Le Parisien, the Paris daily newspaper, has been running an excellent video series by journalist Mathieu Hennequin called Le Touriste, on common tourist scams in Paris. The videos are in French, so you’ll need either some French skills or use of auto-translate, but they’re well worth watching (especially for the hilarious little songs they write).
The series highlights some of the classic tourist traps, including the Eiffel Tower portrait photographers, overcharging for drinks in tourist-area cafés, and opportunistic (an often illegal) tuk-tuk drivers — and, in one particularly eye-opening episode from October, it investigates private cash machines that don’t belong to banks. These ATMs (or distributeurs in French), often operated by companies like Euronet, can charge tourists — or, more specifically, anyone using a non-European bank card — up to four times more in withdrawal and conversion fees than regular bank machines.
I think this series is fantastic, so I’ve translated and summarized the key points from that video below. But if you’d like to test your French (there’s actually a lot of English-speaking in this one), I highly recommend checking out the original Le Parisien video here:
What Anyone Using a Non-European Bank Card Should Watch Out For
- Avoid private ATMs like Euronet, Travelex, or Cashzone or other machines not located directly outside an actual bank, because these private machines often charge high withdrawal fees and have bad exchange rates (just like the “change” money exchange kiosks all over Paris).
- Look for official bank ATMs such as BNP Paribas, Société Générale (SG), Caisse d’Épargne, LCL, Crédit Agricole, or even La Banque Postal (many visitors don’t realize that the post office is also a bank in France). You can search for these on Google maps under “distributeur automatique de billets“ (sometimes shortened to DAB), or just “un distributeur” if you ask an actual human.
- Check the screen carefully before confirming any withdrawal. If you don’t have any other options and need to use a private ATM, look for terms like “conversion rate applied” or “guaranteed exchange rate.” If you see those, it means the ATM wants to convert your money itself, usually at a 15–20% worse rate. Always choose “Decline conversion” or “Charge me in euros” when given the option (this also applies when you pay in shops, restaurants, or hotels).
- Be skeptical of suggested large withdrawal amounts. Tourist-targeted ATMs often default to €200, €400, or more, pushing up commissions and conversion markups. Manually select a smaller amount if you only need a little cash.
- Watch for access or “service” fees on the summary screen. Fees of €4–€6 per withdrawal are common with private ATMs — versus €0 fees at most bank ATMs (regardless of whether your own bank applies a fee or not).
- Avoid withdrawing at airports, tourist areas, or nightlife streets. These are prime spots for high-fee private ATMs. If possible, exchange some euros in advance from home before arriving — ideally in bills no larger than €20 or €50 — to avoid having to use random ATMs when you land.
- Always choose to receive a receipt and keep it in case there’s an issue.
- Consider using a travel or prepaid card with low or no foreign transaction fees (e.g., Wise, Revolut, or a travel credit card).
Do You Even Need Cash Anymore?
It may be tempting to avoid withdrawing cash at all, and it’s certainly a LOT easier to pay for almost everything with credit cards in Paris and other major cities in France, including taxis, small purchases, and even your baguette at the bakery. But cash is still great to have for shopping at flea markets or brocantes, for some of the open-air food market stands in Paris, and for leaving small tips when you’ve received good service.
FYI, the French do NOT use the credit card tipping option, they prefer to leave cash (usually €2/person is standard), so don’t feel bad if you click on “no tip” on the machine when it’s presented to you by the servers. More on tipping etiquette here.
One big exception, mentioned in the video, is in the French countryside, where most shops prefer cash, and yet there are often zero banks. So make any cash withdrawals from bank ATMs in the city before heading out to les provinces.
Something to keep in mind: it’s illegal to refuse cash payments in France. They might insist on exact change, but they cannot force you to use a credit card (there are some exceptions to this rule, such as for transactions over €5000).