Anyone know of any financial means of get around in France without a credit card, post finance card, Mastro card or cash. Is Apple Pay on an iPhone a possibility? Can one get a prepaid travel card on short notice? Thanks!

According to Apple, you can use Apple Pay in France: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207957 (that was easy to google...)

One can get the Ok prepaid cards straight away.

https://www.kkiosk.ch/de/products/detail/?id=299

Edit - They can be linked to Apple & Samsung pay

To use ApplePay you need a card…

I guess it depends what getting around means and what sort of things to buy..

Hotels / car hire will normally require a proper credit card and not accept a pre-pay.

Smaller shops, cafes, bars often have a minimum spend of 15-25 eur before they will accept cards..

Apple Pay needs to be linked to a card and not every card works. But if it can be linked, virtually all card terminals will accept it.

Is it some kind of challenge?

Holiday checks are popular in France, I've seen people paying with them on many campsites .. Not sure how exactly they work though or who accepts them.

https://www.ancv.com/le-cheque-vacances

Generally they get bought through your employer, at a massive discount to face face value. Restaurants, Hotels even McDonald's accepts them. I don't know if it's limited to holiday destinations as the person I was with lived in the Alps.

You can open a Revolut account and then add the digital prepaid card to Apple pay maybe? Shouldn't take long

Why?

Tom

Is it still the norm? I would guess that due to COVID cards are not only accepted but preferred for any amount

Not if you are the shop owner & pay a min fixed cost per transaction

Indeed, but I assume the charges must have decreased significantly, unless they were only temporarily suspended or something like that

The non traceability of cash transactions is exactly why the authorities - particularly in France - are keen for you to use cards.


Are you doing one of your usual drug runs? ;-)


Prepaid card is the easiest way to go, if you don't have any of the other options. But... why don't you have any of the other options?



Kind regards




Ian

Most french shops are now refusing cash and will only accept payment using a card. Several times I've spent a couple of euros and automatically reached for my purse, only to be asked to use a card instead.
My local pharmacy has accepted cash, but that does seem to be unusual.

robBob; why don't you want to use cards?

It's not for me but my offspring. Kid has debit card for Switzerland only. As always daddy has to figure something out last minute.

Why not to use debit card ? I assume it's visa electron or maestro something ?

I have my Wise (formerly Transferwise) debit card linked to Applepay.



Literally since I started using it 3 months ago I have made all my payments in France, Italy and Switzerland with it. Even for EUR 0.50 payments, no issues. I was always under the impression that especially in Italy they preferred cash, but they seem to have card terminals in every shop these days.

Just look at the share price of Visa & Mastercard & you will realise that they did not reduce or suspend charges. Why would they?

Many people are going around without cash or card.

They just walk away with the goods

#joke

What about this:

https://www.swissbankers.ch/en/life/in-a-nutshell/

or this:

https://www.swissbankers.ch/en/products/travel/

Update:

Turns out the kid has a Maestro card already that can be used at any ATM for a small 5 SFr fee. Also was able to get my credit card verified for Apple Pay. And to top it all off the post finance card just arrived today for the account that we opened on Wednesday. So now offspring is financial safe for foreign travel.


Thanks EF for the helpful suggestions.