There may not be huge differences when it comes to banking in France and the UK or other countries, however there maybe some. Sian Lee-Duclos of CA Britline explains.
Before looking at the general differences, let’s break the myth that many people have that unless you have a French address (main residence or holiday home) you cannot open a bank account in France. This may indeed be the case with some banks, where their policy doesn't include accounts for non-French address holders. However at CA Britline, that's not the case. They offer an English speaking online banking service that's open to residents of the UK, Ireland and France.
Here is a simple guide to banking and how to avoid the snags and stress that may occur.
Banks in France
The majority of UK banks, no matter at which branch you have opened your account, can provide you with an over-the-counter service and carry out the requested transactions on your account, no matter where you may be in the country.
In France, many banks are co-operative mutual banks which can be regionalised. Credit Agricole is one of these. This means that your account, if held in a branch of Credit Agricole Normandy, cannot be visualised, (and therefore managed) in a region outside Normandy. You will still be able to use each branch to withdraw cash from their ATM’s but any day to day discussions and in-branch management of your account must be carried out with your original branch. This can take some getting used to, especially if you normally do everything over the counter.
Making payments
Cheque books
Cheques are still commonly used in France without a cheque guarantee card. It's important to have funds in your account to cover the cheque. Postdating a cheque in France isn't relevant as the beneficiary can pay it in and it will be processed immediately. If this happens and you go overdrawn, you may become what is called Interdit bancaire and may be banned from writing cheques for up to 5 years. This may affect all your French accounts. If it does happen, contact your branch immediately to resolve the matter.
Debit cards
Debit cards in France tend to come with an annual fee (payable monthly or annually). Debit cards are usually classed as Immediate or Deferred debit (all payments being taken on one given date of the month). Not to be confused with a UK Credit card which may have similar facilities.
The Basics of Banking in France