The new amounts for this service have already been largely revealed.
Pay to be able to… pay! In France, the vast majority of the population is forced to pay several dozen euros each year to have a bank card. An almost incompressible fee, as the means of payment is popular in France: 64% of French people prefer to use this method to pay for their purchases, according to a study by the Banque de France.
Among the 76 million credit cards in circulation in France, around 50 million come from the same network: Visa. Whether Electron, Classic, Premium, Platinum or even Infinite, these are the main ones owned across the country. Customers of all banks have a wide choice of cards, not to mention the possibility of using a Mastercard or others with online banks.
Generally, the French have a Visa Classic or Premium card. These do not have the same cost: a little more than €40 per year for the first, compared to around €130 per year for the second. At least, in 2023. Because in 2024, these prices will increase. The main groups have already announced it. Here is what is planned:
As for Mastercard, few traditional banks offer a card from this network. The standard can be chosen by customers of Société Générale, Crédit Mutuel or Banque Populaire, while the Gold Mastercard is only available in the first two establishments. The cost of some will also increase in 2024, in the same proportions as for Visa cards.
| Societe Generale | Mutual credit | People’s Bank | ||||
| 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Standard Mastercard | 45€ | 46€ | 43€ | 43€ | 46€ | 48€ |
| Gold Mastercard | 135€ | 135€ | 127€ | 128€ | Not offered | Not offered |
If these rates are increasing, most banks offer bundled offers, depending on the contract to which you have subscribed. Thus, it is possible to lower the price of the 2e and/or 3e household card (the couple’s other card, that of a child, etc.). The reductions applied are of the order of 25 to 50%, depending on the contract and the establishments.
If these general public bank cards represent a cost of €4 to €11.50 per month, it is possible to completely eliminate this charge by changing banking establishments. In fact, some offer these credit cards for free. These are mainly online banks (HelloBank, Boursobank, Monabanq).
However, opting for these types of establishments means not having the same customer support since it is not possible to go to an agency and have a dedicated advisor, everything being done entirely by telephone or from chats on the site form the bank.