Oscar T. Says:
I’m looking forward to splitting my time between the US and the South of France in the next few years. One question I had is, how do I pay bills for my second home in France?
IL France Correspondent Tuula Rampont Says:
Hi Oscar,
There are various ways to pay utility and other regularly recurring bills here in France.
Most people pay by prélèvement automatique (direct debit) from their French bank account. To set one up, the payee will request a relevé d’identité bancaire (RIB), a tear-out form in the back of a French checkbook that lists account and bank numbers. For its part, the bank requires a written request for the prélèvement automatique. The money you owe is then automatically taken out of your bank account each payment period.
Another method is to pay with a titre interbancaire de paiement (TIP). This alerts your bank to pay the other party’s bank. To do this, you must send the TIP together with an RIB. This slip includes your bank account numbers and your bank’s identification numbers as well.
You may also pay by check. If you want to pay with cash, go to the post office and obtain a money order. You can also pay at the post office; a small fee will be added to the amount of the bill. Orange (formerly France Télécom) will accept Carte Bleue and most foreign credit cards at its offices.
Hope that helps clear things up, and congratulations on your decision to become a part-time expat in France!
Remember, you can find a lot more information about living in France on the newly redesigned IL website.
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