French bank account fees increased 2.7% between 2025 and 2026
Account costs have outstripped inflation for last two years, but not across last decade
If bank fees are high, you can look to alter the services you receive from your account
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Bank fees in France rose by an average of 2.7% between February 2025 and February 2065, a new report reveals.
Fees have increased by around 3.71% for basic services, reaching an average of €22.39 per year, said the Observatoire des tarifs bancaires using figures from state statistics body Insee.
Bank cards saw increases of around 1.6% for both immediate and deferred payments, costing approximately €45 per year.
Bundled service packages saw a 2.37% increase.
The observatory said the changes were lower than between 2024 and 2025, when they increased by 3.1%.
This claim was also made by the CLCV consumer association in its annual report, where it predicted bank account holders in France would pay an average of €72 in fees this year.
High increases, but low compared to 10-year inflation
The observatory points out that the recent price rises come after several years of sub-inflation increases.
Between February 2016 and February 2026, bank fees have increased by 17.4%, with more than 5% of this in the last two years.
Inflation across the decade was 22.1%, putting bank charges well below general cost of living increases overall. However increases between February 2024 - February 2025 and February 2025 - February 2026 were above inflation for the respective periods.
Responding to the report, the French Banking Federation (Fédération bancaire française, FBF) said it “confirms the controlled trajectory of banking service prices over time.”
Banks have faced rising costs, most notably wages and IT investments.
However others point towards annual banking profits, estimated at €35 billion by the Union nationale des associations familiales (Unaf).
Unaf also criticises the lack of transparency surrounding account fees, particularly additional charges for account irregularities, and is calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the latter.
How to reduce fees
France’s banking institutions offer a range of accounts and services that you can tailor to your specific needs, with different banks generally excelling at a specific price point.
For example, LCL offers good rates for those wanting a simple account for everyday use, whereas Crédit Coopératif is generally more advantageous for larger accounts (i.e those with multiple cards and services).
To reduce fees, you can alter the services you have, particularly if you rarely take advantage of them. This can include chequebooks, multiple cards, insurance, etc.
As an example, insurance offered by your bank may already be included under an existing home insurance policy.
More tips are available in our article here.
The observatory report also highlighted that almost all institutions tested (98 out of 99) offered special fees for those in financial distress, known as offre clientèle fragile, not exceeding €12 per year. This is around one-third of the cap on bank fees for 'fragile' accounts.
These accounts must be offered to account holders who appear to banking service providers to be suffering financial difficulties, but cannot be imposed on clients. Account holders can ask to convert their account to this type if they believe they are in a situation of financial vulnerability.
The account comes with a series of checks and limits to prevent account holders from entering financial difficulties, but without limiting a customer’s ability to use their account for basic needs.
Bank fees for irregularities (being overdrawn, etc) are also capped at €200 per year.
