Are French bank cards required at electric vehicle charging stations?
Payment for charging electric vehicles on the road can be made in many different ways
Thousands of electric vehicle charging stations exist across France
Scharfsinn / Shutterstock
Reader Question: If we drive our electric vehicle to France from the UK, can we use a British bank card to pay at the charging ports, or will we need a French card?
As with most transactions in France, there are no restrictions on using standard international bank cards at eligible electric vehicle charging ports.
Restrictions may be in place on using your card abroad, but this will be down to a blanket block on card activity either set by the card holder or by the bank in case of suspicious activity.
You can always inform the bank if you are planning on travelling abroad, so they do not block your card.
Check charging port has a bank card terminal
In general you pay €40 or €50 to ‘unlock’ the charging port, which then charges your vehicle up to that amount. If you do not use this much electricity, you are reimbursed.
However, this reimbursement can take several days to reach your account, and since the charging ports do not always provide a receipt for that transaction, leaving some users sceptical.
In addition, not all charging stations accept card payments.
Since April 2024, an EU directive requires that all newly installed charging ports with a power of over 50 kW have a bank card terminal.
They will have to be put on existing terminals of this power by 2027.
Read more: ‘We tried out driving from Yorkshire to Dordogne in an electric car’
Alternative methods of payment
Alternative methods include using a recharging card, which are available from vehicle manufacturers as well as third-party companies such as Ulys or Shell.
These cards often come as part of a monthly subscription or with the company taking a commission from the total you pay.
Sometimes they include preferential rates and discounts depending on where you charge your vehicle.
The cards are linked to your bank account but do not usually deduct the payment instantly.
While they are widely accepted, some cards can be ‘locked out’ of certain charge ports due to exclusivity agreements or deals between manufacturers.
If neither a bank card nor a recharging card work, the terminal may have a QR code you can scan with your smartphone to pay online.
However, drivers should be aware of fake QR code scams, which are known to target users of electric charging stations.
Read more: Beware new scams involving QR codes in France
Read more: Warning over QR code scam with electric car charging in France
Finally, ‘Plug and Charge’ ports are open to Tesla electric vehicles and Tesla compatible vehicles.
Other high-end manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes are looking at introducing similar ports.
These charging ports recognise the vehicle when the charger is introduced, debiting the driver via their account with the company (set up when they purchased the vehicle).
However, these ports are dependent on your model of car, and are still relatively uncommon in France.
