🇫🇷 Monzo in France [Wiki]

Monzo Chat Travelling with Monzo
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This is a wiki crowdsourced by the Monzo Community to help you travel with Monzo.

Just like Wikipedia, anyone can edit it to help out others. If you have any tips or feedback for visiting France with Monzo, please feel free to edit this guide. You can also add a comment or question below — someone will then incorporate your comment into the main text below and then delete your comment. To create your own “Monzo in …” guide if one doesn’t already exist, just copy this template into a new post and write away!

Safe travels! :wave: :airplane:

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Currency

France uses the Euro (€).

Monzo users pay the Mastercard exchange rate with no added fees.

Card usage

Monzo cards work all across France, both at point-of-sale machines (eg. restaurants, shops) and at ATMs. Look for the “Carte Bancaire” or CB signs and it indicates VISA and Mastercard including those issued by Monzo can be used. Contactless acceptance is growing. A significant number of places, especially smaller businesses, will only accept cards for purchases above €10 but the merchant will inform you either through the window decals or with a written notice at the till. If you’re skiing in the mountains, card usage is also very common.

ATMs

ATMs widely accept Monzo cards and let you choose the language to use. They do not charge to withdraw cash.

Payment and withdrawal limits

All Monzo cards have some payment and withdrawal limits. To check yours before you leave, tap on the manage card icon and then tap on Spending and card limits.

Crowdsourced merchant data

The Monzo merchant data is often incorrect (eg. the map shows the wrong location or the name of the place is not correct). Please submit improvements to this data so it can get better for future visitors.

Miscellaneous

Monzo cards are often rejected at toll booths on the French autoroutes, although reports are mixed. ASF toll roads in the south west accept Monzo, but AREA do not.

Sanef toll from Calais was accepting Monzo as of 2018-07-29.

APRR autoroute toll booth was not accepting Monzo cards as of 2018-08-28.

To edit this guide, just tap the pencil icon below. Alternatively, add a reply with your comments and someone from the community will incorporate your suggestions into the guide and then delete your comment.

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Just to add a note to this, I tried to use my Monzo card to buy tickets for the Paris Metro/RER train service from one of their automated machines and the Monzo card would not be accepted, even though the machine instructions say it accepts Mastercard. Just a heads up for anyone travelling to Paris! :slight_smile:

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I’ve been in Paris for the last 3 months and have never had trouble using my Monzo card when purchasing metro tickets at the machines, so I’m guessing that this was an isolated incident.
I’ve never had problems using my card anywhere in Paris for that matter!

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I’ve just seen this thread.
I’ve been living in Paris for a year now (on and off) and I have actually stopped using my Monzo card for buying tickets from the machines - it never seems to work. I always ended up going to the ticket desk where it seems to work most of the time.

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It’s interesting, because this is a common complaint on other travel forums from Americans, and people blame it on lack of offline PIN CVM support (which seems a pretty certain necessity, I’ve never heard of any cards without offline PIN support working for the Paris metro), but given the Monzo card supports (and prefers) offline PIN, there’s clearly more to the issue than just needing offline PIN support.

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I’ve never had any problems with the tolls all the way down the west of France, from top to bottom, through Le Mans, Poitiers and beyond. I’ve had the same good experience right across the north from Calais, Rouen etc. Easy peasy with Monzo. I think these are all Sanef and Confiroute rolls.

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My card worked for both toll roads and train tickets. No problems at all so far.

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Card did not work at APRR autoroute toll booth on 28/8/18.

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Card worked at the SANEF tolls from Calais to Paris. Also havent had any problems using the card in Disneyland with either location or merchant name

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Monzo Joint account just worked for both ATM cash withdrawal (no ATM fee) and at a beach-front bar (Chip&Pin) without issue in Cannes.

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Card worked at Auchan Colleville Montgomery.

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Currently travelling through France, no problem using Monzo on autoroute tolls from Calais to Rouen and beyond (Cofiroute, Alis and Sanef). Though with total cost coming out at over £80 we’re clicking ‘avoid tolls’ on the Googlemaps settings from here on! Also paid for fuel at an Avia fuel station without problem. :+1:

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Here in the French Alps and whilst here have experienced problems on several tolls not taking the card and the same at Carrefour petrol pumps. Had to revert to my bank Visa card

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For the fuel was it an automatic pump? It does I think take £100 or 100EUR before you start so did you have enough money? I haven’t had a problem with fuel.

Tolls, I have, I dont know why, the card has worked on some but not others. We drive to the alps twice a year and randomly on Tolls it does not work, even where it has worked before.

We also carry a Revolut, this wont work on automatic pumps (didnt last time I tried) but does work on the tolls.

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No issues using Monzo in Paris at ticket machines, ATMS or in Shops/cafes.

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I had issues with all the toll from Calais to Milan. Had to use another card. As the tool does not ask for a pin but it’s stripe.
Do I need to activate anything? I cannot see any option in settings

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Where it shows your card, tap Account and there is an option to turn on the magstripe.

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Hey, I’m studying in nice for 6 months come end of jan. I was wondering if I will be alright using my card for the whole time I’m out there? And did you have to change your address or let Monzo know?

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Hello @Abbeybensonx and welcome to the community!

I don’t think you have to change anything, as it’s only temporary. Your permanent address would still be your address at home.

You also don’t need to tell Monzo that you’re travelling, unlike traditional banks. However, there is always the risk with any bank that your card could be blocked (although it’s nothing to worry about as France is a commonly-visited country so this is unlikely). To reduce the chance of it happening, you can go to Settings and Privacy & Security > Location-based security, and toggle it on. This means that Monzo keep track of where your phone is and compare the location of your card to your phone - so your transactions should always go through. I’d recommend to always have this setting on anyway as it can also reduce fraud if your card gets lost or stolen.

Monzo is widely accepted in France, as you will have seen in this thread, and cash machines also work with Monzo. Just make sure to reject any conversion you might get offered and let Monzo do the conversion themselves so you get the best rate.

Have a nice time! :sunny:

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Great!! Thank you so so much for the advice !

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