Issue Your Own Custom Meal Cards with Treezor!

Regulation: Meal Vouchers in France

A meal voucher is a “special payment instrument” provided by employers to employees. It enables them to pay for meals when no company cafeteria or workplace restaurant is available. Pursuant to Article R3262-1 of the French Labor Code, meal vouchers can take various forms (paper or digital media). The main solutions currently available are:

• Paper meal vouchers: Similar to a check, they are nominative and carry a fixed face value.
• Smart meal cards: Prepaid and rechargeable, they enable fluid and secure electronic payments.

In France, meal vouchers are geographically restricted to the department of the workplace and its neighboring departments. Furthermore, several essential rules govern their operation:

• Optional implementation: Offering meal vouchers is voluntary for the employer.
• Tax exemption: The employer’s contribution to funding meal vouchers is exempt from social security contributions and income tax under a dual condition:
  • It must represent between 50% and 60% of the voucher’s nominal value.
  • It must remain below the applicable statutory exemption cap (revalued annually).
• Daily ceiling: The daily spending limit for meal vouchers is fixed at €25.
• Days of use: Meal vouchers can be used exclusively on working days (generally Monday to Saturday). They cannot be used on Sundays or public holidays, except for specific exceptions for employees required to work on those days.

International Note: In other countries such as Germany, Italy, and Spain, similar practices exist, although details vary according to local regulations. Please refer to each country’s specific laws for precise details.

Why Opt for a Restaurant Card?

The meal card sets itself apart from paper vouchers through its high technological added value (contactless payment, mobile payment) and built-in security features. It allows real-time usage restrictions, instant notification delivery, and immediate card blocking in case of loss or theft via online reporting. Moreover, employers can top it up remotely down to the exact cent.

While the paper format offers historical flexibility, the digital format presents undeniable advantages:

• For the company: Simplified logistics (no physical booklet delivery), optimized tax benefits, and reduced risk of fraud.
• For the employee: Exact payment down to the cent (no lost change) and enhanced security.

Complementary Payment: The Treezor Innovation

To make life easier for users spending beyond the maximum daily limit of €25, certain cards—including those offered by Treezor—feature a payment complement function. This allows employees to link their personal bank card to their meal card. In a single transaction, the €25 ceiling is debited from their meal card balance, and any remaining amount is automatically charged to their personal bank card.

Finally, to make tracking balances simple, employees have access to a smartphone app to monitor their budget or check their balance for free.

Why Choose Treezor to Issue Your Restaurant Card?

Innovative Technological Solutions

Treezor supports key players in the meal voucher sector in developing tailor-made offerings through its Embedded Finance solution. We integrate innovative payment solutions for end-users, completely friction-free.

Treezor’s services include:

• Opening dedicated payment accounts.
• Issuing customizable and co-branded payment cards.
• Full compatibility with mobile payments (X-Pay).
• Dynamic customization of spending limits and payment restrictions.

The MDC Engine (Multi-criteria Dynamic Card)

Treezor’s API adapts seamlessly to the regulatory requirements and business preferences of each company. Our card management system, called MDC (Multi-criteria Dynamic Card), includes advanced features to adjust card usage conditions in real time:

• Merchant control: Management of MCC codes and whitelisting/blacklisting of eligible restaurants and merchants.
• Geographic control: Restricting card use within defined zones.
• External data integration: Ability to cross-reference authorizations with external calendars to automatically decline payments on weekends or public holidays if the employee is not working.

Security is at the core of our priorities. Comprehensive monitoring and reporting tools allow companies and their employees to track spending, manage budgets, and generate detailed reports.

Advanced Customization Tailored to Your Brand

In collaboration with our partners, Treezor offers innovative card printing and customization options (physical or virtual) to elevate your design and reinforce brand identity, fostering higher activation and retention rates.

Check out the most innovative features of our restaurant cards below:

Success story : Swile x Treezor

Treezor has facilitated Swile in revolutionizing the lunch and meal voucher industry by replacing traditional paper vouchers distributed by companies to their employees with a digital solution.