How your meal card can help you save money
21 de July, 2022
Social vouchers are increasingly used by companies in Portugal with the aim of increasing employee satisfaction and motivation by increasing purchasing power in certain areas.
These areas can be, for example, health, training, children and food. The meal allowance is one of the most common extra-salary benefits and can be paid in cash or by social voucher (card or check).
But did you know that receiving your meal allowance by card has clear advantages for you in terms of savings over paying in cash? Find out what they are.
1 – Tax savings
When paid in cash, the maximum daily amount exempt from IRS and TSU for company employees is €6.00. However, if paid by card, this amount increases to €10.20.
This means that, if you receive the maximum amount exempted on the card, and assuming an IRS rate of 21% and a TSU rate of 11%, the annual gain could be around €315. There is therefore a clear increase in disposable income to use for food-related expenses.
2 – Advantages and associated discounts
Some companies that issue meal cards offer their users additional discounts on various brands and services. This is the case with Edenred, with its Discounts and Advantages Program.
Euroticket card users have exclusive advantages in insurance, health and well-being, fuel, leisure, mobility, entertainment, technology and much more. This way, in addition to the tax savings they already have with their meal card, they can also save in their daily lives in other areas.
3 – Better management of the monthly amount spent on food
Social meal vouchers are intended to ensure that the amount awarded is actually used for food expenses (in order to promote good nutritional habits and an improved quality of life for workers). To this end, they can only be used in restaurants and other food establishments.
This allows you to better control the amount you spend on food, whether it’s supermarket shopping or restaurant meals, which can help you save money.
Have you ever thought about the savings inherent in a meal card? Do you use the Edenred Discount and Advantage Program? Tell us all about it!
Starting from July 2023, Euroticket benefits have been renamed Edenred.
Article updated in December 2024.