Bank customers who forget their four-digit card PIN face having their cards blocked at a merchant or swallowed by an automated teller machine if they guess incorrectly three times.
With contactless payments dominating the checkout, shoppers are increasingly suffering memory blanks when a retail terminal requires them to enter their number.
Customers are advised to use alternative payment methods, such as cash or contactless, rather than taking a risk by guessing a forgotten code.
How to get a new code
Bank account holders can contact their bank via email, post, telephone or their banking app to request a reissue of their code.
Telephone requests require the caller to answer security questions to verify their identity and ensure the number is not sent to the wrong person.
A replacement code is sent by confidential mail to the customer's home address within a few days. The reissue can cost between five and ten euros depending on the bank, although it is sometimes free when requested through a smartphone app.
In an emergency, some banks offer an expedited reissue within two to three days, which is charged at a much higher rate.
Viewing your current PIN
Some financial institutions now allow users to view their existing code on their screen. Customers must authenticate themselves in the cards or SOS card tab of their banking app to consult their confidential code. The number is displayed for a few seconds before being masked again.
A growing number of banks also allow customers to personalise their PIN to prevent them from forgetting it.
Card security
The four-digit secret code is randomly generated and mailed separately from the physical card. The number is strictly personal and is not known to anyone else, including the bank itself.
Customers are advised against writing the code on a piece of paper or storing it on a mobile phone to avoid compromising their security.
A standard bank card displays the holder's name, a 16-digit number, an expiry date and a Card Verification Value, which is used to identify the card.
The Bank of France's Observatory for the Security of Payment Means reported in its January 2025 statistics that the card remains the preferred non-cash payment method for French people.
Cards are used to book holidays, pay for grocery drive-throughs and make express purchases, accounting for 64 percent of all transactions.
