Money in France: currency, ATMs, cards and tipping

Match your cash and card mix to how you travel. City breaks need almost no cash; a driving trip through the countryside needs more.

The amounts below are rough 2026 estimates for a typical trip, not a rule.

Contactless is the default in France. You tap a card or phone for a baguette, a coffee at the bar, a metro ticket or a museum entry. Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere; American Express is taken in hotels and larger restaurants but not in most small shops.

French cards use chip and PIN, and terminals expect it. A US signature-only card usually still works at a staffed till, but unattended machines are the problem: fuel pumps, motorway toll booths, some rural ticket machines and a few parking barriers may refuse a card without a PIN (check). Carry a second card and some cash for those moments.

At any ATM or card terminal, the machine may offer to charge you in your home currency. Decline it and choose euros. That 'your currency' conversion is done at a rate set by the machine operator and usually costs more than your bank's rate (check). The same rule applies at the till when a terminal asks.

Bank ATMs are usually the cheapest way to get cash. Withdraw larger amounts less often rather than small amounts repeatedly, since your own bank's fixed fee and any percentage fee apply per withdrawal (check). Airport and standalone exchange bureaus give worse rates; if you must change cash, compare the rate and the commission together.

Service is included in restaurant prices by law, shown on the menu as 'service compris'. The price you see is the price you pay, and staff are paid wages rather than relying on tips. Leaving nothing is normal and not rude.

That said, rounding up is common and appreciated. If a bill comes to €28.50, leaving €30 is a friendly gesture. For good service in a sit-down restaurant, a little more is generous but never required. At a café where you stand at the bar, most people leave nothing or the small change.

Elsewhere the pattern is similar: rounding up rather than a percentage. Taxis get the fare rounded up. Bars, bakeries and shops get nothing. Tour guides and drivers on a paid tour may get a thank-you if the service was good, but it is optional.

France is close to cashless, but a few situations still run on notes and coins. Village markets, especially in Provence and the southwest, often prefer cash, and some stalls have a minimum card spend or no terminal at all. Small bakeries outside cities, tabacs selling stamps or transit tickets, and rural cafés may be the same (check).

Public toilets, some church donation boxes, and a few small museums and monuments take coins only. If you are driving, keep coins for parking meters in smaller towns and a note or two for a fuel pump that rejects your card.

Do not carry large amounts. Keep cash split between two places, keep a card separate from your wallet, and use a zipped bag in front of you rather than a back pocket in crowds and on public transport.

Prices in France include tax (TVA) and, in restaurants, service. The figure on the menu or the shelf is what you hand over. Tipping is on top only if you choose.

The table below gives typical 2026 prices so you can judge how much cash to carry. Paris and the Riviera run 30–50% above the rest of the country.

Banks and post offices generally close on Sundays and public holidays, and many small shops shut on Sunday afternoon or all day Monday (check). Plan cash around that. Use the france public holidays page to check dates before a long weekend.

If you are coming from outside the euro area, a travel card or a no-foreign-fee debit card usually beats changing cash at home. Compare the exchange rate you get against the mid-market rate before you leave.

For daily budget planning, the cost of travel in france page breaks spending into tiers, and the currency converter tool turns any euro price into your own currency.