France holiday spending: cash, or cards and Google Pay?

[CaptainCarrotsBigSword]

Hey all

I've not been out of the country on holiday for ages and have a feeling I may be horribly outdated!

Going to France in a weeks time for a two week holiday in a eurocamp campsite. So, all self catering, some shops etc on site and then obviously we will be out and about as well.

Should we take cash? Is cash still widely accepted? Ideally I'd like to give both kids some spending money in cash so they can keep track of their spending, but I don't want to end up stuck with a load of cash they can't spend.

Is it better to just spend on our bank cards / Google pay?

Not everywhere. Different countries have different cultural norms around tipping. In some countries trying to tip will be met with confusion and refusal. In other places modest tips might be welcome, but large US-style tips might come across as flashy and over-the-top and create awkwardness.

I always have some local cash whenever I go abroad. France is one of those places I often need it. Some countries seem to have a severe problem with broken card readers too. Cyprus being one example.

Another Revolut recommendation here. I live in the eurozone, and use Revolut on Apple pay whenever travelling to a country that uses a different currency - including the UK - as the charges on card transactions can really add up quickly. It's super fast and easy and brilliant for the kids accounts too. I also have a physical card, and a second virtual card. Revolut is also great if you need to make bank transfers in another currency.

I should add, I top up my Revolut account as I go, so it's also got an extra layer of security for me in that should my card details ever get skimmed or stolen when travelling, there's very little money living in that account on a long term basis.

Got distracted by life! Thanks so much all, really helpful.

I will look at opening a revolut account and get a few hundred euros in cash.