January 2026

French Supermarket Loyalty Cards (cartes de fidelité)

Use it or lose it!

If you have a French supermarket loyalty card (carte de fidélité), don’t forget to use your accumulated points before they expire — otherwise they may be lost.

Unlike in some countries, many French supermarkets apply an expiry date to loyalty points or credit, often once or twice a year. These deadlines can vary by brand, by card type, and sometimes even by store, so it’s always worth checking.

As a general rule, points must be actively redeemed — they are not always carried over automatically.

Typical policies (check locally)

Some supermarkets require points to be used before a fixed annual date, others have no set expiry, but conditions may still apply, and some convert points into vouchers (bons d’achat) that must be used within a limited time

👉 Always check at the till, on your receipt, or via the store’s app or website. If the cashier is nice, she might warn you that you need to cash in your card….but don’t rely on it! 

Useful French Vocabulary

Ask if your points expire
Y a-t-il une date limite pour utiliser les points de ma carte de fidélité ?

Redeeming your points
Je souhaite utiliser mes points de fidélité/ J’encaisse mes points de fidélité, s’il vous plaît.

⚠️ Tell the cashier before the transaction is finalised. If you wait until the end, you may be told it’s too late.

Practical Things to Know

• Some cashiers will remind you when your points are about to expire — but don’t rely on it
• You may be asked for ID when redeeming your points.
• Some stores require a PIN code linked to your card
• Certain branches will not accept the key-ring mini card for cashing in points and may ask for the full card. Card on phone is fine.
• When shopping at your “home” store (where you registered), your available credit often appears on the till receipt

🛒  Loyalty Card Deadlines (2025/2026)

📅 Fixed expiration dates

These are the deadlines to use points or euros earned during a calendar year (for example, points earned in 2025 must be spent by the dates below in 2026):

• Auchan (Waaoh!) – use by 31 January 2026 for most points earned in 2025. Points earned Nov–Dec 2025 are valid until 31 January 2027.
• Carrefour (Le Club) – use by 28 February 2026.
• Intermarché – use by 28 February 2026 (equivalent to expiry 1 March).
• Casino / Géant Casino – use by 28 February 2026 (same as Carrefour/Intermarché). 

📅  Some supermarkets don’t set a hard annual expiry, but you must use the card regularly or you lose your balance:

• E.Leclerc – no expiry if you use the card at least once every 14 months. Points disappear if you don’t use the card in that period.
• Super U / Système U – no fixed date, but points/credit are lost if the card isn’t used at least once every 13 months. 

• Franprix and Picard have their own deadlines (e.g., Franprix typically by 31 March 2026; Picard by 31 January 2026).