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Credit Card Payoff Calculator: France

See how long a credit card takes to pay off at your APR, the interest it costs, what minimums really cost, and the payment to be debt-free by a date.

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France: the taux d'usure, republished every quarter

A French card balance is usually a credit renouvelable, revolving credit, and it is governed by the taux d'usure: a legal ceiling above which a rate is usurious and the lender commits an offence. The Banque de France publishes a new set of ceilings every quarter, derived from the average rate lenders actually charged in the preceding quarter plus a third.

Two things follow that surprise people used to a fixed cap. First, the ceiling moves: a rate lawful when the credit was taken out can be above the ceiling published three months later, and it is the rate at the moment of contracting that counts. Second, there is not one ceiling but several, banded by the size of the credit, with small credits allowed the highest rate. The figure the calculator opens on sits in the small-credit band, which is where most card balances fall.

Issuers typically require about 3% of the balance a month, with the interest taken from within that payment and a floor of about €15. Credit renouvelable is also subject to a statutory maximum repayment term, so a French revolving balance cannot legally run as long as the minimum-payment arithmetic on an American card implies.

For how the calculation works, the formula behind it and what it leaves out, see the full guide. For help interpreting a result or comparing it with a quote or statement, read the questions and answers.

Data sources

French consumer finance conventionsService-public.frWithin its effective period

Every document each dataset was read from, its notes and how the figures were checked are listed in the guide's data sources.

This calculator in other countries

Each country has its own rates, thresholds and rules, and its own page that runs the calculator on them and cites the official sources they came from.

CentExactCalculator publisher

CentExact publishes the calculation method, worked examples and available data sources. Automated checks cover reference calculations; they do not certify a result for your circumstances or imply approval by a lender or tax authority.

How we build and test our calculators

This calculator is for general information only and is not financial advice. Results are estimates based on the figures you enter and the stated formula; lenders and providers may round or calculate differently. Check any decision with the institution involved or a qualified adviser.