In France cash, debit and credit. Have read R/S

Who is "everyone" except major tourist attractions? We used our credit card with no foreign transaction fees for everything in Paris and all over the Normandy region.

Let's not confuse the fact that the US dollar has been falling rapidly over the last several months, with what transaction fees one may be paying. The large French banks typically do not charge for ATM withdrawals. These include BNP, LCL, La Poste, or CCF. Using the ATM of one of these banks, all fees come from your hometown bank. Wells Fargo, Bank of American and Citibank have some of the highest transaction fees of any US banking institutions. Schwab One customers pay no fees, zero for foreign ATM transactions.

I am not clear what a "partner bank" might possibly mean. It seems to be a marketing term, similar to "skip the line tickets", a way to entice you to pay more than you might otherwise pay. B of A tells their customers that they will not be charged a $5 fixed ATM withdrawal fee if they use their partner bank BNP, but I never pay a $5 fee, no matter what ATM I use. This is because I do not bank at B of A, or at Wells Fargo.

Another US bank fee is the 3% transaction fee on all foreign ATM withdrawals. However, not all US banks charge 3% (typically composed of a 1% currency conversion fee and a 2% fee for the bank). As stated earlier, Schwab doesn't charge any fees and absorbes the currency conversion fee. Many smaller US banks and credit unions only pass along the 1% currency conversion fee.

It is relatively easy to avoid these fees. Just bank somewhere that does not charge them.

they don't use credit cards.

Few French bank customs have credit cards but they do have bank cards which is a hybrid debit/credit card. Bank cards are paid in full at the end of every month, purchases are not immediately debited from one's bank account.

When at an ATM, you aren't tellilng them you want to be charged in USD? Don't. Pay in Euros and let your bank do the conversion. Its called Dynamic Currency Conversion and it is a no-no. When asked always pay in Euros.

This is confusing.

Credit cards are accepted pretty much everywhere to buy stuff -- grocery stores, bakeries, department stores, for tickets --- Some cards charge higher rates than others on conversion fees. BUT always opt for payment in Euros. ASking if you want to do it in dollars is a grift that enriches the person offering this choice. If your bank is charging a conversion fee higher than about 1% then the rest is a fee. Get a better bank.

For ATMS you use debit cards. If you use a credit card you will pay a huge % interest rate from the day you borrow the money; 3% no -- it will be the high rate your card charges for debts that go beyond a month except unlike a credit card purchase, it is charged from the day you borrow the money.

Use a debit card at ATMS, reject their conversion suggestion or any offer to do it in dollars. Some banks charge a fee which is usually a dollar amount not a percentage. Get a bank or credit union that doesn't. We dropped BOA when they charged $5 to use ATMs abroad; they offered to waive it for us and then later had a partner bank -- but we were long gone to a local bank that charges no fee. There is always a conversion fee but it is cheaper if money is taken in Euros and there is just that one conversion fee.

We found few places that insisted on cash. The ice cream guy wants it for a single cone. I use it in markets although most market stands have credit card capacity; some shops have a Euro limit. My butcher requires a 15 Euro purchase for credit; a small gift shop near where we rent, requires 10. But most places take credit cards: cafes, grocery stores, restaurants, shops, tickets for museums, the metro.

Aussie American,
As well as the possible extra cost by doing the transaction in dollars rather than euros, don't forget that the exchange rate isn't $1.00=1 euro. The dollar value has fallen and it costs more than one dollar to buy one euro, currently about $1.15 US for one euro., so 200 euros costs about $230.00 US, then fees on top of that.
And, except for some smaller shops or smaller transaction amounts, we used our Visa cc's everywhere. We have one with BofA and one with Chase, both without any foreign transaction fees. Is your United Explorer card a Visa or Mastercard, or is it another type? Visa, no matter who issues them, seem to be used everywhere. Likewise Mastercard. I have seen some places where American Express cards aren't accepted, but overall credit cards are accepted just about everywhere.
We do keep some cash for the occasional small purchase.
We use BNP in France for our BofA debit card and haven't had any fees. Sometimes the type of account you have makes a difference regarding debit card fees and withdrawals. We only use the debit card for ATM withdrawals, and ccs for purchases. I wish you better luck!

Just echoing what everyone is saying. Credit cards are universally accepted (almost) everywhere. Even common very small transactions tolls, parking, coffees are all available by tapping your credit card. I have 20+ 1-6e credit card charges for parking stations from all over Provence when I ran out of change.
- Can you clarify who is asking for a debit card over a credit card? I think it must be a misunderstanding because I have never used a debit card for anything other than getting cash in Europe ever. What type of card is credit card? Either Visa or Mastercard should just be tapped without even a thought.

Any charges for using the credit card are coming from your credit card company. If you card has no fees for foreign transactions then that should be that. The bank will convert the euro to the Aussie dollar for the transaction but the rate is usually a good and very current one.

Partner banks aren't a thing and even none of the huge US banks are not present in Europe. Always use an ATM physically attached to an actual bank to avoid charges that stand alone "convenience" ATMs will charge. If your bank charges foreign ATM fees you will need to pay the and a conversion free. Rough math seems it's 3% at my bank and I checked around and that's standard in the US.

I tend to spend more cash than most people (both here and abroad) but you really only need cash small transactions where they have minimums. Market days is prime example where they have (or request) a 10e or 15e minimum for a charge so you end up spending 50e total in 4-7e increments. I think it's courteous to use cash for small purchases like coffee, snacks and ice cream when you can. I specifically tried to spend less cash this last trip to France and probably went through 100-150e/week for two of us but you could certainly do with less.

Hope all this helps, your experience seems out of step with most peoples,
=Tod

I went to Aldi and Monoprix. When I put in my credit card the machine said, "debit charge" doesn't that mean it's acting as a debit?

Get rid of Wells Fargo. Most banks you just use your ATM card anywhere. You may get charged by your bank and maybe by the ATM. You may stumble into DCC.
Your Wells Fargo card with 3% fee is not out of line.
You knew it.

Right now, 200€ is USD 231.

No, it doesn't. All it means is that it is taking money from you (debiting your account) as opposed to a credit charge (a refund if you like) where you are receiving money.
I don't know about France but in the UK it is far more common now to use debit cards than credit cards. That, de facto, means you spend within your means, as you can only spend the money physically present in your account.
Part of the reason, I suspect, is also the very steep interest charges, if you don't pay your account off in full at the end of the month.

To expand a bit on what isn31c wrote, “debit charge” indeed simply means that your card will be charged. In France (and other countries as well) a payment terminal in a store can also credit money to your card, for instance when you return an item and receive a refund. In both cases, you need to tap or insert your card in the reader. This is why the payment terminal will display a message to indicate whether it will conduct a debit charge or a credit. It’s important to check whether your card will be debited or credited, especially when you should receive a refund. It happened to me once when I was returning €10 worth of reusable cups at an event. Instead of crediting my account with €10, they debited it by mistake. It was an honest mistake by a girl who was clearly new at her job. I only noticed it after I had already tapped my card, so they had to first reverse the accidental debit and then credit my account.

So just to repeat, when you want to make a payment and present a credit or debit card at a payment terminal, it will say “debit charge”.

Aldi and Monoprix may only take debit cards as they, as a merchant, will not incur any fees. Credit card transaction will cost the merchant about 3%, and bargain grocery stores can't cover that as they have very low markups to begin with. So hotels, restaurants and department stores with higher margins can cover the credit card fees. As others have said, decline any offer to be charged in USD as you will end up paying more than if you insist on being charged in EUR.

I have no experience with Aldi in France, but I do know that Monoprix accepts credit cards.
It’s a misunderstanding that merchants don’t incur fees when customers pay by debit card. They are charged a fee by their payment service provider, but it’s much lower compared to the fees charged by credit card companies.

I have just returned from two weeks in Normandy. Used my (UK) credit card everywhere, (shops, hotels, entries, motorway tolls etc) selecting the euro option so the bank does the conversion.
I did get through about 100 euros in cash where there was no working card machine, or the amounts were so small that card just seemed unreasonable.

Confused - I've only ever used credit card in France. And not sure what additional fees you'd have on debit cards...

Did Paris change in the last 4 months ? I had no problem with my credit cards in April. Aldi, Monoprix, Metro tickets, McDonalds, taxi, Seine river boat. Everywhete

Confused, because debit card fees are very low, less than 0.5% whereas credit card fees range about 3%.

When Aldi first came to our town, they only took debit cards or cash. However, with the advent of self checkout kiosks, they now take credit cards, They probably raised their prices a bit to cover that cost, but by eliminating most of the checkout clerks, they more than made up for it.

In the last few years, nearly all the restaurants here add 3% to the bill if paying by credit card. But don't forget to tip!

If debit is full of fees, you should have found that out before you left and gotten a card without (CapOne, for example). I use my debit card all the time in Paris, but have also used credit with zero issues.

I have not used cash in Paris in multiple trips in the past 2 years. I do not have a debit card. I have definitely charged items at Monoprix with my Master or Visa.

OP needs more specifics on "everyone wants cash or debit". It is simply not accurate.

12 days in France in May used google pay / phone / Chase Visa CC 99% of expenses. Never touched cash or a credit card. Used debit card to get 100 euros, still have most of that. Same in Switzerland twice past 9 months.

Did you use your United Explorer Credit Card to access cash from the ATM? If so the Chase who handles this card has charged you for a "cash advance". You need to acquire an ATM card from Schwab, Fidelity etc. and use them to get cash from an ATM. They will refund the fees. FYI, we back with Wells Fargo, but we never carry that card when we travel internationally due to the fees to access cash from a third party bank.

As for credit cards in France, never had a problem.

As regards Rick's "advice" - his point of view and preferences are frequently his alone, not necessarily what others might prefer. For example, the guidebooks that leave out entire regions of a country, hotel preference which is often not my "type", backpack usage.

Additionally, situations and norms change quickly and written advice can't always keep up. I just pulled up an RS article, undated, which states: "I use my credit card sparingly: to book reservations by phone (for hotel rooms and a rental car), to cover major expenses (such as plane tickets and long hotel stays), and to pay for things near the end of my trip (to avoid another visit to the ATM). Cash is the best — and sometimes only — way to pay for bus fare, taxis, and local guides." I am certain that most US travelers use their credit cards these days, not cash, taxis are frequently required by local law to accept credit card, and many countries have gone to contactless payments for public transport. Who knows when this "advice" was most applicable?

Always best to read multiple sources and check current traveler's experiences on Tripadvisor, Reddit, Flyertalk, or here. Then, make the decisions that work for you.

Indeed, the vast majority of cards issued to us by French banks are debit cards. Credit cards are rare, marketed to high earners. French government and society have protective views about heading off personal debt. It's not a gotcha system where every purchase in the red generates a new fee with no warning.

For example, two weeks ago my French bank sent me notices that I had debited into the red by 75 euros. Further, I had to replace the 75 euros by 8 pm that evening to avoid fees. So, I did. In my experience, a US bank would have continued applying fees for each purchase after the balance goes into the red as our CU did when one of our kids got his first card at age 18.

That said, there's no need to pay fees on withdrawls; I have Schwab and Andrews Federal Credit Union, a card marketed to military members and others in the US and stationed overseas. No need to pay fees on purchases: Cap One credit card is not only free but it has no extra charges on overseas purchases. I have used my two US credit cards at Monoprix and other stores in France.

Bottom line: even if the hand-held terminal indicates a "debit" transaction, it's fine to use a credit card to pay. And if the merchant "kindly" offers you the option of paying in dollars, DON'T!! Always pay in the local currency, which in France is the euro.

And to beat this dead horse. If the screen says 'debit' with a credit card, the card is not 'acting as a debit card' because credit cards cannot do that. It just means a charge has been added to your card. You cannot use a credit card as a debit or ATM card. (you can borrow money on it of course and pay a huge fee to do so, but cannot debit your accounts with it.