For almost 40 years they have been used to pay for a night in a hotel, a meal in a restaurant or entry to a museum. Holiday vouchers, issued by the National Agency for Holiday Checks (ANCV), created in 1982, allow French people to pay for part of their stays in France and to European Union countries.
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Each year, they benefit 4.5 million employees and civil servants (10 million people if we include families), but also nearly 200,000 tourism professionals who accept them as a means of payment.
What to do if they expire on March 31, 2024?
At the end of their validity, the vouchers can be exchanged for new holiday vouchers valid for two years (until December 31, 2026) if their face value represents €30 or more. Simply make a request on the leguide.ancv.com website (“My Services” then “Exchanges” sections) before this Friday, March 31, 2024, then send the expired titles by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt (stamp of the authentic post).
It is advisable to keep the upper stem of the titles to be authentic. Ten euros of processing fees are deducted from new titles which are sent within one month.
How to obtain holiday vouchers?
All companies, whatever their size, can offer holiday vouchers to their employees, but they are not obliged to do so. They are covered totally or in part by the employer or thanks to a subsidy from the works council. Nominative, they are valid for two years in addition to the year of issue. Thus, the 2022 vintage titles are valid until December 31, 2024, those 2023 vintage until December 31, 2025, and so on. In paper format, they are distributed in denominations of 10, 20, 25 and 50 €.
More and more companies are offering dematerialized vouchers, the Chèque Vacances Connect, in the form of a mobile application. Unlike paper tickets, dematerialized tickets can only be used on partner websites (Gîtes de France, Lastminute, etc.) listed on this page, for reservations of at least €20.
Some establishments do not accept holiday vouchers. Check for the presence of the ANCV sticker at the entrance. ANCV
Where to use your holiday vouchers?
They are used to pay for vacation and leisure expenses at 200,000 reception points in France (overseas regions and departments included): accommodation (hotels, summer camps, lodges, etc.), carriers (SNCF, Air France , ferries…), monuments, museums, amusement parks, restaurants, etc. In winter sports resorts, they can be used for ski equipment rental or in mountain restaurants. The list of places where holiday vouchers are accepted can be found on the ANCV website.
It is possible to pay for train and plane tickets with your holiday vouchers from an SNCF agency or an airline. Since April 2022, the SNCF Connect site and application have made it possible to pay for train tickets using electronic checks. Paying them with paper tickets remains possible: in this case, it is necessary to make an option on the desired journey then pay for the reservation at a counter.
Holiday vouchers can also be used for stays in a European Union country only if they are used beforehand with a professional in France. The titles are in fact not valid abroad. Some establishments do not accept holiday vouchers. Check for the presence of the ANCV logo at the entrance to the establishment or on the professionals' website.