How often do you take out cash from an ATM? Half of people in France only do so once a month, and 7% never do, a new study has found.
Cash use in FranceConnexionFrance
The study*, by bank comparison website Panorabanques, published on October 16, found that:
49% of people in France take out cash at least once a month
14% do so three or four times a month
4% do so more than five times a month
7% never take cash out.
The results are the latest sign that the use of cash could be disappearing in France, as people increasingly turn towards card- and digital-only payment methods.
The study found that people use cash only in very specific situations; primarily in small shops that may not accept cards for small purchases, at markets, and for tips.
55% use cash in small shops
54% at markets
39% at flea markets
39% for tips
Figures from the Banque de France (BdF) tell a similar story; the January-February 2025 Bulletin shows that in 2024, 48% of payments in France were made by card, compared to 43% made with cash.
The figures also show that the use of cash is declining. This is the first time that the BdF figures have shown that the number of card payments has exceeded payments made with cash.
2016: 68% purchases made with cash
2019: 57%
2022: 50%
2024: 43%
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France is slightly above-average for online purchases in comparison to Europe, the BdF adds, with 25% of payments made online in 2024 compared to the Eurozone average of 21%.
Similarly, 76% of French people now use instant online transfers, an increase of eight percentage points in one year. This is thought to have been driven by the fact that instant online transfers have been free since January this year (they previously cost around €1 each).
Instant transfers became free on January 9 due to a revision on European regulation of March 13, 2024 coming into force. They enable users to transfer money from their account to someone else’s bank instantly. This is opposed to the ‘traditional’ form of bank transfer, which is free, but takes around 48 to reach the recipient’s account.
Payments made by mobile smartphone apps such as Apple Pay and Google Pay are also on the rise, having increased from 23% to 27% in one year. More than one in five (22%) of those polled now use a virtual bank card, the figures show.
However, despite this embrace of new technology, the majority of poll respondents are still wary of artificial intelligence (AI) services when it comes to banking, with three in five (63%) saying they do not want to use it.
However, 37% are in favour. Of these:
15% are happy to use AI to get tips or a simulation of a loan or savings plan
13% for managing their budget and expenses
11% for managing their transfers and automatic payments
11% for receiving investment advice
France loves cheques
Yet, despite having disappeared in most of Europe, cheques are still largely in use in France (although they are also in decline).
Nine out of 10 cheques issued in the EU are now written in France, with people in the country writing an average of five cheques per year.
Figures show:
38% of people in France still write cheques several times a year
16% do so at least once a month
9% say they have a cheque book but never use it
9% say they do not have a cheque book
Older people are more likely to still use cheques; only 10% of people over 66 say they never use cheques, compared to 38% of 18-34 year olds.
*The study was completed by Discurv for Panorabanques across two different surveys, the first between May 2-8, 2024, and April 15-23 2025, on a sample of 2,000 people in France representative of the population aged 18 and over.
