CA not accepting cash deposit

[Gardengirl]

I withdrew money from Nationwide via ATM yesterday, and paid it in to CA as usual for our normal expenses.

I was told that from September our branch in the Gard will no longer accept cash, and I will need a card to operate the account, costing 30 euros per year. I told them I thought a bank was a place for depositing cash, and I pointed out that they were doing a hard sell on accounts for kids; no cards for them, surely. The queue behind me were very much in agreement with my views - many of the customers(all French) were paying in cash, and that was also the first they had heard of this new scheme!

I refused to order a card, and we'll be changing banks. We just need a cheque book for local payments, access over the internet and the ability to pay in money. Any recommendations?

Beware, your CA branch might be doing something similar.

Jo

[Cat]

Our CA (Nord Midi Pyrenees) has been cash-less for over a year now.

To deposit cash, I have to put the money into an envelope, fill in the details, and deposit it in a hole in the wall type machine.

[Doodle]

That's a bit worrying as we draw in cash our pension monthly from our UK account and then immediately pay the cash into our CA account. Do you have a bank postale account as you could pay your cash into that account and then transfer to your CA account - a bit of faff but one way around the problem. By the way (in case you don't know) to pay cash into the post office you need ID, driving licence is fine or if like me you don't have one then your passport is acceptable.

Chris

[NormanH]

1)I don't see the link between whether or not you use a card or just have a cheque book, and whether or not a bank accepts cash.

2)Are you sure that your branch isn't just going over to the pay in the cash in an envelope that you have filled in and put  into a slot  (or pay into a machine in some cases) rather than the cashier accepting cash? Credit Agricole has had that scheme for several years in my town

[Gastines]

Don't panic.It's just so that the staff don't hold any cash,it saves being robbed as in UK Banks/Building Societies. Even small change you can put into the plastic containers provided and notes via the envelopes then bung it in the slot and pull the handle. It must be UK thing  wanting the staff to check the totals, here I used to just hope they credited the correct account.

Regards.

[Chancer]

But without a bank card can you still deposit cash or cheques using the hole in the wall?

I like the way that Nationwide do it in the UK, to avoid queuing you can pay in cheques using the distributeur which scans them and prints a copy of them on your receipt, I'm not sure if you can scan and print every note that you pay in from your "flash money" [;-)]

[Jo]

As far as I know you will still be able to pay in cash without a card - just not to a cashier. It will have to be done by filling out an envelope and posting it in the machine. In my bank in the UK you hardly see a cashier, they have the same system for paying in cheques as you describe, and for paying in cash you open a slot, drop in the notes which it counts and returns any torn or folded ones, you then agree the amount that appears on the screen and type in the account number and sort code of the account you want credited. The bank equivalent of a self-serve checkout[:D]

[Cerise]

I fear it is a CA thing.  In our local branch you need your card to operate the cash deposit machine.

[Jo]

My local bank is a CA and you can use your card, but you can still pay in without................ so far![blink]

[Juswundrin]

Not been with CA for ages, but about three years ago I tried to pay some cash into a different CA branch from our usual one, and they said they couldn't take it over the counter & I'd have to use my bank card to pay it into the machine,

When I said that we didn't have a card, they simply gave me a single-use card (which the machine then retained). From memory, they pre-coded the card with my account number and the amount being despoited.

Being CA, there's probably a lot of regional variation, but I did think at the time it was a really clever system.

[PaulT]

[quote user="Jo"]As far as I know you will still be able to pay in cash without a card - just not to a cashier. It will have to be done by filling out an envelope and posting it in the machine. In my bank in the UK you hardly see a cashier, they have the same system for paying in cheques as you describe, and for paying in cash you open a slot, drop in the notes which it counts and returns any torn or folded ones, you then agree the amount that appears on the screen and type in the account number and sort code of the account you want credited. The bank equivalent of a self-serve checkout[:D]
[/quote]

A Nationwide branch that I use you put in your card and then feed in the cash, you agree the amount and it is then credited to your account.

Is it me or am I detecting the French more and more using their bank card to pay for things instead of writing out cheques?

The French way is to pay for bank accounts so for me, if you wish to be involved in France you have to pay for the card and that is that.

Paul

[seb47]

Our CA account is with Britline and since our local branch in Lot et Garonne went "cashless" we have used the paying in envelope system. This branch of CA Aquitaine insists on a copy of the RIB and photo page of the passport being inserted with the cash. They are happy to use their photocopier for this. You then use your cash card to open the drawer, or if you don't have one the assistant will use his/her branch card. So far no problems but we'd much prefer to be able to pay over the counter as we have no proof how much is in the envelope. The disclaimer on the paying in envelope makes it clear that if there is a discrepancy it is our liability not theirs!

Peter

[Gardengirl]

Thanks for the replies; there certainly seems to be a move to not taking cash.

I pay money into a Halifax account in UK via a machine which prints out a receipt, which I'm very happy with, plus it prints out a tiny copy of cheques - excellent. Either way, I have proof of paying in. That I won't get with CA.

I do pay for having a French bank account, Paul - every month; I'm not trying to get something for nothing! What I object to is paying 30 euros for a card I don't want. The rest of the customers when I was in there also were very unhappy at the thought - and they were all French!

Jo

[NormanH]

"there certainly seems to be a move to not taking cash"

But they do take cash!

It's just that the cashier doesn't deal with it.

How on earth do you manage without a card?

Almost nowhere will accept a cheque any more, certainly not  our local garages restaurants etc.

And what about taking cash out?

[Benjamin]

[quote user="NormanH"]

Almost nowhere will accept a cheque any more, certainly not  our local garages restaurants etc.

[/quote]

It must be a local thing. The cheque book is alive and well around here.

[Chancer]

I gave up my card a couple of years ago Norman but to be fair I now mainly use my Nationwide one [:)] I am definitely in the minority in my area when it comes to paying by card, all of my friends always reach for their cheque book to pay for everything except a baguette despite the fact that a lot of them do indeed have a carte bancaire.

The only time I have had to bail one of them out was to pay their share in a restaurant in Lille which seemed much more cosmopolitan by comparison.

My only regret in giving up my card was to find out straight away that I did in fact use it to check my balance, now I have to go in (not on a Monday of course [6]) and ask, sign a form, have my passport photocopied etc and then sign a second copy of the releve form that they eventually give to me. A lot of hassle for an account where I usually keep a balance of less than €100 ito pay for my Free.fr abonnment.

If I were to be able to access the account on line without paying then I would doubtlessly use my cheque bok and the account a lot more, I cant see why they want to charge for everything that they introduce to make their lives easier and yet are happy to introduce anything that adds to their paperasse including sending an air mail letter with my statement to my UK address every month.

[Llantony]

'Our CA (Nord Midi Pyrenees) has been cash-less for over a year now.  To deposit cash, I have to put the money into an envelope, fill in the details, and deposit it in a hole in the wall type machine.'

Does that make it cashless? 

Our local CA has got rid of the counter and wants everyone to use machines. I have always withdrawn money from the ATM and paid it in to cover expenses.  I don't need or want to pay for a CA bank card.  I transferred money from Nationwide a few months ago and when I want to withdraw some, they give put a temporary card into the ATM for me.

JR - I didn't realise CA charges for checking the account online.  Where does it say that?

 

[Chancer]

I am with Credit Lyonnaise, they used to deduct IIRC €2.50 per month to be able to check your balance on line, the system would not do anything else [:-))] I cancelled the service and in a rare fit of efficiency they only continued taking the money for a further year [6]

[Jay]

CA no longer charge for using their online service and in fact have not done so for some considerable time. It used to be 0.50€ to access your account but even then you could have had a free password that would allow you to look at your account but not do transfers etc.  I suggest you contact your branch for a password.

[Purple Crazy]

Have tried a search for this, but not come up with much.   Do the banks in France have change bags as they do in UK, or something similar which we can ask for, we have recently emptied our change jars and have around 68 euros in small change which we need to get changed into something sensible or banked into our French a/c.  In UK, I would either bank it or take it to one of those change machines in the supermarket, but haven't seen anything like that here.

[Ian]

CA will supply disposible moulded coin holders. It's like a plastic tube cut down one side, holds an exact number of coins in a column, then then the two halfs (halves?) fold together again. Very efficient.

Please don't ask me what the french name is.....

[Gardengirl]

Our local greengrocer very happily took small change from me, so I then started filling a plastic cash bag, he would count it out and give me the difference between what my veg cost and what was in the bag. He now no longer counts it, just asks how much is in it - I was flummoxed the first time, as I hadn't a clue. So now I take a bag of all the little tiddlers along, tell him what's in it, and we're done. All very amicable, and no purse, pockets or drawers full of tiddlers - and before anyone pipes up, the wooden sort, not fancy pants!  [:D] 

[Iceni]

I spend my small change as I go. The shopkeepers, stallholders etc are only too pleased when I pay with shrapnel and I don't have to worry about finding tubes, small plastic bags and that ilk.

John

 

[cooperlola]

deleted.  Oops - I read the original title of this thread then noticed too late that it had changed tack.[:-))]

Is everybody getting rid of their change at the moment? :

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2095174/ShowPost.aspx

[AnOther]

Copper coins mostly go in bag to be given to Les Amis de Chats or other charity.

When we were burgled they took the then bag, there must have been all of €5 in it !