Cash payment: All traders must accept cash, reminds the Bank of France.

Deficiencies have been noted. Merchants are required to accept cash payments, recalled on Tuesday the National Committee for Payment Instruments (CNMP), which brings together payment players, bankers and merchants under the auspices of the Bank of France.

Banknotes and coins “must be accepted by merchants every day, including Sundays, and during events such as festivals or sporting events,” the CNMP press release emphasizes.

Cash in euros is the only means of payment in France that cannot be refused in principle, with rare exceptions (counterfeit money, payments with more than 50 coins, etc.). A merchant who refuses to pay in cash faces a fine of 150 euros, reminds the website of the French administration service-public.fr.

Popular payment method

The Ministry of the Economy and the Bank of France “will be particularly vigilant in complying with these legal obligations,” the press release continues, following reports of “single instances of cash refusal in shops open on Sundays.”

“Even though the use of cash has declined in recent years, especially in favor of cards, this payment method remains popular with the French,” notes the French Banking Federation (FBF). Last year, the Banque de France reminded the retail groups Carrefour and Casino of their obligation to accept cash payments in all their stores.

The acceptability of cash payments at points of sale is one of the pillars of the National Cash Management Plan (PNGE), as is accessibility, for example through good ATM coverage.