The Vacation Voucher: How To Use It?
The vacation voucher is a means of payment used by nearly 7 million people in metropolitan France and in the French overseas departments and territories. This payment voucher, which aims to allow the greatest number of people to go on vacation, is accepted in more than 135,000 establishments.
Presentation
The holiday voucher was created to allow as many people as possible to go on vacation and have access to cultural and leisure activities.
It is a nominative voucher offered or allocated to employees by their employers, by their works councils (CE), by another social organization (COS, CAS) or by local and territorial authorities.
The employer or the works council in the private sector as well as in the public sector make a financial participation in the Chèques-Vacances booklet.
This booklet, which includes denominations of 10 and 20 euros, allows you to pay for your most diverse leisure activities and trips.
It is usable by the holder, his/her spouse, his/her ascendants and tax-dependent children, within two years following the year of issue.
How to benefit from it?
The beneficiaries of the Vacation vouchers are:
- private sector employees whose employer is a client of the Agence Nationale des chèques vacances (ANCV) and who meet the social criteria defined by the employer or the works council
- employees of the State, territorial and hospital civil services
- retired people whose mutual insurance company offers vacation vouchers.
Vacation vouchers are in fact distributed by employers, local authorities and social organizations that have previously entered into an agreement with ANCV, the organization that manages these payment vouchers (see the site below).
What can I pay with vacation vouchers?
The Vacation Cheque is accepted at tourism, travel, leisure and cultural professionals who have signed an agreement with the ANCV.
There are currently in France 135,000 establishments that accept this method of payment for services to France or European Union member countries.
Note: ANCV partner establishments can be recognized by the ANCV label affixed to their windows and are listed in a guide that is updated every year.
The services that can be paid for with vacation vouchers are:
- accommodation: campsites, gîtes (Logis de France, gîtes ruraux), rentals (Pierre et Vacances, Maeva), youth hostels, clubs, vacation villages, (Center-Parcs, WF Vacances) and hotels
- the restaurant
- the sports and leisure: amusement and discovery parks (Parc Astérix, Waliby, La Cité des Sciences, Disneyland paris and Nausicaa), zoos, swimming pools, summer camps and sports clubs...
- Transportation: Car rental and freeway tolls, train journeys, auto-train. (within the limit of journeys located in metropolitan France, to the Dom Tom or to member countries of the European Union)
- cultural activities: entrance fees to historical monuments, castles, museums, planetariums, theater or opera tickets (public establishments) or cinema tickets (in partner establishments).
In practice
If you pay with vacation vouchers, you do not have to give change (as with luncheon vouchers).
A Vacation Vouchers is valid for 2 years (a Voucher issued in 2008 is therefore valid until December 31, 2010). You can exchange your checks for newer vouchers up to three months after the expiration date.
In case of loss or theft, report the theft to the nearest police station and send a copy of this report to ANCV.
Advantages of the vacation voucher
For the beneficiaries, the main advantage is the financial participation of the organization that distributes the Chèque-Vacances (employer, works council, mutual insurance company or social services).
Thus, you only pay a part of the value of the vouchers that are given to you.
In addition, the Holiday-Voucher allows you to enjoy many additional discounts or benefits.
For professionals, signing a Chèque-Vacances agreement is a way to significantly increase their customer base. 10,000 new tourism professionals apply for their convention with the ANCV every year.
