Banks & Money
France is a Euro country — no currency exchange is needed for travelers from the Eurozone. Card payment is widespread and works almost everywhere.
Card Payment
- Carte Bancaire (CB) is the French debit card system — Visa and Mastercard are accepted everywhere CB is accepted (so almost everywhere)
- Contactless Payment (sans contact) works up to €50 without a PIN, above that with a PIN
- Apple Pay / Google Pay — accepted in most shops, restaurants, and supermarkets
- American Express — not accepted in many smaller shops and restaurants
- Minimum Amount — some small shops require a minimum amount (often €5 or €10) for card payment
Cash
- ATMs (Distributeur Automatique de Billets, DAB) are available everywhere — in banks, post offices, train stations, supermarkets
- Fees — Withdrawals with the Girocard (EC card) cost €3–7 per transaction depending on the bank. With travel credit cards (DKB, N26, Revolut) often fee-free
- At toll stations (Péage) you can pay in cash or by card. Most machines do not accept €50 or €100 bills
- At markets and in small village cafés, cash is still king
Bank Branches
Opening hours: usually Mon–Fri 9:00–12:30 and 14:00–17:00. Partially open on Saturdays. Closed on holidays and often also on Mondays.
