SETTLING IN - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - page 146

Then it takes a few days for the paperwork to be completed
and even longer for a chequebook and the carte bleue to be
issued. Don't assume that anything is provided automatically.
Ask for the chequebook (they come in different sizes, so ask
to see all available sizes and choose one that suits you best).
There is no extra charge for cheques.
Cheques are accepted by most establishments with proof
of identity and sometimes with a minimum purchase of € 10

or 20. The penalties for returned cheques are so severe that

cases of a person writing a cheque with insufficient funds are
extremely rare. Some banks will arrange an overdraft limit,
but if the bank's procedures for covering a bounced cheque
are not followed, the account holder may be blacklisted
( interdit bancaire ). Thus it is important to ask how your bank
structures the dates de valeur , the amount of time it takes for
deposits to be credited, including money orders and bank
drafts—withdrawals made on the same date as a deposit
may result in an overdraft. Cheques are payable on the date
presented, so post-dating a check is not advisable.
If opening a joint account, ensure that both parties may
make bank transactions and sign cheques separately and
that banking transactions do not require both signatures.
Cheques are not endorsable to a third party and banks will
not cash cheques made out to someone else; do not accept
such cheques as payment of any kind.

€

The RIB
When you open a bank account, you will be given several
copies of a RIB ( relevé d'identité bancaire ), which contains
the identifying numbers of your bank and account. This is
the coupon you will show your landlord, the telephone and
electric companies and all the other institutions when you
arrange for their payments to be automatically deducted
from your account. Your chequebook may also have copies
of the RIB at the back.

Carte Bleue
La carte bleue , the French Visa card, is actually a debit card.
Linked to the customer's bank account, the amount of the