18 Best Prepaid Credit Cards In France
Listing The Best Prepaid Credit Cards In France
A credit is a commitment that must be fulfilled. Before you commit to a credit card, determine your repayment capacity.
- N26 Mastercard
- bunq Travel Mastercard
- N26 Business Mastercard
- bunq Business Mastercard
- N26 Metal Mastercard
- Pixpay MasterCard
- Sogexia Mastercard
- Xaalys Mastercard
- bunq Premium SuperGreen Mastercard
- bunq Premium Mastercard
- N26 You Mastercard
- N26 Business You Mastercard
- bunq Business SuperGreen Mastercard
- Revolut Premium Mastercard
- Nickel MasterCard Chrome
- qonto One Mastercard
- Revolut Business Mastercard
- Nickel MasterCard Classique
French Bank Cards
Carte Bancaire
There is a range of cash, debit and credit cards available in France, but the card most widely used is the Carte Bancaire (CB). The card is used on an interbank basis, and CB has become a term which has generic use. When used in connection with Mastercard or Visa Card, it can be used outside France. The CB card is now the standard European bank card, and you can withdraw cash wherever the CB logo is displayed or use it across the counter.
You can withdraw cash from ATMs anywhere in France where the CB logo is shown, and no fee is payable, irrespective of whether or not it is an ATM from your bank. You will face a currency exchange fee if you withdraw money from ATMs outside the Eurozone. The basic CB debit card will cost you from about €45 a year, and the more up-market versions (Premier, Gold, and Platinum) from about €125 to several hundred euros a year.
Online Banking System
Some online banks offer them free of charge, with one of the most interesting offers from Wise (formerly Transferwise), which offers a Multicurrency Account. However, there is no interest on balances, and they do not offer loans or overdrafts. Still, it is easy to open an account without having an address in France, and their charges are very reasonable.
There is no automatic legal right to a bank card, although most residents can be expected to obtain one, albeit with conditions.
Bank Card Categories
By European Regulation 2015/751, all cards must state the category to which they belong. There are four different categories
- Cartes de crédit, which must mention the word ‘crédit’ printed on the card.
- Cartes de débit, which must mention the word ‘débit’ on the card.
- Cartes commerciales are for professional/business use, with ‘commercial’ on the card.
- Cartes prépayées, with the words’ prepare‘ printed on the card.
This categorisation does not affect the cardholder; it simply defines the level of fees paid between banks.
Deferred Debit Cards
The banks offer deferred debit cards to those customers who would prefer that all their debit transactions during the month occur on a single date. It is not a ‘credit card’ (loan) in the manner normally understood by Anglophones. Only if it is a carte de crédit or carte débit/crédit would this be the case.
They do not, by themselves, offer any kind of overdraft or borrowing facility, which would need to be agreed upon separately with your bank. In addition, cash withdrawals are debited immediately.
Deferred Credit Cards
In the context of European regulation, deferred credit cards are credit cards with or without interest. These also include consumer-credit cards and revolving credit cards.
Prepaid Cards
A prepaid card is defined in the regulations as a card that provides access to a limited amount of money. The cards are known as cartes cadeaux , cartes rechargeables or cartes pour les personnes protégées.
Banks also issue cards that can only be used where sufficient funds are in the account. Such cards are called carte à autorisation systématique or carte anti-dépassement. With such cards, it is not possible to become overdrawn. The cards Visa Electron and Maestro Mastercard are two examples of such cards.
A number of the major retailing chains issue co-branded cards with a partner (Mastercard/Visa). The annual charge on these cards may sometimes be cheaper than one direct from a bank, but the credit cost of use of the card frequently outweighs the lower annual charge.
There are limitations on the quantity of cash you can withdraw on any single occasion for all of these cards, which will depend on the card type. A maximum sum of €500 over seven days is not unusual for a standard card, but it can be higher or lower by arrangement.
There are limits on the total level of expenditure over a 7-day or 30-day period, depending on the type of card and arrangements with your bank.
Smart Card Basis
All the cards in France operate on a smart card basis (‘chip and pin’) through the use of a microchip deeply embedded in the card, now the standard across Europe, but France was the first country to implement the system.
Accordingly, you will be given a PIN with your card, which you will need to use every time you make a transaction. The card is entered into a payment terminal, and you then enter your four-digit code and press the validation key.
The cards are also available ‘sans contact’, so you can pay without entering your PIN up to €50. A symbol of four curved lines radiating rightwards (similar to a ‘wi-fi’ symbol) on your card will indicate if you have a contactless card.
If you have an international Mastercard or Visa Card from your home country, you can use it in France, but you will, of course, face the currency risk and, depending on the terms of your card, you might be required to pay a certain fee. Most banks charge a fee for withdrawing money on the card, although this is less common for purchasing goods or services.
Carte De Retrait
The banks also offer cash cards, called a carte de retrait, which either enable you to withdraw cash from the ATM of your branch or more widely.
The cards may be freely offered with a bank account, or there may be a minimal charge. You cannot use these cards to purchase goods or services.
Main Brands of Cash Cards
There are two main brands of cash cards – Carte Cirrus and Carte Plus – the former issued through MasterCard, whilst the latter through Visa. The cards enable you to withdraw money from almost all ATMs in France and abroad.
Lost or Stolen Cards
In France, as elsewhere in Europe, the responsibility of a bank to indemnify a customer in the event of a fraudulent transaction is enshrined in law.
Under the Code monétaire et financier, the bank is obliged to immediately reimburse their client for the amount of the unauthorised transaction. If necessary, they are also obligated to restore the account debited to the state it would have been already if certain transactions had not occurred.
Under the bank code where there has been fraudulent use of your card, you are entitled to full reimbursement if your card number was not used.
Where your card number was used, there is no reimbursement under €50. Over €50 and excess of €50 applies. If your card is used illegally for expenditure amounting to €250, you will be reimbursed €150.
Nevertheless, insofar as card fraud is concerned, the same code provides an exception to the bank’s obligation if the customer has not acted with due care under the law, whether intentionally or through gross negligence.
These obligations indicate that a customer must use the card following the conditions governing its use and must not act negligently, for example, in communicating their credit card security details.
These rules apply to a customer who is the victim of ‘phishing’, where someone impersonates an organisation familiar to a person, such as a bank or tax authority, for malicious intent.
The Best Prepaid Credit Cards For France
N26 Mastercard
You have complete control over your account with N26. You can change and set your daily payment and withdrawal limits, lock your card immediately if lost, reset your PIN, and enable or disable online and foreign payments.
You also get instant push notifications for all account activity, can log in with your fingerprint, use 3D Secure, #tag your transactions and track your balance over time.
N26 has teamed up with TransferWise to offer international transfers in 19 different currencies.
APPLY NOW on N26’s secure website.
Costs:
0.00 euros/year
Benefits
- You can get a free Mastercard debit card that is accepted worldwide.
- You can use your mobile app to set daily spending limits, unlock or lock your card and reset your PIN from anywhere in the world, 24/7.
- You can send, request or receive money from your contacts added in the N26 app or to the new ones with just an email or phone number, using N26 MoneyBeam in real-time.
- Transferwise allows you to send money in 19 different currencies while saving up to 6 times more than traditional banks—no hidden fees, no unpleasant surprises.
- Mastercard SecureCode 3D Secure (3DS) technology allows for secure transactions.
- Push notifications are available immediately following all transactions, including mobile and card payments, ATM withdrawals, transfers and direct debits.
- With your N26 bank account, you can easily lock your card in the mobile app, reorder it with a single button tap, or unlock it again.
- Only if you use your fingerprint to identify yourself can you open an N26 account.
- You can automatically categorise your spending with N26, which uses artificial intelligence.
- You can view or export your transaction list as a CSV or PDF file.
- You can easily open an N26 free bank account from your smartphone or computer.
- Customer Service is available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Contact them via email or chat with an N26 expert directly from your app.
Bunq Travel Mastercard
APPLY NOW on bunq’s secure website.
Costs:
0.00 euros/year
Benefits
- When you use your card abroad, you get the actual exchange rate and can save up to 3%.
- The card is appropriate for hotel reservations, car rentals, and even offline terminals in aeroplanes and other public places.
- When your card is used abroad, you are immediately notified.
- If you lose the card, you can immediately freeze the card via the app.
- Automatically track group expenses. Your card transactions will be automatically added to your group. When settling the balance, it takes a single tap in the app.
- There are no monthly fees.
- There is no debt to bear. Balance checks in real-time, no debt, interest, or overdraft fees
N26 Business Mastercard
APPLY NOW on N26’s secure website.
Costs:
0.00 euros/year
Benefits
- Push notifications are available immediately following all transactions, including mobile and card payments, ATM withdrawals, direct debits, and transfers.
- When you pay with your N26 Mastercard, you will receive 0.1% cashback on all purchases.
- When you make a transaction, you secure it with Mastercard SecureCode’s 3D Secure (3DS) technology.
- You can better organise your expenses by labelling them #client, #office, #biznes.
- You can open a free business account even if you are starting.
- You can automatically categorise your spending with N26, which uses artificial intelligence.
- You can view your transaction list and export it as a CSV or PDF file.
- Customer Service is available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Contact them via email or chat with an N26 expert directly from your app.
- You can make a new N26 business bank account from your computer or phone in an easy, paperless signup process.
Bunq Business Mastercard
Costs:
119.88 euros/year
Benefits
- You can create and set up as many sub-accounts as you want. Each account comes with its IBAN. Therefore, you can use them for online payments, direct debits, and card payments.
- You pay invoices without any manual intervention. You scan an invoice, and the mobile bunq app automatically fills in all payment details, including giro collection forms.
- PDF invoices received via email can be copied to the bunq mobile app directly from your phone.
- Instant employee access: Using the app, you can remove or add an employee without any paperwork or waiting.
- You can restrict employee access to only the accounts required for their job.
- You can get immediate notifications for any card payment, direct debit, or other transaction.
- You can block cards, change PINs, and set limits in real-time.
- Thanks to keyboard shortcuts, you can enter payments quickly and easily on bunq Web (instant payments are supported)
- You have access to the highest interest rates, nine times higher than traditional banks. Furthermore, you earn interest on all your accounts, not just your savings accounts.
- You end manual bookkeeping by connecting Bunq to your bookkeeping software directly.
- If you open a bunq Business account today, you will receive up to €120 in Google Ads credit.
N26 Metal Mastercard
APPLY NOW on N26’s secure website.
Costs:
202.80 euros/year
Benefits
- You can use your card to pay in stores or online without markups or transaction fees. Furthermore, you can withdraw cash in any currency for free from ATMs worldwide.
- You can contact a dedicated support team by phone or chat in the app.
- You and your family can travel safely; your policy covers you, your spouse, and your children in a medical emergency abroad, with access to 24-hour medical phone assistance.
- If you travel with luggage and it is delayed or lost, or if your flight is delayed longer than 4 hours, you can seek compensation.
- You have up to €1,000 coverage if your smartphone is stolen or damaged in an accident.
- You have access to insurance if your hired car is stolen or damaged, and you are also covered when you use bike and scooter-sharing apps.
- If you are a Premium N26 member, you can access exclusive offers and deals from carefully selected partner brands such as WeWork, GetYourGuide, and Hotels.com; check your N26 app for more information.
- Your premium membership allows you to create up to ten Spaces sub-accounts in addition to your main account to help you reach your savings goals; ten other users can join the same sub-account to manage money with your friends and family.
Pixpay MasterCard
APPLY NOW on Pixpay’s secure website
Costs:
2.99 euros/year
Sogexia Mastercard
APPLY NOW on Sogexia’s secure website.
Costs:
0.00 euros/year
Benefits
- The access to the Sogexia Club (20% cashback at over 900 partner merchants, directly credited to your Sogexia account)
- Your Sogexia account automatically categorises all of your transactions.
- A mobile and online account
Xaalys Mastercard
APPLY NOW on Xaalys’ secure website.
Costs:
2.99 euros/year
Benefits
- Payments and withdrawals are free in France and Europe.
- Tobacco, liquor stores, and online betting purchases are automatically blocked.
- A bank card designed specifically for teenagers aged 12 to 17.
- The card’s parental configuration
- Accepted throughout France and in over 200 countries
Bunq Premium SuperGreen Mastercard
APPLY NOW on bunq’s secure website.
Costs:
203.88 euros/year
Benefits
- They’ll plant a tree in your honour for every €100 you spend.
- Metal credit cards are more environmentally friendly because they use 50% less plastic and last 50% longer than regular plastic cards.
- You are free to create as many sub-accounts as you want. Each comes with its IBAN, allowing you to use them for direct debits and online and card payments.
- You can easily change your PIN, link your card to a different sub-account, deactivate/activate or block your card, and the changes take effect immediately.
- When you use your card abroad, you get the real exchange rate and can save up to 3%.
- You can get immediate notifications for any card payment, direct debit, or other transaction.
Bunq Premium Mastercard
APPLY NOW on bunq’s secure website.
Costs:
95.88 euros/year
Benefits
- You can get immediate notifications for any card payment, direct debit, or other transaction.
- You can block cards, change PINs, and adjust limits in real time.
- To manage debts between friends, use the in-app calculator.
- You can easily link your card to a different sub-account, activate/deactivate, or block it. Changes take effect immediately.
- You have advanced control over your money using only your voice.
- When you use your card abroad, you get the actual exchange rate and can save up to 3%.
- Your membership entitles you to up to ten monthly ATM withdrawals.
- Because of our partnership with TransferWise, you can send money worldwide at the current exchange rate.
- Automatically track group expenses. Your card transactions will be automatically added to your group. When settling the balance, it takes a single tap in the app.
- You can share an Easy sub-account with partners, family, or friends.
- You have access to the highest interest rates, nine times higher than traditional banks. Furthermore, you earn interest on all your accounts, not just your savings accounts.
N26 You Mastercard
APPLY NOW on N26’s secure website.
Costs:
118.80 euros/year
Benefits
- You can access the premium bank account and a life, mobility, and travel insurance package.
- You can withdraw cash in foreign currency for free from ATMs worldwide and pay with your card online and in stores with no fees or markups.
- You and your family can travel safely; your policy covers you, your spouse, and your children in a medical emergency abroad, with access to 24-hour medical phone assistance.
- You can seek compensation if your luggage is delayed or lost or if your flight is delayed longer than 4 hours.
- If you cannot reach the airport, N26, your trip cancellation and curtailment insurance will cover you.
- You’re covered for surprises with carpooling, bike and scooter rentals, and public transportation.
- You can take advantage of exclusive partner offers and hand-picked discounts from companies like GetYourGuide and WeWork.
- Your premium membership allows you to create up to ten Spaces sub-accounts in addition to your main account to help you reach your savings goals. Ten additional users may join the same sub-account to manage money with friends and family.
- You have access to a hassle-free, personal banking experience that is always there for you, no matter where you go.
N26 Business You Mastercard
APPLY NOW on N26’s secure website
Costs:
118.80 euros/year
Benefits
- You can make free payments in any currency with no additional foreign exchange fees.
- You can make up to 5 free ATM withdrawals per month in €, withdraw cash in foreign currency for free from ATMs around the world, and pay with your card with no fees online or in stores.
- For faster tax returns, you can access a downloadable transaction list.
- When you pay with your N26 Mastercard, you will receive 0.1% cashback on all purchases.
- Customer Service is available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Contact them via email or chat with an N26 expert directly from your app.
- Your premium membership allows you to create up to ten Spaces sub-accounts in addition to your main account to help you reach your savings goals. Ten additional users may join the same sub-account to manage money with friends and family!
- You can take advantage of exclusive partner offers and hand-picked discounts from companies like GetYourGuide, WeWork, and Hotels.com.
- While travelling, you have access to medical insurance.
- You can purchase flight and luggage delay insurance.
- You have access to winter sports insurance or ski insurance.
- You have access to insurance if you hire for car theft or damage, and we also cover you when you use the car, bike, or scooter-sharing apps.
- You can select one of five distinct colours for your Mastercard debit card.
Bunq Business SuperGreen Mastercard
APPLY NOW on bunq’s secure website.
Costs:
239.88 euros/year
Benefits
- We’ll plant a tree in your honour for every €100 you spend.
- Metal credit cards are more environmentally friendly because they use 50% less plastic and last 50% longer than regular plastic cards.
- Set VAT aside automatically. We calculate the correct VAT amount for each incoming and outgoing payment and transfer it to your assigned VAT sub-account.
- You save time looking for old receipts. Bunq can be integrated with the apps you use to run your business, allowing you to automate all of your daily tasks.
- You end manual bookkeeping by connecting Bunq to your bookkeeping software directly.
- You are free to create as many sub-accounts as you want. Each comes with its IBAN, allowing you to use them for direct debits and online and card payments.
- You pay invoices automatically, with no human intervention. When you scan an invoice, the bunq app will automatically fill in all payment details, including giro collection forms.
Revolut Premium Mastercard
Costs:
95.88 euros/year
Benefits
- A free UK account
- A free Euro IBAN account.
- You can spend in more than 150 available currencies at the interbank exchange rate.
- There is no monthly limit for exchanging in 30 fiat currencies.
- There are no ATM withdrawal fees up to €400 per month.
- Medical coverage abroad
- Baggage and/or flight delay insurance
- Worldwide express shipping
- Priority customer service
- Five cryptocurrencies are available immediately.
- Exclusive designs on premium cards
- Temporary virtual cards
- Access to the LoungeKey Pass
- If your flight is delayed by longer than one hour, you and a loved one will have free access to the airport lounge.
Nickel MasterCard Chrome
Costs:
50.00 euros/year
Benefits
- You receive a premium MasterCard card in your name that allows you to pay and be paid anywhere in the world. Outside of the Eurozone, you benefit from the Mastercard exchange rate at no additional cost.
- Medical coverage abroad
- Insurance for trip cancellation or postponement
- Insurance for luggage
- Car rental insurance
- Flight or train cancellation or delay insurance
- Insurance for ski accidents
Qonto One Mastercard
Costs:
108.00 euros/year
Benefits
- If your trip does not go as planned, Qonto Plus insurance will reimburse you up to €450.
- If your luggage is missing when you arrive at your destination, Qonto will compensate you up to €850.
- Qonto One will cover your medical expenses, repatriation, and legal assistance while you are abroad.
- Your card protects you in the event of damage to the rented vehicle.
- Purchases made with your Qonto card come with an automatic extended warranty.
- Qonto would compensate you if your card were used fraudulently.
- For added security, you can temporarily lock your card.
- You have complete control over how your PIN is defined and protected.
- In real-time, you can manage permissions, withdrawal and payment limits that are appropriate for your needs.
- For online payments, you benefit from 3D-Secure technology.
Revolut Business Mastercard
Costs:
0.00 euros/year
Benefits
- Obtain your GBP and EUR account information for local payments.
- Keep, send, and receive funds in up to 30 different currencies.
- Transfer money without paying exorbitant exchange rates or hidden fees.
- Cross-border transactions that are fair and transparent
- You can add unlimited physical and virtual multi-currency business cards to Apple Pay.
- Set spending limits on employee credit cards and easily manage employee expenses.
- Attach receipts with descriptions and view real-time expenses with a mobile app.
- Export your transactions or integrate accounting software like Xero, FreeAgent, and others.
- You can make up to 1,000 payments to employees or partners with a single click.
- When setting up recurring payments, automate your routine tasks.
- Set permissions for what your team can and cannot do or see, including payment rules that must be approved.
- Integrate your existing applications with a single click, or create custom integrations based on your business requirements.
- You can easily register using your laptop or mobile phone.
- Get approved within 24 hours of signing up so you can start immediately.
- To ensure a smooth integration process, we provide 24-hour support.
Nickel MasterCard Classique
Costs:
20.00 euros/year
Benefits
- A mobile application to manage your account
- Withdraw cash from all ATMs but also your Nickel tobacconist
- SMS alerts for keeping up to date even without an internet connection
Final Words
Regarding prepaid credit cards in France, we found many without annual fees. N26 Mastercard, bunq Travel Mastercard, N26 Business Mastercard and Sogexia Mastercard are excellent options. Each card in this comparison has advantages and disadvantages, and which card is better depends on your anticipated usage (how frequently, for how long, with how much balance, etc.).