With the rise of contactless payments and instant transfers, cash seems to have been relegated to the status of curiosity. Yet, in many French homes, bills and coins retain a discreet but very real place. Whether it’s to manage your budget down to the last cent or as a precaution in case of an unforeseen event, many wonder: can you legally keep cash at home? Is there a limit that shouldn’t be exceeded? Here’s everything you need to know.
Why keep cash at home?
You might think that cash no longer has much of a place in our ultra-digital daily lives . And yet, it remains appreciated by some French people. Firstly, for reasons of financial security: having a small nest egg at home can be reassuring, particularly in the event of a banking network outage , an economic crisis , or simply to deal with an emergency.
Then there’s budget management: the famous budget envelope method (where each spending category is allocated in notes) allows you to keep control of your finances without going overboard. It’s concrete, visual, and very effective against impulse purchases.
Finally, some people keep cash because they don’t trust banks or to avoid fees associated with certain accounts. But be careful: while it’s perfectly legal to have cash at home, it’s not without rules… or risks.
