Cash or card in Paris — what do locals actually use?

Card is the default in Paris now, and you can get through an entire week without touching cash. Contactless payment — tap your Visa or Mastercard directly, no PIN required under €50 — works at virtually every café, boulangerie, metro ticket machine, and restaurant. The holdouts are small street markets (marchés), a handful of neighborhood tabacs, and the occasional cash-only bistro in older working-class arrondissements like the 11th or 20th. Keep €50 on you as a backstop and you'll never be caught short. Avoid airport currency exchange desks entirely; withdraw euros from a French ATM (BNP Paribas and Société Générale are everywhere and reliable) using a card with no foreign transaction fees. American Express acceptance has improved but remains inconsistent outside tourist-facing businesses, so lead with Visa or Mastercard. The idea that Paris is a cash-heavy city is at least a decade out of date.

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