By 
Free French bank cards in 60 seconds
The picks
- Boursobank Welcome: free Visa, no condition.
- Fortuneo Fosfo: free Mastercard, no FX fee.
- Hello bank! Hello One: free Visa, BNP-backed.
The fine print
- Most premium "free" cards need 1 card payment per month.
- Skip a month and pay €5 inactivity fee at Boursobank.
- 4 of the 5 online banks need a French IBAN at signup.
All free French bank cards in 2026
A "free" card in France means no monthly fee on the basic tier, with no minimum income condition for the underlying account. The 14 cards below all qualify, pulled live from our banking API. Premium tiers (Gold, World Elite) are also offered for free by some online banks under conditions like minimum spending or salary domiciliation, listed in a separate section below.
Free cards usually have one hidden condition: use them
The Visa Classic and Mastercard Standard cards listed here are free as long as you make at least one card payment per month. Skip a month and most banks (Boursobank, Fortuneo) charge a €5 inactivity fee. The card itself stays free; the penalty applies only on idle months.
Fortuneo Fosfo
Mastercard standard card, free for Fortuneo customers.
- Monthly fee
- €0
- Network
- Mastercard
Hello bank! Hello One
Visa classic card, free for Hello bank! customers.
- Monthly fee
- €0
- Network
- Visa
BforBank BforBASIC
Visa classic card, free for BforBank customers.
- Monthly fee
- €0
- Network
- Visa
Full comparison table
All 14 basic-tier free cards on the French market, with bank, network and card type. Data refreshed from our banking API every hour. Premium tiers (Gold, World Elite) are listed below the table.
| Bank | Card | Network | Monthly fee | Sign up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortuneo |
Fosfo | Mastercard Standard | €0 | Open → |
| Hello bank! |
Hello One | Visa Classic | €0 | Open → |
| BforBank |
BforBASIC | Visa Classic | €0 | Open → |
 Crédit Agricole |
EKO | Mastercard Standard | €0 | Open → |
| Crédit Agricole |
Mozaic Black | Mastercard Standard | €0 | Open → |
 Axa Banque |
Classic | Visa Classic | €0 | Open → |
 Sumeria |
Basique | Visa Classic | €0 | Open → |
 Société Générale |
Sobrio Evolution | Visa Classic | €0 | Open → |
 Boursobank |
Welcome | Visa Classic | €0 | — |
Live data from Selectra Banking API, refreshed in May 2026. Some "Open" buttons are sponsored — see our methodology.
Premium tiers offered free under conditions
Some online banks waive the monthly fee on their premium cards (Gold, World Elite) if you meet specific conditions: minimum monthly card spending, salary domiciliation or a minimum balance. The cards below are technically priced at €0 in the API but require active use.
| Bank | Card | Tier | Network / Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortuneo |
Gold | Premium | Mastercard gold |
| Hello bank! |
Hello Prime | Premium | Visa classic |
| Axa Banque |
Premier | Premium | Visa premier |
| Boursobank |
Ultim | Premium | Visa classic |
| Fortuneo |
World Elite | Luxury | Mastercard world elite |
In-depth: our top 3 free French cards
All three winners below have no monthly fee, no income condition for signup, and a real FR IBAN. The differences are in welcome bonus size, FX fees abroad and what happens if you stop using the card.
🥇 Boursobank Welcome: free Visa, no strings
The Welcome Visa Classic from Boursobank (owned by Société Générale) is the most no-conditions free card in France in 2026. No income, no minimum spending, no inactivity fee on the Welcome tier (unlike Ultim, which charges €5 if you skip a month). Welcome bonus is up to €130. The trade-off: Welcome has lower limits than Ultim and no FX-free perks.
What we like
- No conditions, no inactivity fee.
- EU IBAN accepted at signup.
- Backed by SG, FGDR-protected.
Watch out
- FX fees apply outside the eurozone.
- French only, no English support.
- Lower limits than premium Ultim.
🥈 Fortuneo Fosfo: free Mastercard, no FX fee
Fortuneo (owned by Crédit Mutuel Arkéa) is the only major French online bank with no FX fee on euro-zone transactions on its free Fosfo Mastercard. Welcome bonus up to €140. Card stays free as long as you make at least one card payment per month, otherwise €3/month inactivity fee kicks in.
What we like
- No FX fee in the eurozone.
- Free withdrawals anywhere in the EU.
- Strong investment platform side.
Watch out
- French IBAN required at signup.
- €3/month if you skip a month of card use.
- App less polished than Boursobank's.
🥉 Hello bank! Hello One: BNP-backed free Visa
Hello bank! is the online arm of BNP Paribas. The Hello One Visa Classic is free for under-28s with no income condition, and free above 28 with a salary domiciliation. The killer perk: because Hello bank! sits inside BNP, you can deposit cash and cheques at any of the 1,800+ BNP branches in France. Welcome bonus tops the table at up to €260 with referrals.
What we like
- Branch access via BNP for cash/cheque deposits.
- Highest welcome bonus on the list.
- Strong app, slick mobile-first onboarding.
Watch out
- Above 28, income condition kicks in (€1,000+/month).
- Service in French only.
- Welcome bonus tiered, full €260 needs referrals.
Conditions to keep your card free
A "free" card in France is rarely free unconditionally. Banks offset the zero-fee headline with three common conditions: a minimum activity, a minimum income (above a certain age) and a French IBAN at signup. Knowing these upfront avoids the surprise €5 monthly hit when you forget to use the card on holiday.
1. One card payment per month
Most online banks (Boursobank Ultim, Fortuneo, Monabanq) require one card payment per calendar month to keep the card free. Skip the month and a €3 to €5 inactivity fee applies. The Welcome tier at Boursobank and the basic Hello One are exempt from this rule.
2. Minimum income (above 25-28)
For customers above 25 (Boursobank, Fortuneo) or 28 (Hello bank!), most basic free cards require a salary domiciliation or a minimum income of €1,000-€1,200 per month. The income condition disappears entirely for under-25s in most plans, and is replaced by a student-ID check.
3. French IBAN at signup
Fortuneo, Hello bank!, Monabanq and BforBank all need a French IBAN in your name to fund the first deposit. Only Boursobank accepts an EU IBAN. The workaround for the others is to open an account at Nickel at any tobacconist (10 minutes, ID + €25), get an FR IBAN, then open the bank you actually want.
What "free" really means in 2026
Free does not mean unlimited. The cards above all carry zero monthly fee but charge for specific operations: ATM withdrawals abroad, FX conversion, immediate transfers, paper statements. The cards rank from 0 to 5 according to how aggressively the issuer monetises these "extras".
- FX fees: 1.94-2% on non-eurozone payments at Boursobank/Hello bank!. Fortuneo is the exception with 0% in eurozone on Fosfo.
- ATM withdrawals abroad: free up to N times per month, then €1-€2 per withdrawal.
- Instant transfers (SEPA Instant) cost €0.50-€1 at most online banks. Standard SEPA transfers are free everywhere.
- Paper statements: free online, €1-€2 per paper statement on request.
- Inactivity fee: €3-€5 per month if you skip a month of card use (Boursobank Ultim, Fortuneo).
Frequently asked questions
Is there a French bank card that is genuinely free with no conditions? ShowHide
Can I get a free card without a French income? ShowHide
Are free cards from neobanks like Revolut or N26 the same? ShowHide
What happens if I stop using my "free" card? ShowHide
Can I have a free card AND a welcome bonus? ShowHide
How we built this ranking
All card data on this page is pulled live from Selectra's banking API, which aggregates the public pricing schedules (brochures tarifaires) of every bank operating in France. We refresh the table every hour and recompile this page on every major rebrand or rate change. The 14 cards listed are filtered on three criteria: bank registered in France, basic-tier card priced at €0 for the particulier (consumer) segment, and the offer is currently active.
Sources: official bank pricing schedules, our French banks list, Banque de France 2025 retail-banking survey, and the Selectra Banking API. Last refreshed May 2026.