Payment card and store credit card

Verified 05 December 2025 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Do you regularly shop in the same stores and wonder if the cards offered to you offer an advantage or present a risk? The private cards are cards of payment and credit usable only in the signs that deliver them. They allow you to pay for your purchases cash or on credit and give often access to a loyalty program. We present you the applicable rules.

One private card is a credit and payment card issued by a store to its customers.

This card allows you to pay for your purchases in the stores of the brand that issued it to you, and sometimes to withdraw money from vending machines.

Purchase and withdrawal operations can be carried out at cash or credit.

The mention credit card must be indicated in legible characters on the front of the card.

Please note

The private card usually acts as a loyalty card and can allow you to enjoy the benefits of traditional loyalty cards.

Sometimes cards are presented as simple loyalty cards, but they include a credit function. It is therefore recommended to check if the card includes a credit before accepting it.

The private payment card is issued by distribution brands (supermarkets, department stores, online shops, etc.), in partnership with a bank or credit institution.

Each distributor has its own card model and delivery conditions.

Nevertheless, all the signs shall respect the same rules of granting and management of private cards.

Credit check

The brand that offers you a private card must examine your solvency based on your income and expenses (other credits in the process of being repaid).

The bank or credit institution partner of the brand must verify in the credit repayment incident file if you have not already had payment incidents.

Advance Information

If the sign agrees to issue you the card, it must inform before the contract is signed of conditions for granting the card, and in particular the conditions for using the credit.

The sign must give you a pre-contractual information sheet which presents the essential characteristics of credit and the risks that you incur in the event of delay payment method.

This should allow you to determine whether the contract proposed credit rating is tailored to your needs and financial situation.

It is not advisable to sign the credit agreement if you have not received this card. She is mandatory.

Signing a contract

After informing you of the terms of use of the card and credit, the brand must give you a written offer of contract.

The tender must specify the essential elements of the contract, including the following:

  • Nature of the credit linked to the use of the card (free credit, depreciable credit and/or revolving credit)
  • Interest rate used (variable or fixed)
  • Maximum amount of credit granted.

You have 15 minutes calendar days to sign the offer and return it to the financial institution.

Once you sign the offer, the contract is not yet definitively formed.

For the contract to be definitively formed, the lender must confirm its decision to grant you the loan within 7 calendar days and you must waive your right of withdrawal.

Please note

If the amount of the revolving credit is greater than €1,000, the lender must also offer you an offer of depreciable credit.

Cost of the private card

The brand may also charge you application fee at the time the card is issued and, sometimes, card holding fees (monthly or yearly).

The use of the card for operations to credit may result in billing of interest.

If you subscribe to a insurance borrowerHowever, the amount of the insurance will also be added to the interest and handling costs. The insurance is optional and you don't have to take it.

Withdrawal period

You have a deadline of 14 calendar days from the date of signature of the contract for retract.

To do this, simply return the withdrawal slip (attached to the contract offer), dated and signed, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, to the lending institution.

You can also use this template:

Withdrawal of consumer credit

If you use your right of withdrawal, you lose your card.

You can use the right of withdrawal only once, at the time of issuing the card and not for each purchase.

The private payment card allows you to pay only your purchases made in the stores of the chain or network.

It allows you to choose the way you want to pay for your purchases, between the following options:

  • Cash settlement, you pay in one go
  • Settlement in several installments without charge, with a free credit
  • Settlement with a depreciable credit
  • Settlement with a revolving credit.

FYI  

Cash payment must be the preferred method of payment when using credit cards.

If the credit option appears automatically or by default, this constitutes a non-compliant business practice. You can report it to the DGCCRF: titleContent.

Cash payment

When using the card, you can choose to pay for your purchases in cash.

In this case, the amount of the purchase will be debited in one go from your bank account, with an immediate debit or a deferred debit according to what is provided for in your contract.

The operation of the card is then the same as that of a classic bank card.

Payment on credit

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Free credit or “several times without charge”

When using the card, you can choose to pay for your purchases by several times without charge, via a free credit.

In this case, the purchase amount will be deducted in several monthly installments from your bank account.

The total monthly installments will correspond to the purchase amount.

Depreciable credit

When using the card, you can choose to pay for your purchases via a depreciable credit.

This is a credit with interest and fees (personal loan or assigned credit).

If you opt for the depreciable credit, the purchase amount will be deducted in several monthly installments from your bank account.

The total monthly installments will be higher than the amount of the purchases, because there will be in addition interest and, sometimes, the application fees and insurance fees if you have decided to insure yourself.

Revolving credit

You can opt for the use of a revolving credit.

You then use some or all of the reserve of money made available to you when the card is awarded.

You will have to gradually repay this credit (interest and principal), to replenish as your reserve.

You can reuse this reserve as you wish, within the limits of your contract.

FYI  

The interest rate on the revolving credit is higher than the interest rate on the depreciable credit.

The duration of the contract is stipulated in the offer.

It is usually 1 year.

The retailer can offer to renew the contract every year, but the lender must:

  • check the incident file before each renewal,
  • check your creditworthiness every 3 years

If you do not wish to renew your contract, you can request its termination at any time.

You must send a registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt to the brand or its financial partner.

You can use a template:

Terminate a credit card agreement

You must attach your card with your mail.

The retailer may also terminate the contract for a reason set out in the contract, for example when you have problems with your refund.

Whatever the reason for termination of the contract, you will have to refund the amounts spent with the card.

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