Letters: I can spend what I want in France thanks to this smart credit card tip

To the Editor,

I was interested to see the problems experienced by other readers concerning limits on withdrawals and spending on French debit cards.

I have a very effective solution using a UK credit card. 

My pension is paid into a UK bank account, and attached to this I have a Halifax Clarity credit card. I spend around €2,000 each month using the card for practically all my outgoings, including groceries, fuel, GP appointments and even bar bills, without daily limits, so I was able to buy a new electric bike with it without question. 

The card gives me the daily Interbank exchange rate (as quoted on the BBC news programmes, currently around £1 = €1.20) with no transaction fees. A couple of other banks offer the same deal.

Another advantage is the protection offered when paying by a UK credit card. 

Last year I ordered a replacement lithium battery online for my old electric bike. On inspection it turned out to be only a quarter of the advertised capacity, and when I challenged it, the retailer insisted that I return the battery at my expense.

Read more: Letters: French banking practices are commercial nonsense

I contacted my bank, who said that if the retailer would not provide the return postage I simply had to make it available for them to collect.

Within 14 days I had a refund from the bank, and since it had not been collected by the retailer, I subsequently sold the battery to someone locally for half the price I originally paid for it.

The credit card account is set up to take the full balance outstanding every month automatically by direct debit, so there is never any interest to pay.

I pay for my regular GP appointments using the same card, and the rebates are paid into my French bank account, so since there is almost universal acceptance of contactless payments, I almost never need cash, and so do not need to transfer cash from the UK to my French account.

Another unforeseen benefit is that because I spend and pay in full without fail, I now have a perfect Experian credit rating, which has resulted in very substantial credit limits on my cards.

I am sure other expats could benefit from this sort of arrangement.

John Holloway, Finistère

Do you have any tips about banking in France? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com