Money, Cards & Tipping

Euro basics

France uses the euro, shared with 20 other EU countries, and with Monaco and Andorra. Prices are written with a comma for decimals and the euro sign usually after the number: 4,50 € means four euros fifty. A period or a space separates thousands: 1.200 € or 1 200 € is twelve hundred euros.

Bills come in €5, €10, €20, €50, €100 and €200, each a different size and color. The €500 note is no longer issued, and many shops won't take €100 or €200 notes, so ask for smaller bills at currency exchanges. Coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents (centimes), plus €1 and €2. The €1 and €2 coins are worth having: you'll use them for lockers, public toilets, shopping carts and tips.

Credit and debit cards

France is one of Europe's most card-friendly countries. Bakeries, cafés, Métro machines, museums and many market stalls take cards, often with a small minimum (€5 to €15) at little shops. Contactless payment (sans contact) is the default, and the French tap for almost everything.

Which networks work

• Visa and Mastercard: accepted virtually everywhere cards are taken.
• American Express: accepted by hotels, department stores, chain restaurants, SNCF and many larger shops, but often refused by small restaurants, cafés, bakeries and independent shops because the merchant fees are higher. Bring a Visa or Mastercard as your main card.
• Discover: accepted only where Diners Club is; don't rely on it.
• French cards run on the domestic Cartes Bancaires (CB) network. You'll see the CB logo on terminals; your Visa or Mastercard works on the same machines.

Chip-and-PIN vs chip-and-signature

French cards use chip-and-PIN: you insert the card and type a four-digit code, or you tap. Most US credit cards are "chip-and-signature" or "chip-and-choice," meaning they have a chip but expect a signature or no verification at all. With a staffed terminal this rarely matters: a US card usually goes through with no PIN, or the cashier hands you a slip to sign.

Where it does matter is any terminal set up for a PIN, especially unattended ones. And if you insert or tap a card and the screen asks for code, you need a PIN. So before you leave:

1. Call each credit card issuer and ask for a PIN to be set or mailed to you. Many issuers only offer a cash-advance PIN, which still works at most terminals for purchases.
2. Make sure you know your debit card's four-digit PIN. Six-digit PINs can fail in some French machines; if yours is six digits, change it to four.
3. Bring at least two cards on different networks (one Visa, one Mastercard) from different banks.

Where US cards fail, and what to do

The trouble spots are self-service machines with no cashier. They often require a chip-and-PIN card and will reject cards that can't do offline PIN verification.

Contactless limits

For a plain tapped card, French terminals ask for a PIN once a single payment passes €50, and occasionally at random for smaller amounts after several taps in a row. Phone and watch payments don't have that limit because you've already authenticated. If a terminal says insérez votre carte (insert your card), it wants the chip and probably a PIN.

Always pay in euros

When you pay by card or use an ATM, the machine or the cashier often offers to charge you in US dollars instead of euros. This is called dynamic currency conversion (DCC). It sounds convenient, and the screen may even promise "no commission." It's a bad deal: the merchant's bank sets its own exchange rate, typically 3% to 8% worse than your card's rate, and some machines push it as the highlighted default option.

• On a card terminal, choose EUR or "pay in local currency."
• At an ATM, decline the conversion ("without conversion," sans conversion) and accept being charged in euros.
• If a waiter brings a terminal already set to dollars, ask them to redo it in euros. You're entitled to refuse.
• Hotels and car rental companies sometimes put DCC on the final bill; check the receipt.

Foreign transaction fees and the best cards

Many US cards add a foreign transaction fee of about 3% to every purchase made abroad. Check your card's terms or call the issuer. If you'll spend a lot, it's worth getting a card without this fee before your trip.

• Credit cards with no foreign transaction fee include all Capital One cards, most travel-rewards cards (Chase Sapphire, Amex Gold and Platinum, Citi Strata, Bilt and many airline and hotel cards) and many credit-union cards. Terms change, so confirm before applying.
• Debit cards for ATM cash: Charles Schwab's investor checking account is popular with travelers because it charges no foreign fee and reimburses ATM fees worldwide. Some credit unions and online banks offer similar terms; read the fine print, since some reimburse ATM fees but still add a 1% foreign fee.
• Wise and Revolut are multi-currency accounts with their own debit cards. You load dollars, convert to euros at close to the market rate and spend like a local. They're useful as a backup card and for splitting costs with friends. Watch their free monthly ATM withdrawal allowances.

ATMs and cash

ATMs are called distributeurs or DAB (distributeur automatique de billets). Use machines built into the walls of real banks: BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, LCL, Crédit Mutuel, CIC, Caisse d'Épargne, Banque Populaire and La Banque Postale (at post offices). They generally charge foreign card holders nothing themselves, though your US bank may still charge a fee.

Avoid stand-alone ATMs in tourist areas, airports and train stations run by companies such as Euronet (often blue and yellow) and other independent operators. They tend to add a fixed fee and push dynamic currency conversion hard. Also skip airport currency exchange booths, whose rates are poor; if you want euros on arrival, use a bank ATM in the terminal, or order a small amount from your US bank before you leave.

• Withdrawal limits are set by your bank, often $500 to $1,000 a day. French machines may cap single withdrawals at around €300 to €500.
• Use ATMs inside bank lobbies or in daylight, cover the keypad, and watch for anything stuck on the card slot.
• Take your card promptly: French ATMs return the card before the cash, and some swallow cards left too long.

How much cash to carry

In cities, you can go days without touching cash. Carry €50 to €100 per person for small café bills, tips, market stalls, toilets, church candles, small-town bakeries and the occasional card-machine failure. In rural France and at weekly markets, cash is still common and some places don't take cards for small amounts. Keep cash split between a wallet and a second place.

Tipping

Tipping is the biggest money adjustment for Americans. French law has required restaurants to include service in menu prices since 1987, and servers earn a regular wage with benefits. A tip (pourboire) is a small extra thank-you, not a large part of anyone's income. You'll often see service compris on menus or bills: service is included.

When paying a restaurant bill by card, the terminal usually doesn't offer a tip screen. If you want to tip, leave coins on the table or tell the server the total you'd like to pay ("Mettez 50 euros, s'il vous plaît"). Some places frequented by tourists have added tip prompts; you can always choose zero. On etiquette at the table, see etiquette.

What things cost in 2026

Typical prices in Paris in fall 2026, with dollars at €1 = $1.12. Expect provincial cities to be 10% to 25% cheaper, and villages cheaper still for food and lodging. Prices on terraces facing famous sights can be double.

Fuel prices jumped in 2026 and have been swinging week to week; in late October 2026 unleaded averaged about €2.10 a liter nationally, with supermarket stations usually a little cheaper and highway stations more expensive. Check prix-carburants.gouv.fr, the government's live price map, before filling up. See driving.

Daily budgets

Per person per day, assuming two people sharing a room, and not counting flights or long-distance trains.

For your own numbers, use the budget calculator. Hotel price tiers are explained on where to stay.

Tourist tax

Almost every French town charges a tourist tax (taxe de séjour) per person per night, collected by your hotel, Airbnb or campground. It's usually added at checkout and is often not included in the price you saw when booking. Children under 18 are exempt.

Rates depend on the town and the hotel's star rating. In most of France it runs from under €1 to about €3 per person per night for typical hotels, and more for luxury hotels. Paris and the rest of the Île-de-France region charge much more since a big 2024 increase that funds public transit. The City of Paris rates for 2026 (unchanged for 2027), per adult per night with all add-ons, are:

• Palace: €15.93 (about $17.85)
• 5-star: €11.70 (about $13.10)
• 4-star: €8.45 (about $9.45)
• 3-star: €5.53 (about $6.20)
• 2-star: €3.25 (about $3.65)
• 1-star, B&Bs and hostels: €2.60 (about $2.90)
• Unrated rentals such as most Airbnbs: about 16% of the per-person nightly price before VAT, capped at €15.93

Your booking platform or hotel can tell you the exact amount, and it's often shown as a separate line at checkout. See where to stay for the full table.

Ways to save

• Eat your big meal at lunch. A lunch formule at a good bistro often costs half the dinner price for similar food.
• Drink at the counter (au comptoir) rather than at a table. Same coffee, lower price.
• Ask for tap water: une carafe d'eau is free in restaurants. You don't need to buy bottled water.
• Picnic. A baguette, cheese, fruit and a bottle of wine from a supermarket make a great lunch in a park for under €15 for two.
• Use free admissions. Under-18s get into most national museums free whatever their nationality, and some museums have free times for everyone, such as the Louvre on the first Friday evening of most months and on July 14. See free things in Paris.
• Book TGVs early and look at the low-cost Ouigo service. See trains.
• Travel in shoulder season. Hotels in Paris can be 30% to 50% cheaper in January–February and November than in June.
• Stay a week in one place and rent an apartment or gîte with a kitchen in the countryside.
• Skip the airport currency booth, refuse dollar conversion, and use a no-fee card.

Before you go

• Check each card's foreign transaction fee; get a no-fee card if needed
• Learn the four-digit PIN for your debit card and request PINs for credit cards
• Set travel notices if your bank still uses them (many now don't need one, but it costs nothing)
• Turn on app notifications so you see every charge in real time
• Make sure your bank's app works abroad and can freeze a card instantly
• Add cards to Apple Pay or Google Pay
• Bring two or three cards from different banks and networks; keep one in the hotel safe
• Write down your banks' international collect-call or overseas phone numbers (the number on the back of the card is often toll-free and doesn't work from France)
• Save card photos (front and back) securely in case you need to report them lost

If a card is lost, stolen or swallowed

1. Freeze the card in your bank's app right away. Most US banks let you do this in seconds.
2. Call the bank's overseas number to cancel it and report any fraud. Visa's global assistance line and Mastercard's global service line can also help if you don't have your bank's number.
3. If an ATM swallowed it during bank hours, go inside the bank; staff can sometimes retrieve it. Otherwise, assume it's gone and cancel it.
4. For theft, file a police report (déclaration de vol) at a police station or online pre-complaint; your insurer may want it. See safety and scams.
5. Use your backup card. Most issuers can courier a replacement abroad within a few days; Amex is particularly fast.