Always amazes me what impresses some folks 
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Like most ‘regular’ UK credit cards, they charge transaction fees and the exch rate isn’t great, so I only use it for sterling purchases. On the other hand, you can get specific credit cards e.g one offered by Halifax, that has no transaction fees and you get the prevailing exch rate, or pretty damn close to it. Handy if you still receive any income in sterling to pay it off monthly to avoid interest charges.
Horses for courses 
My daughter, only four at the time, thought during those years it was normal to be escorted from the business class lounge to the gate by a representative of the airline. Marvellous to have had a small taste of how the other half lives courtesy of free air miles. Years later Ryanair’s treatment of customers soon put her straight.
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Representative of an airline? A bit common.
I’d be more impressed if she were privately escorted by the cabin staff of the waiting Lear…
Ahhh, one can only dream 
I was told by a friend of a friend of a lady who had done rather well in the leasing business who chartered a private jet to fly her two moggies from Shannon to Nice 
She can’t have done that well otherwise she’d be flying them on the jet she owned
Owning one makes little sense because the chances of it being where you want it, when you want it are slim As a little sideline and hobby she buys houses on the coast, one at a time, in nice spots between Nice and Monaco, Eze, Beaulieu sort of thing, renovates them and then sells them on for a seven figure profit. The Midas touch eh? Plus, she enjoys the doing up bit.
There’s also a very rude old saying If it flys, floats or… lease it, don’t buy it. 
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With respect to French cards being debit cards, how do you get on when hiring a car with one?
When I hired a van to do our recent move, they just took (think it was € 1k) as a deposit using my CB
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Rental car co’s go, is that a debit card? then, Oh it’s French isn’t it. Yes if it’s a French debit card we take it.
Yes I have a Halifax Clarity credit card for exactly that reason - though these days I am older and wiser as regards spending on credit (used to run cards up to the max!) so really just have it as a backup - I use a Wise multi-currency debit card when in France (am still UK resident at the mo).
I also have an Amex as a backup to the backup in case I have to buy something really pricey at short notice e.g. an emergency plane ticket.
Will Halifax allow you to have one with a French address?
Thanks for all the replies. We have applied for a carte zero as that sort of seems to work for what we want. It’s really just in case of a) unexpected car bills, or anything else for that matter, cropping up and b) I can use it to get my Hertz gold card benefits again which you only get with a credit card backing it.
Please let us know how you get on with that card after you’ve had it for a few months?
Yes - but I had mine before I moved. Not sure if poss to apply when living in France🤔
Will try to remember but feel free to contact me if I don’t.
Always good to give back with feedback 
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A question concerning using French credit cards for car rental. A French card that has “Credit” clearly written on it, but is in fact “débit différé” can be used in exactly the same way as a credit card from another country for blocking the insurance “excess” for the rental??
yes.
But the big international rental car co’s that normally ask for a credit card, often seem to have an exception for someone using a French card and will accept the French debit card whereas they would normally insist on a credit card. They seem well aware French people don’t really have credit cards mostly.
Thanks Karen, but my credit card has “credit” written on it. I also have another that has “debit” written on it. But in reality the credit card is “débit différé” How is that seen in the eyes of international car rental companies?