The new Prepaid School Card will come into operation in September 2026/2027 in all public schools in Vila Nova de Famalicão, with the exception of those covered by a competence delegation contract. The measure, which centralizes payments for meals, canteen, stationery, extended care and after-school supervision at no cost to families, aims to simplify school management.
The Municipal Council stated to the newspaper Opinião Pública an annual cost of approximately 45,000 euros for public coffers, based on historical consumption data and number of students. However, public records reveal that the municipality signed a direct award contract with Payshop (Portugal) SA for 105,000 euros on August 11, 2026, an amount that was not mentioned by the municipality in the clarifications provided.
For each top-up made by parents, the municipality pays a fixed fee of 0.24 euros plus a variable commission of 1.2%. In order to avoid micro-top-ups, minimum top-up amounts were established according to the School Social Action tier, ranging between 5 and 20 euros depending on the platform used.
The municipality guarantees that it does not use biometric technology for entry and exit control, only the passing of the card through the readers, and that it does not have access to consumption data from school canteens. The newspaper Opinião Pública sent an additional request for clarification to find out whether the 105,000-euro contract covers only this academic year or a longer period.
