours
The table summarises what the payment provider documents about each one.
| Method | How the donor pays | Confirmation | Repeats on its own | Disputes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card | Card details and strong authentication | Immediate | Yes | Through the cardholder’s bank |
| MB WAY | Mobile number and approval in the MB WAY app | Immediate, success or failure | No | Possible, for fraud, a duplicate payment or a different amount |
| SEPA direct debit | IBAN and authorisation (mandate) | A few working days | Yes | Without giving a reason, up to 8 weeks |
Card: the most familiar
The donor enters their card details and, in Europe, the cardholder’s bank may ask for an extra confirmation in its app or by message. This is strong customer authentication, in force since September 2019 under the European payment services directive (PSD2). The payment provider handles it automatically.
Confirmation is immediate, and the card can be saved to repeat the payment every month. It is the method people know best when they give for the first time, but not everyone’s favourite: some people simply do not like using a card to give.
MB WAY: ideal for one-off gifts
With MB WAY, the donor types in a mobile number and approves the payment in the MB WAY app. The church hears straight away whether it worked or failed. It is quick and very common in Portugal, so it suits the Sunday offering, a campaign or an event.
Two limitations deserve attention. First, MB WAY does not repeat payments automatically, because each payment needs the donor’s approval. Anyone who wants to give monthly needs another method. Second, each user has a cumulative daily limit, which by default is €1,000 and can be raised to €10,000 in the app. If someone wants to make a large gift to a building campaign, they may hit that limit. In those cases, a bank transfer solves it.
SEPA direct debit: the best for the monthly tithe
With SEPA direct debit, the donor gives their IBAN and accepts a mandate that authorises the charge. After that, the payment repeats every month with no further action. For the monthly tithe, it is the method closest to the commitment people already carry in their heads.
What the treasury should know:
- Confirmation takes time. The provider advises waiting at least six working days before treating a debit as complete, because the donor’s bank may reject it in that window, for example for lack of funds.
- Disputes happen. The donor can dispute the debit with their bank, without giving a reason, for up to eight weeks. After that, and for up to 13 months, only if the debit was not authorised.
- The donor can cancel the authorisation at any time, with the church or with the bank.
- There is a limit per payment of €10,000.
Which to choose for each kind of gift
| Situation | Best-suited method |
|---|---|
| Monthly tithe | SEPA direct debit or card |
| Sunday offering | MB WAY or card |
| Campaign with a deadline | MB WAY, card or bank transfer |
| Large gift, above the MB WAY daily limit | Bank transfer |
| People who prefer not to use a card or phone | Bank transfer |
You do not need to offer them all. The more methods you switch on, the more you have to explain and follow up. Start with two or three and see what your community uses.
What Brado offers today
When a member gives through Brado, the payment is made online and the money goes straight to the church’s payments account. Brado offers card and SEPA direct debit for one-off and monthly gifts. In euros, and for churches in Portugal, MB WAY is available for one-off gifts. The member can cover the processing costs so the church receives the full amount. Monthly giving exists only by card and SEPA direct debit, and the member can change or cancel it whenever they like.
For people who prefer to transfer, Brado shows the church’s account holder and IBAN, with a button to copy them.
Each method has to be active on the church’s payments account, and availability by country and currency is decided by the payment provider. SEPA direct debit also asks the church for an additional identity check.
What about fees?
Each method has its own price table at the payment provider, and those figures change. So we do not write them here. Before you switch on a method, ask the provider for the current table and work it out with your church’s average gift.
Brado takes no commission on donations, on every plan. The provider’s fee is passed on at cost, with no margin from us. We explain the reasoning in the article why we don’t take a percentage of the tithe.
Receipts and reporting to the tax authority
Online gifts have one advantage for the treasury: they are recorded, with a date and an amount. When a contribution is linked to a person, it goes into their record, their receipt and the annual return. If the person gives without signing in, the contribution stays anonymous and appears in no return.
What each method counts for Modelo 25 and for cash limits is a tax question, and we do not answer it here. The guide to cash limits and donation receipts and the Modelo 25 guide explain the rules we have checked, with the official sources. For your own case, talk to a certified accountant.
Before you switch on online payments
- Open the payments account in the church’s name and complete the identity check.
- Choose the methods you will switch on and confirm they are active on the account.
- Talk to the treasury about timing: SEPA direct debit does not confirm on the same day.
- Decide what to do about refunds and disputes before the first one happens.
- Test with a small amount, with each method.
- Explain to the community what has changed, with a step-by-step example, on paper and on screen. People who do not like technology can still give by transfer or in cash, within the rules in the cash guide.
If you are choosing the software that will handle giving, the guide to choosing church management software has the questions to ask. And on the platform page you can see how giving, receipts and month-end close look.
This is general information and does not replace tax or legal advice.