Bank charges in France

[Dave Phelan]

My wife and I have just purchased a house in the Aude region. I opened a bank account and just put €50 into it to facilitate payment of water electricity in late June. I have just received a statement with a deduction of €7.70 charges. This set me thinking about what others have experienced in relation to normal banking charges in French banks.

Thanks

Dave

[suein56]

Our monthly bank fee has just gone up to 7€60, it was 7€40 a month last year. This includes one bank card - Visa all purpose card - and general charges, including an infinite number of direct debits.

Sue

[TheVicar]

Our bank charges 4.50 euros a month which includes a bank card, but as

we have found, it is a Maestro card which is fine in the shops and

petrol pumps but not always accepted for phone or internet

transactions, nor on the motorway toll machines. A Mastercard would

cost us 33 euros a year. The charge I discovered recently which

surprised me was 10.71 euros for setting up a standing order for a

'non-utility' company.

[Pierre ZFP]

Which bank are you with?

I'm with CA in Pas-de-Calais and my charges are 5.60 with a visa card but no direct debits.

Edit: - I forgot, ONE direct debit

[TheVicar]

We are with CA as well, but ours comes under Anjou/Maine. Strange how

the same bank in different regions has different fees, isn't it?

[suein56]

[quote user="TheVicar"] Strange how the same bank in different regions has different fees, isn't it? [/quote]

Another fascinating foible of the French banking system.

Sue [:)]

[Dave Phelan]

I am with PNB. As my daughter is in college in Montpellier for this year , we opened our account there. In june I will transfer to the PNB in Limoux as it is nearer. More charges will be possible I am sure. I live in Ireland and always thought that the banks here screwed customers, but perhaps I have a learning experience in front of me!!!!!!!

Thanks

Dave

[marina]

Note that many French banks are not really national banks but strings of regional banks, some of which may only have one or two branches, but they share the same name, and some of the products, so it is hardly surprising that there is a lot of variation where charges and policies are concerned. You will find one particular oddity of this is that although you can draw money out of any bank sharing its name with your home bank, it can be very hard to pay money in when you are out of your own region.

[Mme poivre]

hi

We have a bank acount in the Vendee with CA and only a cheque book no standing orders, we have had it for over 2 years but have not incurred any charges yet.

 

Judith

[suein56]

And you shouldn't have any in the future as you have the basic, fee-free bank account. But, if you should need to acquire cards or direct debits etc then you will have to pay for them.

Sue

[cooperlola]

Caisse d'Epargne waived the charges for the first year for some new customers I recently introduced to them.[:)]

[suein56]

Gosh, you mean to say that customer service and loyalty recognition has made it to France? I am impressed.

Sue [;-)]

[chessfou]

[quote]

Caisse d'Epargne waived the charges for the first year for some new customers[cooperlola][/quote]

It was (still is?) a long-running promo of theirs (it applied to the account we opened with them in Nov 2005) for the "Satellis Essentiel" (CB, DDs, internet access, etc. € 7,99 /month - not the cheapest but they also pay a little interest on the credit balance).

[Nomad]

I am with CA France in Treignac and have two cards and DD's costing 3.6 euro's a month I suppose that is a result, but it did cost 37 euro's for my card and 20 euros for my wifes which I presume is either a one off or yearly payment.

[suein56]

[quote user="Nomad"] but it did cost 37 euro's for my card and 20 euros for my wifes which I presume is either a one off or yearly payment.[/quote]

Perhaps not a yearly charge if you look at the expiry date on your cards. Our cards last 2 years so, although I pay 1/2 price for mine, [the cost of OH's card comes in the monthly charge] at 17€60 it does last for 2 years, so not so horrendous as at first glance.

Sue

[tenniswitch]

We bank with CA Loire-Haute Loire and pay an annual fee for our MasterCard debit card (33,50 euros last year) plus 1,50 per month for internet access. 

[SC]

We pay CA 6€ a month for our account and we have no option but to have one, but when our daughter, who has to have her wages for her seasonal job paid into an account, found that she would have to pay more than half one week's wages per year to have her own account she was somewhat miffed. She remembers her brother's search in the UK for the bank that offered not only free banking, but also the biggest golden handshake to open an account with them.

Steve

 

[Jonzjob]

The old expression comes to mind "When in Rome, wear a toga". If you want to live here then you have to pay the charges. No matter where you bank/shop you will always find someone who is doing it at less cost than you. We are happy with our CA Languedoc (? they have just changed from "du Midi"), but if we want U.K. type bank charges we won't be bothering to move back to get them.

All I can suggest is that if you don't like the charges then you have the choice to move back?

Same goes for rules of the road, lunch times, Monday closing, must I go on?

We love it and have no intention of leaving.. We went into a newly reopened car park in Carcassonne today. New barrier system. The guy at the barrier, finishing the instalation and making sure the computer system was working OK, asked if it was the first time in the car park since the change explained exactly how it worked, in French and English. All done with a big smile, pushed the button and gave me the ticket because I had stopped just out of reach!! No chance of us moving!!!

[Nomad]

I am not complaining ;) just saying how it is ;)

[LanguedocGal]

[:D][:D]

Pauvre Normad!  Think that may have been directed at all the foreign ‘ingrats’ such as myself. You’ve clearly not grasped that when you move to France, in the eyes of some, you are not allowed to complain about anything (even if you would have done so in your country of origin). You are supposed to turn into some sort of yes zombie. 

By the way, you must know that the French are formidable raleurs (and can be quite amusing with it), so if you want to integrate, rale as much as you possibly can [:D]– more interesting than becoming a yes zombie. Complaining about what is, is not the same as saying everything was better where you came from. It appears that there are those that have a problem making the distinction.

Re bank charges; for me, they are all annoying and I put up with them because I have NO choice and they are always excessive.

[Jonzjob]

Sorry it came over that way folks [:$]. I do complain when I need to, but I also compliment any chance I get... I am definately not a 'yes zombie' believe me! The French banking system will catch up with the U.K. system as it is now in about 40 years I would think? [8-)]

We don't like paying for a debit card never mind a credit card, but if we want one, well?

[suein56]

[quote user="Jonzjob"]

 The French banking system will catch up with the U.K. system as it is now in about 40 years I would think? [8-)]

[/quote]

But the latest news is that charges for current accounts in the UK are almost certain to become the norm again in the near(ish) future, according to statements by the Banks, who see themselves as being hammered by the recent claims from customers for reimbursement of excessive charges made by their banks for being overdrawn etc.

Sue

[Benjamin]

[quote user="Jonzjob"]

We don't like paying for a debit card never mind a credit card, but if we want one, well?

[/quote]

Some of us don't get the choice Jonzjob.

Our Credit Agricole branch, part of the Loire Atlantique region, went cashless last year.

The only way to get cash is via the hole in the wall and a debit card costing 33.08€ (up from 31.50€ last year).

[Jonzjob]

Hi Benjamin, the last time I took cash out of the wall was, let me think, oh yes about 2 hours ago at Cred Ag in Trebes. We both have their debit cards and would not be without them, even though they do cost [:D]!! Our branch is in the middle of Carcassonne and I don't even know if we could get cash any other way from them?

As for the U.K. banks talking of charging again, that does not surprise me at all. After all they have got to be able to scrape the odd crust together and they are not charities [;-)]. After all, they are only making about £24 a time on stopped checks and the like!