Gift card in France?

Question

I live in the U.S. and I am traveling to France in April. I was wondering if I can use my gift cards in France. Such as Sephora, Starbucks, etc. Thanks! If you have any personal experiences with using gift cards in France/overseas please let me know.

Answer 1

I'd be surprised if you could. They are usually not linked up. You can try or ask first though...

Gift cards are not that popular here in France yet, although it's getting more popular.

I tried to use my Body Shop card in England. They were facinated with it and I had to explain that I lived in France. They agreed to give me the discount but they didn't have it in their computer to credit my purchase. Apparently, it was a whole different system.

I asked in a San Francisco Sephora store if I could use my French card and again, they don't have a universal computer system to make that reality.

I'm amazed that there are so many Starbucks in France (but not in my city). They have so many cafés and good coffee already. I visit Starbucks in the States in desperation! But loyalty cards don't even exist here.

Check out FAQ no. 4;

http://www.starbucks.fr/en/faq.htm

Please note that it can't hurt to take them and ask. This is a situation that is likely to change.

I will suggest that you actually try to shop places that don't exist in the U.S. because you are sure to get better value back home. Plus, the advantage of being in France, especially with the weak dollar is that you can purchase items not found where you live. Take advantage!

Happy shopping next month!