The proliferation of payment methods available on the French market has been welcomed by consumers and retailers alike. However, all agree on one key priority: security. In this respect, cards are still widely perceived as the most reliable payment method.
Paris, Brussels, 17 April 2025 – According to the latest study commissioned by Payments Europe, France stands out from other European countries as having made a more marked transition to digital payments. French consumers use less cash than the European average, preferring cards for reasons of convenience and security. This dynamic is prompting French retailers to rapidly adapt their payment services.
Robrecht Vandormael, Secretary General of Payments Europe, says:
“Our study confirms that digital payments have become an integral part of French payment habits, much more so than elsewhere in Europe. Merchants now share this reflex and are adapting the payment methods that they offer accordingly. The survey also reveals that French people have already widely adopted new payment methods, such as instant payment, and that they expect to make greater use of them in the future.”
A payments market in the process of transformation
The study, based on a survey of French consumers and merchants, highlights a payments market that is constantly evolving: increasingly digitised and increasingly competitive, responding to users’ growing expectations surrounding simplicity and security.
As far as retailers are concerned, this evolution is well underway. 71% of French merchants now express a preference for digital payments over cash. If given the choice, 64% would like to be able to refuse cash. This preference is explained by the additional guarantees and enhanced security that cards offer: 67% of French merchants prefer cards to any other payment method, as it ensures the correct receipt of funds, limits the risk of fraud, and offers a better customer experience.
What’s more, 90% of merchants believe that the value offered by cards outweighs the cost, and 74% of them even say that the cost of cards has fallen or remained stable in recent years.
Cards are becoming an integral part of French life
The use of cash is declining faster in France than elsewhere in Europe: the number of consumers who paid with cash in 2024 was 8% lower than the European average. In shops, 72% of French consumers prefer to pay by card, even when another payment method is available.
Consumers highlight the ease, security and speed of card payments. 74% believe that it offers added value when compared with other payment methods, particularly when it comes to managing returns or complaints, a benefit cited by 81% of consumers surveyed.
78% of consumers say they trust their card more than any other payment method, and 57% consider access to credit to be a key benefit of cards.
What’s more, consumer behaviour is changing: more than half of French people say they are prepared to make greater use of instant payments over the next 12 months. However, certain obstacles remain: 33% cite a risk of fraud linked to real-time transfers, and 22% fear that these payments will not be accepted everywhere.
The digital euro: a concept that is still poorly understood
In line with trends across other European countries, French consumers feel they have limited knowledge of the digital euro and its development, and 44% have never heard of it, with 27% of consumers unsure how the digital euro would benefit them and 25% believing that there would be no benefits at all.
Of the approximately 9% of French consumers who consider themselves to be informed about the digital euro, more than a third believe that its main benefits would be greater speed and convenience.