Updated October 2026. In France, true card credit means crédit renouvelable (revolving credit), sold by Cetelem, Cofidis, Franfinance and store cards. Its variable TAEG runs from 11.79% to 23.56%, capped by the Banque de France taux d'usure. By our calculation, €3,000 repaid over 36 months at 23.56% costs €1,087.97 in interest. Most everyday cartes bancaires are débit immédiat or débit différé and charge no interest at all.
Key takeaways
- Real card credit is crédit renouvelable, a regulated and relatively uncommon revolving-credit product.
- Revolving TAEG runs from 11.79% to 23.56% in October 2026, up to the taux d'usure ceiling.
- The Loi Lagarde caps repayment at 36 months for a line up to €3,000 and forces an amortissable alternative above €1,000.
- A carte à débit différé clears the balance monthly and charges no interest.
- Lenders are supervised by the ACPR and the Banque de France.
How High Are French Credit Card Interest Rates?
Most French cards do not charge interest. A standard carte bancaire is a debit card, either débit immédiat or débit différé, so spending comes from your own account and nothing is borrowed. Interest only enters the picture with a crédit renouvelable, a separate revolving-credit product that is regulated and comparatively rare in France.
When revolving credit is used, its annual rate is expressed as a TAEG (taux annuel effectif global), an all-in figure. In October 2026 the real bands run from 11.79% to 23.56%, and every major issuer's top rate sits above 22%. The legal ceiling is the taux d'usure, calculated by the Banque de France and published in the Journal officiel. A rate above the applicable ceiling is usuraire (illegal).
| Revolving credit card | TAEG (variable) | Card fee | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cofidis Accessio + Visa | 11.79% to 23.20% | €0 | Rate depends on amount and speed (Confort, Rapide, Express); reserve €500-6,000 |
| Franfinance Carte Visa (Société Générale group) | 15.73% to 23.51% | Not verified | Reserve €500-5,000 |
| Cetelem Carte Visa (BNP Paribas Personal Finance) | 15.87% to 23.56% | Not verified | Reserve €500-4,000 (up to €6,000) |
| Floa Carte Cdiscount (Mastercard) | up to 22.31% (published example) | €15 a year | 1% cashback, Cdiscount only |
| Carrefour PASS (Mastercard) | 23.47% up to €3,000 used; 8.653% above €6,000 | €0 year 1, then €20 (Premium €60) | Revolving line attached by default |
| Oney Carte Auchan Waaoh!+ (Visa) | 3x: 20.44%; 10x: 20.50% | Not verified | Instalments run on the revolving line |
TAEG bands from each lender's published grid, October 2026 (Oney examples dated August 2026). Rates are révisable and move with the market.
The Loi Lagarde (2010) adds three protections. Your minimum repayment must clear a line of up to €3,000 within 36 months, and a larger line within 60 months. For any purchase over €1,000 financed at the till, the seller must offer a fixed-term amortissable loan as an alternative: take it. And the lender must check the FICP file before granting the card and periodically afterwards. You also have 14 days to withdraw from the credit contract.
Which Low-Interest Cards Do We Recommend?
The lowest card interest rate in France is 0%, on a débit différé card, where up to a month of spending is cleared from your account, not borrowed. In October 2026, BoursoBank Ultim offers it from €2,400 net income a month and Fortuneo Gold after 6 months as a customer, both for €0. N26 and Revolut are immediate-debit cards with no credit line at all.
If you genuinely need to borrow, pick the lender by repayment speed, not by brand. Cofidis Accessio at its fastest Express speed keeps you near the bottom of its 11.79% to 23.20% band, with Cetelem as the runner-up. A loyal Carrefour shopper should hold the PASS for its loyalty pot and pay comptant at the till every time: its revolving rate is 23.47% on the first €3,000.
BoursoBank Ultim
BoursoBank Ultim is a €0 CB Visa debit card with a French IBAN. Débit différé, the interest-free month-end debit, needs €2,400 net income a month and, since 2025, the physical card rather than the virtual one.
Why we recommend it: A €0 CB Visa debit card with interest-free débit différé from €2,400 net income a month, so you get month-end float without a revolving rate.
Pros
- +€0 card with no revolving-credit rate
- +0% FX on payments and Visa Premier-level insurance
- +Débit différé from €2,400 net income a month
Cons
- −€9 in any month without a card payment
- −Débit différé no longer on virtual cards (2025)
- Débit immédiat or débit différé, no interest charged
- Co-badged CB + Visa, accepted worldwide
- Supervised by the ACPR, FGDR deposit guarantee
Fortuneo Gold Mastercard
Fortuneo's Gold CB Mastercard costs €0 from €2,200 net income a month and offers débit différé after 6 months as a customer. As a débit card it clears each month, so there is no interest to carry.
Why we recommend it: A €0 Gold CB Mastercard (from €2,200 net income) that offers interest-free débit différé after 6 months, plus travel insurance and 0% FX.
Pros
- +Gold-level travel insurance included
- +0% FX and unlimited free withdrawals worldwide
- +Run as a débit card, so no crédit renouvelable rate applies
Cons
- −€2,200 net income a month, else €9 a month penalties apply
- −Overdraft needs a paper file and is often capped (forum reports)
- Débit immédiat or débit différé, no interest charged
- Co-badged CB + Mastercard
- Supervised by the ACPR, FGDR deposit guarantee
N26
N26 is an app-first account with a Mastercard, strong budgeting features, and virtual cards. It is good for euro travel and, as a debit account, carries no revolving-credit interest.
Why we recommend it: An app-first Mastercard for euro-zone spending with budgeting tools, operated as a debit account with no revolving interest.
Pros
- +Great app with clear budgeting features
- +Good for euro travel, with virtual cards
- +Debit account, so no revolving interest to carry
Cons
- −Premium perks sit behind paid plans
- −Deposit protection sits under Germany's scheme, not the FGDR
- Mastercard, accepted worldwide
- Debit spending, no crédit renouvelable rate
- French (FR) IBAN for French customers since June 2023
Revolut
Revolut offers a Visa or Mastercard with competitive exchange rates, travel perks, and cashback on higher tiers. Spending draws on your own balance, so there is no revolving-credit interest by default.
Why we recommend it: A multi-currency Visa or Mastercard with competitive exchange and travel perks, spent from your own balance with no interest.
Pros
- +Competitive exchange rates and travel perks
- +Cashback and travel insurance on higher tiers
- +Spends from your balance, so no revolving interest
Cons
- −Best perks require a paid Metal or premium plan
- −Deposit protection sits under Lithuania's scheme, not the FGDR
- Visa or Mastercard, accepted worldwide
- Debit spending, no crédit renouvelable rate
- French (FR) IBAN for French customers (migration completed 2024-25)
Cards listed as low-interest because they avoid revolving credit. Conditions as of October 2026, from each provider's published tariff.
What Is the Interest-Free Period?
On an American-style credit card, an interest-free period is the grace window before interest starts on new purchases. In France, the closest everyday equivalent is the débit différé card: your purchases are grouped and the full balance is debited once a month, usually month-end, directly from your account. Because nothing is borrowed, no interest applies, so the effect is a natural interest-free delay of up to about a month.
A genuine crédit renouvelable works differently. Once you carry a balance you owe interest at the contract TAEG, and any grace period is defined by the credit agreement rather than assumed. Treat débit différé and revolving credit as separate products: the first clears your money monthly at no cost, the second is a loan with interest.
Débit différé is not a grace period on a loan
How Is Credit Card Interest Calculated?
Interest only arises on a crédit renouvelable. It accrues on the outstanding balance you carry, prorated over the billing period at the contract TAEG. The TAEG is an all-in annual rate that bundles interest and any mandatory costs into a single figure you can compare across lenders. Crucially, the TAEG applied when the credit is granted cannot exceed the taux d'usure in force at that date.
- Step 1: Confirm whether the card even uses crédit renouvelable; a débit card charges nothing.
- Step 2: Read the contract TAEG, the all-in annual rate.
- Step 3: Check it against the current taux d'usure ceiling.
- Step 4: Interest applies to the balance carried, prorated over the period.
- Step 5: Repaying in full each month leaves no interest to accrue.
Speed matters more than the headline rate. The table shows what €3,000 costs at the real October 2026 TAEG levels. Stretching the same balance from 12 to 36 months roughly triples the interest, at every rate.
| TAEG | Example | 12 months: interest | 36 months: interest | 60 months: interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.79% | Cofidis floor | €185.05 (€265.42/month) | €545.87 (€98.50/month) | €931.35 |
| 15.87% | Cetelem floor | €246.25 | €734.38 | €1,265.26 |
| 20.50% | Oney 10x example | €314.09 | €947.59 | €1,648.88 |
| 22.31% | Floa example | €340.16 | €1,030.68 | €1,799.88 |
| 23.47% | Carrefour PASS up to €3,000 | €356.75 | €1,083.84 | €1,896.89 |
| 23.56% | Cetelem ceiling | €358.03 (€279.84/month) | €1,087.97 (€113.55/month) | €1,904.43 |
Our calculation: €3,000 in equal monthly instalments, monthly rate = (1 + TAEG)^(1/12) − 1, rate held constant (real TAEG is révisable). October 2026 TAEG levels. A line of up to €3,000 must legally be cleared within 36 months; the 60-month column applies to larger lines.
Finance site moneyradar worked through a Floa example in September 2025: €3,000 over 58 months at 22.31% costs more than €4,700 in total. Our own check gives €81.60 a month and €4,732.88 in total, so the interest exceeds half of what you borrowed. On a smaller €1,000 balance over 12 months, the gap between the cheapest and dearest lender is €61.68 against €119.34 of interest.
Why Do Cash Withdrawals Cost More?
On a crédit renouvelable card, a cash advance (retrait à crédit) is usually the most expensive way to use credit. At Cetelem, Cofidis and Franfinance, cash draws directly on the credit reserve at the full TAEG of up to 23.56% (October 2026), with no interest-free period. Charge cards are not cheaper for cash: American Express charges 2.8% on every withdrawal, in France too.
On an ordinary carte de débit, cash is far cheaper. Euro-zone ATM withdrawals from your own bank are typically free or low cost, because you are spending your own money, not borrowing. Watch instead for out-of-network or foreign ATMfees, which online banks and neobanks often reduce. General rules on credit and the taux d'usure are explained on service-public.fr and by the ACPR.
Sources: Banque de France (taux d'usure), service-public.fr, the ACPR, and each lender's published grid, October 2026. TAEG is révisable; verify your contract TAEG before borrowing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high are credit card interest rates in France?
True card credit in France means crédit renouvelable (revolving credit). In October 2026 its variable TAEG runs from 11.79% to 23.56%: Cofidis 11.79% to 23.20%, Franfinance 15.73% to 23.51%, Cetelem 15.87% to 23.56%, and Carrefour PASS 23.47% up to €3,000 used. Most everyday cartes bancaires are débit immédiat or débit différé and charge no interest at all.
What is the taux d'usure and who sets it?
The taux d'usure is the legal maximum TAEG a lender may charge. The Banque de France calculates it and it is published in the Journal officiel. A revolving-credit rate above the applicable ceiling is illegal (usuraire), which caps how high card credit interest can legally go.
Is a TAEG of 23% legal in France?
Yes, as long as it sits below the usury ceiling for that category of credit. In October 2026 Cetelem (23.56%), Franfinance (23.51%), Carrefour PASS (23.47%) and Cofidis (23.20%) all quote top rates close to that ceiling, which is why advisers push a fixed-term personal loan instead.
What is the cheapest way to borrow with a card in France?
The cheapest is not to borrow: a débit différé card such as BoursoBank Ultim or Fortuneo Gold gives up to a month of float with no interest. If you need real credit, take the amortissable (fixed-term) loan the lender must offer above €1,000, or pick Cofidis at its fastest Express repayment speed, which keeps you near the 11.79% bottom of its band.
Does a carte à débit différé charge interest?
No. A carte à débit différé groups your purchases and debits the full balance once a month, usually month-end, from your own account. Because nothing is borrowed, no interest applies. It is a deferred debit card, not a credit product, so it works differently from crédit renouvelable.
How is credit card interest calculated in France?
On a crédit renouvelable, interest accrues on the outstanding balance you carry, prorated over the period at the contract TAEG. The TAEG is an all-in annual figure that includes interest and mandatory costs. By our calculation, €3,000 repaid over 12 months costs €185.05 in interest at 11.79% and €358.03 at 23.56%; over 36 months it costs €545.87 and €1,087.97.
Why do cash withdrawals on a card cost more?
On a revolving-credit card, a cash withdrawal draws on the credit reserve at the full TAEG, with no interest-free period. American Express charges 2.8% on every cash withdrawal, France included. On a normal débit card, ATM withdrawals in the euro zone are usually free or low cost from your own bank, but out-of-network or foreign ATMs may add fees.
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