Have team members or clients spread across the US and Portugal? You’re not alone.
Many companies today operate globally—but when it comes to sending rewards or thank-you gifts, things get complicated fast. Most gift cards for the US or Portugal only work within their own country, or are tied to local currencies, merchants, or payment systems.
For example, a US Amazon gift card won't work across the pond on Amazon.co.uk, and many Portugal-brand cards can't be redeemed outside the region.
The challenge: Finding a single gift card that recipients in both the US and Portugal can use seamlessly. This guide breaks down why most fail across borders—and spotlights solutions like the Toasty Choice Card—that make US-Portugal rewards effortless.
Gift cards rank among the top ways to reward employees and customers worldwide—but few handle international use effectively. Most US or Portuguese cards stay region-locked, are issued in local currencies (USD vs. EUR), and are restricted by brand or payment networks.
For example, American-issued cards use USD and US merchants like Amazon.com, while Portugal gift cards come in EUR. A US prepaid Visa might fail on Portuguese sites, and an Uber Portugal card cannot be used in Uber within the US.
Currency Restrictions: US cards operate in USD, Portuguese ones in EUR—leading to conversion issues and merchant rejections.
Payment Network Limitations: Many Portuguese cards favor domestic networks that don't work internationally.
Brand and Licensing Barriers: Global brands run separate gift card programs by country, limiting redemption to .com or .pt sites only.
Digital Compliance Requirements: Cross-border cards trigger varying KYC, AML, and GDPR checks between US and Portugal rules.
Fulfillment Issues: Physical gift cards face shipping delays, customs holds, or activation blocks across borders.
These obstacles make unified rewards across US and Portuguese teams surprisingly complex.
For a gift card to provide seamless experience for both US and Portugal, it must meet three essential criteria:
A cross-border gift card should support both USD and EUR, either by auto-converting at redemption or letting recipients pick their local currency and region.
This ensures a recipient in New York and another in Lisbon both redeem for brands that actually work in their market.
Instead of locking recipients into a single store, the best US-Portugal gift cards connect to a catalog of popular brands in each country.
That way, every recipient turns the same reward into what matters most—e-commerce, groceries, entertainment, or daily essentials.
Digital gift cards deliver smoother experiences compared to physical gift cards, cutting shipping delays, customs holds, and fulfillment hassles.
Recipients get instant access via email and redeem online with just a few clicks.
When it comes to gift cards that work seamlessly in both the US and Portugal, only a few options deliver truly smooth experiences for senders and recipients.
The Toasty Choice Card is built for distributed teams and global customer bases, making it the top choice when you need one reward that works across both the US and Portugal.
It supports local brands and currencies in each country, so recipients see options that feel native to their market while you manage everything from a single dashboard.
Because it's fully digital, you can send cards instantly by email at scale, avoid international shipping or activation issues, and track delivery in one place—ideal for HR, sales, and customer marketing programs.
💡 Example: An HR manager in New York and a project lead in Shanghai both receive a Toasty Choice Card. Each redeems instantly with local merchants in their own currency—no separate US- or Portugal-specific rewards needed.
Here are some available redemption options for Portugal (subject to change):
For the most up-to-date catalog, view our global catalog here.
As an alternative, Toasty offers the Swype Global Virtual MasterCard, redeemable across many regions including the US and Portugal.
The Swype Global Virtual MasterCard provides versatile prepaid spending at millions of online and in-store merchants across both countries, wherever Mastercard is accepted.
However, non-USD transactions incur fees, and the minimum denomination starts from $100—so review details before using it as your primary gift card option, especially for large or recurring programs.
For more details on restricted regions, fees, and other information, check out this detailed article on the Swype Global Virtual Mastercard.
Sign up to start sending gift cards in minutes. One unified platform instead of juggling country-specific services.
Set base values in USD; the platform handles EUR conversion for Portuguese recipients.
Add your logo, brand colors, and personalized message to make rewards feel unique and on-brand.
Import US- and Portugal-based recipients manually or via CSV.
Decide on the send time. You have the option to send immediately or you can queue your order to be sent out on a future date.
Monitor delivery through platform reporting.
Can I use the same gift card in both the US and Portugal?
Only certain products—like multi-region or global gift cards—are designed to work smoothly in both countries. Most single-brand or region-specific cards are limited to either the US or Portugal, not both.
Do Amazon US cards work in Portugal?
No. Amazon gift cards are region-specific, so a US Amazon gift card only works at Amazon in the US, while Amazon Portugal card only works in Portugal.
Are there fees for global gift cards?
Toasty is completely fee-free for both senders and recipients.
Can I send digital gift cards to recipients in Portugal and the US in one order?
Yes, you can send to both countries in a single order. Toasty automatically handles currency conversion—fund in USD, Portuguese recipients see EUR equivalents seamlessly.
How fast is the gift card delivery?
Delivery is instant. Recipients receive their digital card by email within seconds.
Do recipients need an account to redeem?
No account required. They click their email link to browse brands and redeem instantly.