More payment cards

This selection should save you time, but you should know that there are hundreds of offers for individuals and as many for businesses. Spendways is here to help you find your way. Browse through our categories and selections below to find the best banking offer:

What is the best debit card?

The bank card is a means of payment that exists since 1967. However, it took 36 years for the blue card (bank card) to become the preferred means of payment for the French. It is one of the major innovations of the banking sector and has been evolving for some time with the arrival of new technologies. The ranges are varied, the applications innovative and the options important. How to choose the card that best suits your needs? Do all cards offer the same guarantees and protections for consumers?

What are the differences between the Visa, Mastercard and American Express networks?

All three are payment networks. There is no real difference between Visa and Mastercard for the end consumer. They are both massively accepted by all merchants with a small advantage for Visa that is insignificant for the consumer.

The bankers offer a Visa or a Mastercard depending on the commercial agreements. The consumer has the choice in the big banks which is not the case in the online banks and the neo-banks.

American Express is a very different network that is less accepted in France, because there are fewer partner merchants.

Is a deferred payment card more interesting than an immediate debit card?

A deferred payment card allows expenses to accumulate until the last day of the month. At that time, they are debited from the current account in one go. Conversely, a purchase made with an immediate payment card is debited within 48 hours.

A few years ago, deferred payment cards were more expensive than immediate payment cards, but this is no longer the case. The first advantage of deferred debit is that you have more cash available for longer. The second advantage is that you can buy goods for more money than you have in your current account. The disadvantage is that you don’t know where you stand in the management of your budget. Moreover, they can cause an overdraft between the day of the debit and the day of the reception of one’s salary, which generates fees and commissions. They should therefore be handled with care.

Immediate debit cards make it easier to monitor your budget from day to day. On the other hand, they only provide a cash advance of about two days.

What is a systematic authorization card?

A card with systematic authorization will ask the payment terminal to question the buyer’s bank at the time of the purchase to know if the amount of the purchase is available on the current account. If the amount is not available, then the payment is refused.

Why do payments sometimes take time?

A payment can take time in three cases:

• If it is made with a systematic authorization card, because the account balance is questioned;
• If the bank performs a check before releasing the payment (usually depending on the amount or type of expense);
• If the payment terminal has difficulty connecting to the Internet.

What is the difference between a debit card and a credit card?

A credit card is backed by a revolving credit that is triggered when the account balance is not sufficient to cover the purchase or after an explicit manipulation. The amount of credit released generates monthly payments to be reimbursed and important interests like any consumer credit.

A debit card allows you to spend only the money you have on your current account. The exception to this rule is the deferred debit card, which allows you to spend more than you actually have, but it is a cash advance and not a credit.

Do I need a Gold card?

The Gold card offers the following advantages:

• High payment and withdrawal limits;
• Insurance abroad;
• Assistance in case of problems (loss or theft of card for example);
• The prestige of a high-end card.

Consumers who don’t go out of France and who keep a close eye on their budget don’t need a Gold card.

How much does a bank card cost?

On average, the total cost of a standard bank card over a year is 40 to 45€ in traditional banks. This cost is almost zero in online banks and in neo-banks.

The cost of a Gold card is 130€ per year for traditional banks and almost nil in standard banks.

A black card costs about 350€ per year.

What is the most prestigious card?

The black cards are the most prestigious cards for the general public. They allow you to significantly increase your payment, withdrawal and insurance limits. In addition, they generally include a concierge service.

What is the best free bank card?

Most bank cards today are free. However, they are sometimes subject to a minimum income, a minimum deposit or a number of uses per month. For example, the inactivity fee at Boursorama Banque is 15€/month.

What is the best card in case of fraud?

The law protects French consumers in the same way, which obliges all banks to comply with the legal provisions. On the security side, some cards offer features that reduce the risk of fraud. For example, we can mention the dynamic visual cryptogram at bunq which prevents any purchase without the mobile application linked to the card.