GuardarSecção 03
Bolsa à prova de fogo e de água para documentos
Why: guarda em casa o dinheiro de reserva e as cópias dos documentos, protegidos da água e do calor.
Essential guide · Base level · 6 min
Essential guideBase level · open to all6 min read
Emergency cash: how much to keep and where
With no power or network, cards don't work. How much cash to keep per person, in which notes, where to store it and when to top it up — with data from the 2025 blackout.
Reviewed 28 Oct 2026
10·EEmergency cash
In 30 seconds
The essentials, in four points.
28 Apr
In the 2025 blackout, card payments and many cash machines stopped working. People with cash at home could still buy the essentials.
€70–100
per person is what the Netherlands, Austria and Finland recommend — enough for about 72 hours. The European Central Bank cites these figures.
5 · 10 · 20
Small notes and coins. In an emergency, nobody has change for a €50 note.
2 places
Some in the grab bag, in a dry bag; the rest at home, somewhere discreet that the family knows.
01Why you need it
No power, no network: your card pays for nothing.
Cash machines, mobile payments and card terminals all need electricity and communications. When either fails, purchases can only be made with notes and coins — and cash machines, which also need power and a network, stop dispensing them.
That is what happened on 28 April 2025. According to Banco de Portugal, on the day of the blackout the number of cash machine withdrawals fell by 40% and the amount withdrawn by 30%, compared with the April daily average. The European Central Bank estimates that card payments in the affected areas of Portugal and Spain fell by about 41%. Banco de Portugal's conclusion is clear: a sudden event like this shows that cash «remains indispensable».
Blackout
Terminals off
Shops, cafés and pharmacies that stay open can only take cash. Many cash machines stop.
Network failure
No communications
Even with power, a terminal without a network can't authorise payments. Mobile payments need data on your phone.
Evacuation
Leaving with the essentials
In a wildfire or a flood, you may need to pay for fuel, food or transport away from home.
Cyberattack
Systems down
An IT failure at a bank or a payment system can last hours or days.
02How much
€70 to €100 per person. Enough for three days.
Portugal has no official figure yet. The most widely used reference in Europe comes from the Netherlands, Austria and Finland, which recommend keeping about €70 to €100 per person at home, or enough for essential spending over about 72 hours. The European Central Bank cites these figures in a 2025 study on the role of cash in crises. 72 hours is also the self-sufficiency the European Commission has asked every household to have since March 2025.
Emergency cash per household
| People at home | Minimum (€70) | Recommended (€100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | €70 | €100 |
| 2 | €140 | €200 |
| 3 | €210 | €300 |
| 4 | €280 | €400 |
| 5 | €350 | €500 |
Reference figures from the Netherlands, Austria and Finland, cited by the ECB (2025). Adjust to your situation: expensive medicines, pets or a home far from shops call for more.
03How to keep it
Small notes, in two places, out of sight.
1
€5, €10 and €20 notes, and coins. In an emergency, shops run out of change fast. With small notes you pay the exact amount.
2
Some in the grab bag, inside the dry bag, with copies of your documents. If you have to leave home, it goes with you. See the Grab bag guide.
3
The rest at home, somewhere discreet. Out of sight and away from the front door, but known to the adults at home. In an envelope or a fire- and water-resistant pouch.
4
Don't touch it day to day. If you have to use some, top it up as soon as you can. A reserve that gets spent bit by bit won't be there when you need it.
5
Check it twice a year, when you check the grab bag and your home supplies — for example, when the clocks change in March and October.
04During the emergency
Pay first for what keeps the family well.
1
Priorities: medicines, water and food, fuel if you have to leave. Everything else can wait until payments are back.
2
Don't carry it all. Take only what you need for the purchase you're making.
3
Be wary of anyone asking for money up front for services, transport or «help» offered at the door or by message. If in doubt, call 112 or your parish council.
4
When payments come back, top up the reserve. After the blackout, Banco de Portugal recorded more withdrawals in the following days: many people learned the lesson.
05Common mistakes
Myths about emergency cash.
Myth
“I pay for everything with my phone, I don't need cash.”
Mobile payments and cards depend on power and a network. In the 2025 blackout, card payments fell by about 41% in the affected areas.
Myth
“If I need it, I'll use a cash machine.”
Cash machines also need electricity and communications. On the day of the blackout, withdrawals fell by 40%.
Myth
“A €50 note is enough.”
Without terminals, shops run out of change. Small notes and coins are worth more in an emergency.
Myth
“The more cash at home, the safer.”
Large sums at home bring the risk of theft and of loss in a fire. €70 to €100 per person is enough for three days.
06Recommended equipment
Keeping the cash dry and protected.
An envelope will do. These two items protect cash and copies of your documents from water and fire — in the grab bag and at home.
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Na malaSecção 03
Saco estanque pequeno
Why: a parte do dinheiro que vai na mala, seca mesmo à chuva, junto com as cópias dos documentos.
Quick card
Print it. Keep it with the cash.
Keep this card with your cash reserve. When you use it, it's your list for topping it up.
Emergency cash · K72 card
1€70 to €100 per person — for about 72 hours.
2€5, €10 and €20 notes and coins.
3Some in the grab bag, in a dry bag.
4The rest at home, somewhere discreet the family knows.
5If you use it, top it up once payments are back.
6Check in March and October, with the grab bag.
10·E · k72plus.comEMERGENCY: 112
- Banco de Portugal — Boletim Notas e Moedas, October 2025: «Aprender com a crise: a resiliência e a resposta do Banco de Portugal ao apagão de abril» (in Portuguese) — withdrawals −40% in number and −30% in value on the day of the blackout; cash «remains indispensable»
- European Central Bank — Keep calm and carry cash: lessons on the unique role of physical currency across four crises (Economic Bulletin 6/2025) — card payments −41% in affected areas; €70 to €100 per person (Netherlands, Austria, Finland)
- European Commission — Preparedness Union Strategy (March 2025) — 72 h of self-sufficiency
Reviewed 28 Oct 2026 · Next review: Oct 2027 · Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
This guide is not financial advice and does not replace official guidance. In an emergency, call 112.