Do credit cards exist in France?

Payment technology tells you a lot about a country’s culture. For instance, it tells you about the country’s relationship with financial discipline, risk management and consumption habits. Compared to other countries like the US or Latin America, French people tend to be conservative when it comes to spending money and the credit card offer available in France reflects this.

It is often confusing for foreigners to understand the French term ‘Carte de crédit’ because it refers to bank cards in general, regardless of whether they are credit cards or debit cards. This poor choice of words leads many people in France to mistakenly believe they own a credit card when, in fact, they do not.

In many countries, credit cards refer to what the French banking system calls deferred debit cards. With this type of card, your accpount is not debited every time you make a purchase. Instead, you pay your purchases at the end of each month (or on another agreed-upon date with your bank). They also offer the convenience of splitting large purchases into smaller installments. While this type of card exists in France, it remains rare. That is because French people avoid appealing to consumption credit for their day-to-day purchases.

In reality, most French people use debit cards, also known as immediate debit cards. With this type of card, your account is debited immediately after each purchase. Therefore, when your French banker offers credit card services, they likely are referring to immediate debit cards. It is important to note that these immediate debit cards generally allow for authorized overdrafts without fees (for more information, read here)

If you prefer deferred debit cards over immediate debit cards, you can simply ask your bank about this option; they generally offer this modality although it remains uncommon in France.