Find out how to use them, where theyâre accepted, and more.
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One of the perks of working for a French company, restaurant vouchers help employees offset the cost of eating out. But which restaurants accept them, and how much are they worth? N26 has the answers to all this and more with this handy guide to using your restaurant vouchers in France.
Whatâs a restaurant voucher?
Restaurant vouchers are essentially coupons employers give their employees to subsidize dining out during your working hours. Companies generally offer them when they have no on-site meal facilitiesâlike a company cafeteriaâfor their employees. In French, theyâre known as tickets restaurantâor, originally, titres restaurant. Restaurant vouchers are issued regardless of the type of employment contract you haveâ permanent, temporary, part-time, apprenticeship, and so on. Restaurant vouchers can have different names depending on who issues them, including:
Ticket-restaurant
Chèque ApÊtiz
Pass Restaurant
Chèque dÊjeuner
They can also be issued in different formats, such as:
Checkbook-type paper booklets
A card
A mobile app
How do restaurant vouchers work?
To use your restaurant vouchers properly, there are a number of conditions you should be aware of:
Meal vouchers are generally only valid on work days. They must be used during the calendar year in which theyâre issued, with a maximum extension of two monthsâmeaning until the end of February of the following year. If you haven't used them by then, you can ask to exchange them for valid ones.
Employees can only receive one meal voucher per day workedâand only if their hours include a lunch break.
Restaurant vouchers can only be used within a limited geographical areaâusually the location or dĂŠpartement of your workplace and the surrounding areas.Â
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Companies are free to set the amount that they subsidize. However, for companies to benefit from an exemption from paying French social security contributions, they must finance 50-60% of the voucher amountâup to a limit of âŹ5.55 in 2021. The rest is paid by the employeeâusually via a salary deduction. In practice, for a voucher worth âŹ11, your company finances between âŹ5.50 and âŹ6.60, and you pay the differenceâi.e., between âŹ5.50 and âŹ4.40. In 2021, the total value of restaurant vouchers varied between around âŹ9.25 and âŹ11.10, depending on the percentage paid for by the company. Want to learn to spot your deductions easily? Check out our article on how to read your payslip.
Where to use restaurant vouchers
Wondering where you can purchase meals with your restaurant vouchers? Rest assuredâmany places accept them, such as:
Restaurants and fast food restaurants (for both eat-in and take-away)
Supermarkets, bakeries, and other food-service establishments where you buy prepared foods (like sandwiches, salads, and pre-cooked meals), or fresh fruits and vegetables
However, itâs important to check whether a business takes meal vouchers, as theyâre under no obligation to do so.
Where to use your restaurant voucher card
While most companies offer restaurant vouchers in paper booklets, your company can also opt to give you a voucher card instead. In this case, the principle is the same, and you can use your card at all businesses that accept paper meal vouchers. Several companies issue restaurant voucher cardsâsuch as Edenred, ApĂŠtiz (Natixis), Swile, etc. Note that the establishments accepted and options offeredâlike payment on meal delivery platformsâvary from card to card. To learn more about which cards are accepted where, visit this website.
How many restaurant vouchers can you use at the supermarket?
Itâs perfectly fine to use restaurant vouchers at the supermarket, as long as you buy ready-to-consume products like those mentioned above. However, you likely wonât be able to use more than two meal vouchers at a time, up to a maximum value of âŹ19.In addition, each brand decides on which of its foods are eligible to be purchased with restaurant vouchers, and supermarkets arenât required to accept them. If youâre looking to cut back on costs, using restaurant vouchers at the supermarket can help you reduce your spending. Want to save even more on your shopping? Discover our 12 tips on how to save money on groceries!
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