Touring France - Card or cash?

[Steve398]

We’re off for a couple of weeks in France shortly. In previous years on our travels we’ve taken a stock of cash along with our cards for coffees/cakes and the like, whilst using the cards for fuel and accommodation, although some of the smaller B&B’s prefer cash.


So, with the move across to cashless payment here in the UK my question is -  has France taken the same direction, and is there any point in carrying much paper money on this trip?

[Our Gee]

Yes.
I would say that you have summed it up pretty accurately and that what you have found in previous trips will still apply.


The French are very traditional. Many times we have waited patiently in the supermarket queue whilst the lady in front carefully writes out her cheque. (Remember those !!). Cash is good.

[Doctor T]

Am off from the Newhaven ferry tomorrow morning. This will make it the 85 trip that I've ridden through France. Taken me 40 years to rack them up. Plus about 10 trips in a car/van.
I always take about 200 euros in cash and then i also use a pre-paid credit card. Why a pre-pay i here ask. Well, there is no commission charge and no charge when using it for foreign monies. I have my normal bank CC with me just in case.
Many French 23 hr fuels stations are off the main roads and mainly unattended. The pumps will not accept Debit cards. They only accept Credit cards.
Tolls take both cards and cash.
I took a trip around Northern France earlier this year and found more than usual cards were excepted. The usual attractions that well all like to visit were cards where before they took anything.
A quick chat with another member of this site regarding fuel prices in France. Using the exchange rate they are paying only about 2 to 3p less than us at the moment.
Hope you have a great trip.

[jackronner]

In 2011, my first night on the road I found that you had to have a chipped credit card to pay in unattended petrol stations.  I'm from California, the land of tech, and we seemed the last country in the world to adopt the chip!  Had to hand some cash to an eventual patron and ask him to use my card.  Spent the night, hungry, in a barley field near Omaha Beach since everything closed about 22.00.  Whatta night.

[Randyjaco]

I just returned from 3 weeks in France and we paid for almost everything with a credit or debit card.

[Casbar]

I took cash, but paid for fuel and restaurants with cards. There wasn't a lot of places that did tap payment though, most wanted a pin etc and didn't even try apple pay

[Easyrider5258]

Just back from solo trip of a week in Normandy, took 250 Euros and cards, used up all the cash, prefer cash for day to day in Europe, call me old fashioned  :-)