Encouraged by Bruno Le Maire to limit the increase in commissions to 2% in 2023 in a context of inflation, French banks are doing better than playing around: according to a study by Panorabanques published this Friday, bank commissions should increase by 0, 3% this year to reach 220.60 euros on average. A moderate change with respect to the level of inflation but which is partly explained by “the merger between the entities of the Crédit du Nord Group and Société Générale” which allowed “former clients of the Crédit du Nord Group to benefit from Societe Générale’s rates Generale that they are lower”.
Behind this general drop, however, are hidden disparities depending on the banking institutions and the services offered. For example, the cost of the bank card, which represents 30% of the total invoice, only increased by 0.3%, up to 62.80 euros. In detail, 48 banks are increasing the average price of the immediate debit card and 8 are lowering it. 45 also increase the price of the deferred debit card, compared to 9 that show a decrease.
At the same time, the price of insurance against loss and theft of means of payment shoots up 8.3%, from 24.40 in 2022 to 26.50 euros this year. With differences there again, in particular between the Caisse d’Epargne which withdraws its offer at 18.30 euros a year for a new account insurance twice as expensive and the Crédit du nord which reduces the cost of insurance by 12 euros, to 24 euro.
Marked increase in displaced withdrawals
Withdrawals made at a bank other than your own also cost more: +6.25% in 2023, according to Panorabanques, which indicates that “for 4 withdrawals made per month, the average annual cost was 8.60 euros in 2021, 12 euros in 2022 and is increasing to 12.75 euros in 2023”.
This increase can be explained above all by the reduction in the number of free withdrawals decided by seven banks in 2023. But “these fees are quite easy to avoid. First of all, remember to check how many free withdrawals you are entitled to.” per month. Some packages also entitle you to more free withdrawals. So either you try to fit in the number of free withdrawals moved or you try to make more withdrawals from your bank’s ATMs,” explains Basile Duval, a spokesman for Panorabanques.
These services whose price is falling or stagnating
By contrast, some banking services are less expensive than last year. This is the case, for example, of the cost of sending the checkbook by certified mail (-3.5%, up to 6.90 euros on average), although 26 banks have increased this rate line, or the bank card with systematic authorization (-2 .2%, at 31.80 euros).
Finally, the cost of branch transfers remains stable at 4.60 euros after an increase of 9.5% in 2022. The same occurs with the cost of unauthorized overdrafts as well as account fees estimated at 19.30 euros on average, a price similar to that observed last year.
Source: BFM TV
