A survey published by the ECB (Study on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area) et taken over by the Banque de France highlights the popularity of payment methods in France.
Published at the end of 2022, this report explains that the most used means of payment in France in 2019 remains cash (59% of transactions) against only 35% for the bank card. Mastercard and Visa are the two names that come up systematically when we talk about cards.
A varied range at Visa and Mastercard
However, these two networks are not limited solely to payment. They offer benefits to their cardholders that are very often overlooked. These privileges always depend on the card you choose from the range.
Visa Classic, Premier, Platinum or Infinite – all versions that provide access to exclusive services. Mastercard offers a similar range with privileges that are just as much. Directly associated with the means of payment, the insurance and guarantees offered by the two networks (civil liability abroad, insurance for loss of luggage, car rental, accidents) can in certain cases replace a standard insurance contract.
For each of the cards in the Visa and Mastercard range, you can consult on the official website of the latter all the guarantees included. On the latter, you can also discover the list of all their partners. These offer cardholders many discounts.
Par example, Visa gives access to discounts on Avis car rentals, Pathé, Sport 2000 and IKEA movie tickets. These benefits, between 7 and 25% discount depending on the partners, are exclusively reserved for holders of a Visa Premier or higher-end card. The default Visa Classic card does not qualify for these offers. The same goes for its rival Mastercard. To take advantage of it, you will have to register directly on the site of your card’s network.
Experiences and Concierge
Visa and Mastercard also offer their premium customers many exclusive experiences. Prestigious events, upgrades, business lounge or skip-the-line tickets, they do everything to offer a successful user experience.
Our colleagues from Moneyvox also recall that a concierge service is available at both actors. However, this benefit is not available on the intermediate tier (Gold or Premier). You must have a Mastercard Platinum or World Elite, or Visa Platinum or Infinite, to qualify.
While most online banks offer a Visa Classic card (or equivalent at Mastercard) to their customers, the more prestigious cards generally come with conditions. This is the case for example at Fortuneo where you have to justify 1,800 euros of net income per month to obtain a Mastercard Gold. Note that this is one of the few banks to offer the Mastercard World Elite if you live there for 4,000 euros net per month.
Most online banks have a free model: Boursorama Banque, Fortuneo, Hello bank! or BforBank provide access to Visa and Mastercard cards free of charge. They differ from all traditional banks which, in general, charge the bank card. In most cases, a bank is associated with one of two issuers and you won’t have a choice. In fact, their range and their services are so similar that it will not change much on a daily basis for you.
