Seasonal rental platforms have multiplied in recent years and offer more and more options to allow travelers to pay for their stays. Today, your La Rochelle concierge is taking stock of holiday vouchers to tell you whether or not you can use them as a means of payment for your holidays.
Holiday vouchers, what are they?
Holiday vouchers are issued by the National Agency for Holiday Checks (ANCV), a public establishment created in 1982. The latter aims to work in favor of families and to encourage the greatest number of people to go on holiday. . They can be used as a means of payment with more than 200 tourism and leisure professionals such as in the fields of accommodation, leisure and culture, for stays and transport, sports leisure and catering, in France and in the European Union. These holiday vouchers are valid for two years.
To obtain holiday vouchers and take advantage of them, it all depends on your company. Regardless of size, sector or contract, all employees of the same company are entitled to them, if the company wishes to offer them to its employees. Payment of holiday vouchers is thus shared between the employer and the employee. In addition, in some companies with more than 50 employees, the CSE (Social and Economic Committee) can cover the full amount of the holiday vouchers, without the company's participation.
Holiday vouchers, a means of payment accepted by AirBNB?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to use holiday vouchers as a means of payment on AirBNB. Indeed, since it is an American site, it only offers means of payment online or on the application. Holiday vouchers are issued by the ANCV and are therefore a French means of payment, and therefore cannot be used on the AirBNB site. “The situation is the same for e-vacation vouchers, which cannot be used on the seasonal rental site either,” explains Eva Roger, director of our La Rochelle concierge.
What are the payment methods accepted by AirBNB?
If you cannot use holiday vouchers, other means of payment can be used on AirBNB. Note that available payment methods may vary from listing to listing. In all cases they are always displayed on the booking page.
The following payment methods may be available:
- Credit or debit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express…
- PayPal
- Apple Pay (only on the iOS app)
Specific payment methods are offered for certain countries:
- United States: Google Wallet (only on the Android app)
- Italy: Postepay
- Germany: Sofort Uberweisung
- Netherlands: iDEAL
- China: Alipay
- Brazil: Boleto Bancário, Hipercard, Elo and Aura
Finally, be aware that it is possible to pay in cash or checks for your seasonal rental, but this is strongly discouraged. Indeed, by doing this you leave the legal framework of the platform. You therefore expose yourself to scams and you greatly increase the risk of not being covered in the event of a problem. If you go through another ad platform like Leboncoin, other means of payment such as cash or check are available but just as risky. Of course, if you are renting through someone you personally know and trust, you can pay cash or check.
Where can you use your holiday vouchers?
Although they cannot be used on the AirBNB seasonal rental site, holiday vouchers can be used in a large network of partner brands. We find in this network only services: accommodation (camping, hotels, lodges, etc.), leisure (zoos, amusement parks, etc.), restaurants, culture (shows, concerts, museums) and transport (tickets plane, train and boat, for example). “Holiday vouchers are means of payment that can be used in many brands and are absolutely not lost,” explains Eva Roger, director of our La Rochelle concierge. You will always find a sign that will accept them during your holidays”.
To find out if an establishment accepts this title, an ANCV label must be stuck on their window. You can also consult the ANCV website, which lists all the partner establishments via an interactive map. Here is a non-exhaustive list of brands that accept this payment method:
Travel and transport
SNCF, Air France, Thomas Cook, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, FNAC Voyages, Look Voyages, E. Leclerc Voyage, SNCM, Nouvelles Frontières, Promovacances, Karavel, Voyageprivé.com, LastMinute.com, Eurolines, Fram, Corsica Ferries, Opodo, etc. …
Hosting
Logis de France, Pierre et Vacances, Maeva, Center-Parcs, VVF Villages, Première Classe, Balladins, Climat de France, EtapHotel, Novotel, Club Med, Interhome, etc…
Catering
Pizza del Arte, Flunch, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Domino's pizza, Burger King, Subway, Buffalo Grill, Paul, La Pataterie… and thousands of independent restaurants.
Sports and Recreation
Parc Astérix, Walibi, Disneyland Paris, La Mer de Sable, La Cité des Sciences, Nausicaa, UCPA, etc…
Culture
Gaumont-Pathé, UGC, Louvre Museum, Orsay Museum, etc…
Holiday vouchers: advice from our La Rochelle concierge
The period of validity of holiday vouchers is two years longer than their year of issue, until 31 December. For example, a holiday voucher issued in 2020 is valid until December 31, 2022. If you have expired holiday vouchers, you can exchange them within three months of their expiry date. Then it's too late. Let's imagine for example that in January 2022, you find that you still have vouchers that have expired since the end of December 2021, you will have until March 31, 2022 to exchange them for valid holiday vouchers. To find out more, consult the conditions on the ANCV website.
Now there is also the Chèques-Vacances Connect mobile application, which brings together both paper Chèques-Vacances and e-Chèques-Vacances in one place. You can thus use this new means of payment online, face to face, by correspondence or at an automatic terminal from your smartphone. Holiday vouchers in paper format will continue to be issued and marketed. “Dematerialized holiday vouchers are very practical to use in partner businesses, explains Eva Roger, director of our La Rochelle concierge. Thanks to them, you can offer yourself many tourist activities but also meals for the whole family”.
Despite the fact that it is not possible to use them to book your seasonal rental on the AirBNB site, which is one of the only ones not to accept them, holiday vouchers have their uses. This means of payment makes it possible to pay for many services for the holidays in many brands, so they should not be neglected. These are very useful and allow many families to go on vacation every year while saving money.
