France / Money rules

France money rules

Eight things worth remembering while you are there, each linking to the fuller explanation.

Open it, then press and hold to keep it in your photos. Works with no signal.

1. 1Say euros, not dollars, every single timeCard readers and cash machines will both offer to switch you into dollars. Accept, and you lose 3 to 8 percent your own bank would never have charged.Paying by card in France
2. 2The standalone kiosks are the dear way to get cashEuronet and Travelex units sit exactly where tourists are, and their own fee bites even when you have refused the dollar conversion. Draw from a machine at a bank.Getting euros without the fee
3. 3Service is in the price already, by lawThat is what service compris means, and staff draw a proper wage for it, so the American percentage simply does not apply here. A tip line on a terminal is an offer, not a bill.What a pourboire is worth
4. 4Bring one card that has a chip and a PINTapping is fine anywhere with a person behind the counter. It is the unattended machines that catch you out, motorway barriers, station kiosks and parking meters, which may want the PIN.Which cards work where
5. 5The fare in from Charles de Gaulle is fixed, not offeredA licensed taxi charges a flat rate set by decree, bags and tolls included, at any hour of the day. Anyone touting a price at you in the arrivals hall is not one of those.The CDG fixed fare, and touts
6. 6Driving? You will want a Crit Air stickerLow-emission zones now cover the middle of a lengthening list of French cities, and they expect that sticker in the windscreen. Motorway tolls are billed by the kilometre, so crossing the country mounts up.Tolls, stickers and parking
7. 7The taxe de sejour lands at checkoutEvery commune sets its own, it is levied on each adult for each night, and Paris sits well above the rest of the country. Your booking rate will not have covered it.What the taxe de sejour costs
8. 8Over 100 euros in one shop? There is tax to reclaimNon-EU visitors can recover part of the 20 percent on goods leaving unused. Get the form stamped at a PABLO machine before the purchase disappears into a checked bag. The operator keeps a slice.How the detaxe works

These are the rules that do not really change, which is why they are worth carrying. Exact fees, rates and prices do move, so check the France guide for anything current before you rely on a number.

truetripcosts.com/france/rules