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THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS FOR INTERNATIONAL BANKING AND INSTANT TRANSFERS, HOWEVER French bank Société Générale (SG) has unveiled more than 10 new fee increases for its banking services that

are set to come into force from April 1. In the newly-published tariff brochure, the retail banking branch of the company has announced increases ranging from 1.47% to 60%, for account fees,

card fees, and other common banking costs. Specific fee rises include: * Account maintenance: 6.25% (from €28.80 to €30.60 per year) * Bank card fees: Increase of €2 and €5, depending on

the card, being a fee rise of 5.56% for the Visa card, 4.17% for a Visa Classic, 2.82% for Visa Premier or Gold Mastercard, and 1.47% for Visa Infinite. * Bank fee to have a bank agent

reissue a card’s PIN: 60% (from €5 to €8). It remains free for those who do it themselves via the website or banking app * Rejection fee for cheques: From €12.50 to €15 (increase of €20%)

Read more: French banks criticised for excessive fees for bounced payments  PREFERENTIAL INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTION RATES EXTENDED There is some good news for those making international

transactions, however.  Preferential rates for foreign transactions were previously reserved for holders of the JAZZ / Sobrio package. They are now accessible to all customers aged 16 and

over, with the exact rates dependent on their package. * Initial: €11 per month (€10 for Sobrio or JAZZ holders), offers exemption from commissions on six payments and two withdrawals

outside the eurozone each month * Intense: €18.50 (€17.50 for Sobrio or JAZZ), extends this exemption to all payments and withdrawals outside the eurozone.  * Unlimited: €26 (€25 for Sobrio

or JAZZ), also includes occasional and permanent non-SEPA transfers (outside the eurozone). In addition:  * Students under the age of 30: €3 per month (or €2 with Sobrio), with benefits

equivalent to the Unlimited level * People aged 18-24, not students: 50% discount  * People aged 25-29, not students: 20% discount with Sobrio or JAZZ.  ONE REDUCTION  The only reduction in

fees announced by SG is for instant transfers made on the app or website. These are now free (they were previously €0.80).  This change was imposed on SG as credit institutions are now

required to align the price of all transfers, instant or not. BANKING CRITICISM The fee increases come less than a year after SG was found - in a study by consumer group 60 Millions de

Consommateurs - to be “one of the three worst banks in France” for factors including excess bank charges, gender pay gaps, transparency, and the funding of environmentally-dubious projects.

BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole were also included. SG rated particularly badly for the pay gap between managers and employees. For example, at the time, CEO Slawomir Krupa was found to be

earning 45 times the average annual pay of the company’s staff. The study found that “smaller banks such as Crédit Coopératif and Crédit Mutuel Arkéa had a better score” in almost all areas

reviewed. Read also: Updated: more of your feedback on French banks  Not all the major banks scored badly. Crédit Mutuel, for example, notably received average scores (as opposed to low

ones) in almost all areas. SG also received criticism last year for introducing new admin fees of up to €300 a year on second-home owners and other non-resident account holders. NEW ATMS In

better news, SG is one of four banks (with the others being BNP Paribas, CIC, and Crédit Mutuel) involved in helping to roll out shared cash machines in rural areas to better serve places

that may not have any other ATM options. The project, dubbed ‘Cash Services’, is set to see the installation of ‘brand free’ ATMs (distributeurs automatiques de billets, DAB, in French) in

neighbourhoods and rural communities that may not have had any previous cash machine provision. The ATMs are expected to begin operating over the course of 2025, after two years of testing

and development