The ceiling had been raised to 38 euros of expenditure per day to allow the French to use their meal vouchers despite teleworking.
This was one of the measures put in place to help restaurateurs get through the health crisis. Since May 2020 and the deconfinement, the government has repeatedly adjusted the maximum daily amount that the French can spend on meal vouchers to support demand. This measure, as provided for by the decree in force, should in principle end on February 28. A new signal to return to the “life before“, which must still be discussed during a mid-February update with the catering sector, tells us the Ministry of the Economy. Because telework continues to burden the activity of restaurateurs.
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In concrete terms, holders of restaurant vouchers, who have so far been able to spend up to 38 euros per day thanks to this adjusted system, should, if the reduction is decided, see the payment ceiling fall to 19 euros per day.
Ceiling raised several times
For all French people, the ceiling has evolved over the stages of the pandemic. In April 2020, the government announced that restaurant vouchers could be used up to 95 euros per week, in particular for shopping at the supermarket, in a context of confinement. When health restrictions were eased, this ceiling was adjusted to 38 euros per day to boost the tourism sector.
The ceiling that can be spent in supermarkets, on the other hand, remained fixed at 19 euros so that this measure primarily benefits the catering sector. Subsequently, the increase in the payment ceiling was extended several times. In particular last October, with a decree setting the end of this measure on February 28, 2022.
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From March, and if telework does not thwart the government’s normalization objectives, meal vouchers should return to pre-crisis conditions of use. As a reminder, before the emergence of the coronavirus, employees could use it in restaurants as well as in supermarkets, but for certain products only. In supermarkets, it was thus possible to buy directly consumable products, fruits, vegetables.
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