Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

Looking through my Bank Statement , I noticed an item for 44 euros for Master card

I rang the CA Britline , but they told me to ring my branch.

I got some regional call centre who asked me if the amount was for 44 euros. I said "Yes" and was told , it was the annual fee for the Master Card.

I don't use the card for taking out cash , or in shops, but I do need it to pay money in(including cheques) because all their banks seem to use an automated system.

Is there a way round this ?

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

Carte Bleu....

Master Card or Visa come with a bill yearly higher the spending and withdrawal limit larger the bill you are not tied to the standard 400 euro withdrawal limit you just ask for more and end up with a gold or platinum carte, Im not sure Carte Bleu are free but they are the most basic unless you have the misfortune of having your banking privileges removed or reduced but that tend to turn you banking conseiller into an instant a-ss-hole and will know when that happens because they treat you like an enfant.

Giving a customer a MasterCard or Visa makes them money which tends to be an insult as they don't offer the same security as UK banks for the same cards..

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

Is it 44€ per year? I thought the 44€ was a one off charge for issuing the card, which lasts several years. I could be wrong or maybe it depends which package you have.
I am curious how you ever spend your money if you neither take it out of holes in the wall nor pay for stuff by card!
TBH I think French bank charges are a thing that many Brits get all indignant about when they first move to France simply because they're used to "free" high street banking in the UK. After a few years it seems normal, but if you don't like it you can always use an internet bank if that does what you need, there are several internet banks that offer "free" banking. The UK's big banks have had mass closures of local branches because they say they can't afford to keep them open so if paying a euro or so a week, probably less, means local branches staying open, personally I prefer that.

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

Ours was more than double that, and paid monthly. I cancelled our CA Master Card contract after OH died, and kept my Visa card from the Caisse d'Epargne (valid in Europe) which also charges about 9 € per month for the privilege (this does cover insurance which might prove useful one day). I never pay cheques into my CA account via the machine, and, for the rare ones which I do receive, the local Cd'E still has old-fashioned handwritten paying in slips.
@Scots in Treignac: Do you receive so many French cheques to put into a French account? Can't the senders do virements? And can't you keep the cash and use it, if you don't use your card to pay here?

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

The annual charge (which is less for a second card) covers the insurance you are also covered for.
There is a leaflet with all their charges (possibly online also) which details what all the charges are for.
The insurance may be useful at some point.
I had a problem with CA several years ago and now I transfer any UK money onto a UK pre-paid Euro card which I am using in Austria at the moment.
I can transfer money online from my UK bank using my UK bank card and it is credited to the Euro card within an hour.
Now I just use CA for the basics which are the regular standing orders.
As said above Brits need to understand that UK free banking is not universal.

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

I haven't paid any bank charges in nearly 10 years. Started with an LCL account at the local branch but it seemed all they did was try to sell you more products every time we went in, and charged for the benefit. So we cut that back to just the basic account with no cards just for paying in the occasional cheque and opened online accounts at ING and Boursarama. These come with Visa or Mastercard gold debit cards and include insurance for things such as travel, car hire excess etc though I won't depend on them paying out. Every bit as good, and a lot more efficient than any of the crowd locally in town. For any overseas spending I use Revolut which gives the cheapest way of spending in a foreign currency, or Currencyfair for transfers when needed. So in summary, there are plenty of "free banking" options in France if you look, and then you can spend the fees you currently pay on something more useful.

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

Talking UK banks ... I'm with Barclays and can't change to another UK bank since I don't live in the UK.
I used to pay 10 £ / month for the privilege ... only receiving UK rent (every 3 months) on it and transfering it to France.
Since 2 years the fee got up to 20 £ / month and there is nothing I can do that's 240 £ / Year !

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

Reading the above I think most of us would probably agree that the 'under the mattress' bank is the safest of all.
When we purchased our house here we used our UK high-street bank because we didn't know any better. Now use Currencies Direct for periodic transfers.
Interesting....

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

Hi Annetje
Sounds like you have a premier account that comes with bundled travel insurance; vehicle breakdown cover and some other items like airport private lounges etc.
They should have offered you to choice to opt-in or opt-out of this a year or two ago.
My DD decided that she didn't need any of the additional services and opted for a basic no-fee account with Barclays.
Have a look at the account options online and check your bank card to see if it says "premier" on it.
You should be able to change your account within Barclays.
HTH

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

Thanks for your info. I will have a look into this.
The problem is a bit that I inherited this account with ''Barclays Wealth'' in the Isle of Man (despite the fact I'm not wealthy).
I don't think it's the same as a normal Barclays account but maybe I'm mistaken.
I did ring them when the charges doubled, but there was nothing this friendly chap could do.
Like I said, I need an account in the UK and I can't get another bank to open me one, unless I put 5000 or even more in that account and leave it there.
BA.N.D.I.T.S. all of them :nod:

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

HSBC France charge 40e per year for a Visa debit card. It's worth it for us because if we use our UK debit cards (HSBC-GB) when abroad there are non-sterling transaction fees which would cost more than that per year, plus online purchases in France mostly need a french card.

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

I will need HSBC UK though. I had a look at their expat account ... Warning : SIT DOWN BEFORE READING


Eligibility
One needs to hold a minimum of £ 50.000 in deposits or investments with them ... or a sole salary of £100.000


;)

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

People that go to the mattress's tend to end up sleeping with the fish but just when I thought I was out they pulled me back in.

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

Did they make you an offer you couldn't refuse?;)

Re: Credit Agricole Carte Bancaire
 

Note that HSBC and Barclays in the Channel Islands / Isle of Man will no longer open accounts for French residents as there is some new piece of legislation which makes us all high risk for them. You might want to keep the account you already have then. They wouldn't tell me any more than that when I phoned them a few weeks ago. Santander International will still open accounts for French residents and "only" want £25k held on their accounts to avoid monthly charges.