Phone & internetPT
Phone & internet · Portugal
Checked 2026-10-14

📵 My phone or internet is down: do I get compensation in Portugal?

The short answer

If a service is unavailable for over 24 hours, in a row or in total per billing period, through no fault of yours, the operator must credit what you would have paid for that time, unasked, on your next bill or prepaid balance.

When your line is down, your provider has to repair it. In some countries you get compensation if a fault is not fixed in time; what applies in Portugal, and what it means for emergency calls, is below.

Official source: anacom-consumidor.pt · Checked 2026-10-14

📜 The rules in Portugal

Compensation

A credit equal to the service price for the time it was unavailable, plus a refund of any cost of reporting the fault. If you are no longer a customer, the refund is due within 30 days of the contract ending.

Emergency calls

Calls to the European emergency number 112 are free and need no means of payment. Your location is passed to the emergency service free of charge.

The details

  • The 24 hours count from when the operator learns of the outage or you report it. Always report it and ask for an incident number and the time it was logged, ideally in writing. (anacom-consumidor.pt)
  • If the outage lasts more than 15 days after you reported it, you may end the contract at no cost. (anacom-consumidor.pt)
  • No credit on your bill? Complain in writing, including in the complaints book. The operator must answer within 15 working days, and ANACOM sees both the complaint and the reply. (anacom-consumidor.pt)
  • Users with disabilities have the right to priority repair of faults and to adapted support, including sign language and captioning. (anacom-consumidor.pt)

ANACOM – Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações

Telecom regulator: explains your rights, receives every complaints-book complaint and can sanction operators. It does not settle your individual dispute and refers you to the consumer arbitration centres.

📞 800 206 665🔗 anacom-consumidor.pt
Official source: anacom-consumidor.pt · Checked 2026-10-14

🪜 Step by step

  1. Report the fault right awayCall or use the provider’s fault service, and note the date, time and reference number.
  2. Keep a recordWrite down how long the service is down and what you could not do.
  3. Ask for compensation or a refundIf the fault is not fixed in time, ask in writing for the compensation or price reduction that applies.
  4. Escalate if neededIf the provider refuses, complain in writing and then go to the dispute body.

📇 Who to contact

ANACOM – Autoridade Nacional de ComunicaçõesTelecom regulator: explains your rights, receives every complaints-book complaint and can sanction operators. It does not settle your individual dispute and refers you to the consumer arbitration centres.📞 800 206 665🔗 www.anacom-consumidor.pt
Centros de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo (CACC)Settles disputes between customers and providersWhen the provider has not solved your complaint🔗 www.anacom-consumidor.pt/pesquisa-de-centros-de-arbitragem-de-conflitos-de-consumo

❓ Questions

Can I still call emergency services during an outage?

Emergency calls from a mobile phone usually go through any available network. If your phone cannot connect, ask someone nearby to call.

Is a short outage compensated?

Usually only longer faults or missed repair appointments are. The rule for Portugal, if there is one, is on this page.

What if the faults keep coming back?

Repeated faults can give you the right to a lower price or to end the contract. Ask the regulator or the dispute body.

📎 Sources

Checked: 2026-10-14

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

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