Deficiencies had been identified. Merchants have the obligation to accept payments in cash, recalled this Tuesday the National Committee of Means of Payment (CNMP), which brings together payment actors, bankers and merchants under the aegis of the Bank of France.
Notes and coins "must therefore be accepted by traders, every day including Sunday, as well as at events such as festivals or sporting events," the CNMP said in a statement.
Cash in euros is the only means of payment in France which, in principle, cannot be refused, with rare exceptions (counterfeit money, payment with more than 50 coins, etc.). A trader who refuses a cash payment risks a fine of 150 euros, recalls service-public.fr, the site of the French administration.
A popular payment method
The Ministry of the Economy and the Bank of France "will be particularly attentive to the respect of these legal obligations", resumes the press release, after reports of "punctual cases of refusal of cash by shops open on Sundays".
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"Even if the use of cash has decreased in recent years, especially in favor of cards, this method of payment remains popular with the French," notes the French Banking Federation (FBF). Last year, Banque de France reminded supermarket groups Carrefour and Casino of their obligation to accept cash payments in all their stores.
The acceptability of cash payment among merchants is one of the pillars of the National Cash Management Plan (PNGE), as well as accessibility, for example, via the good coverage of the territory by ATMs.
