Carte Bleue

This article is about the debit card system. For the ATM and EFTPOS network, seeCB (interbank network).

Carte Bleue(English:Blue Card) was a majordebit cardpayment system operating inFrance.UnlikeVisa ElectronorMaestrodebit cards, Carte Bleue transactions worked without requiring authorization from the cardholder's bank. In many situations, the card worked like acredit cardbut without fees for the cardholder. The system has now been integrated into a wider scheme calledCBorcarte bancaire( "banking card" ). All Carte Bleue cards were part of CB, but not all CB cards were Carte Bleue.

The system was national, and pure Carte Bleue cards did not operate outside France. However, it is possible and commonplace to get a CBVisacard that operates outside France. Carte Bleue was, technically speaking, the local Visa affiliate.

Carte Bleue started in 1967, associating six French banks:BNP,CCF,Crédit du Nord,CIC,Crédit Lyonnais,andSociété Générale.Combined Visa cards have existed since 1973 under the nameCarte Bleue Internationale,changing toCarte Bleue Visain 1976.

From 1992 on, all Cartes Bleues / CB have beensmart cards.When using a Carte Bleue at a French merchant, the PIN of the card must be used, and a microchip on the card verifies and authenticates the transaction. Only some very limited transactions, such asmotorwaytolls or parking fees, are paid without PIN. Sinceautomatic teller machinesalso check for the PIN, this measure strongly reduces the incentive to steal Cartes Bleues, since the cards are essentially useless without the PIN (though one may try using the card number for mail-order or e-retailing). Foreign cards without microchips can still be used at French merchants if they accept them, with the usual procedure of swiping the magnetic stripe and signing the receipt.

In 2000,Serge Humpich,after failing to convince the makers of a serious flaw he had found two years before, purchased some metro tickets to prove it. He sent the proof to Groupement des Cartes Bancaires. They then initiated criminal action against him, and he was convicted and sentenced to a ten months suspended jail sentence.

In 2003, the Cartes Bleues / CB started to move on to the international standardEMVfor smart chips, allowing for their use abroad.

In 2010, the Carte Bleue brand was phased out in favour of Visa; however, the termcarte bleuecontinues to be used as ageneric termforEFT-basedpayment cards,including debit andcredit cards.

See also

• Groupement des Cartes Bancaires CB
• ATM usage fees

External links

• Official Site of Carte Bleue(in French)
• Official Site of CB(in French)
• Fuel Cards Website