Is there a Money Saving Expert equivalent in France?

Reader question: We were wondering if France has an equivalent of the UK’s Money Saving Expert website? The site gives advice on saving money on a wide range of issues, from insurance to heating bills, credit cards, and mortgages.

The most popular general consumer advice organisations in France are UFC-Que Choisir and 60 Millions de Consommateurs, which is the name of the magazine published by the Institut National de la Consommation.

Both have detailed websites (in French) and publications to subscribe to. While you can also sign up to free newsletters from both, information available for free on either website is limited.

UFC-Que Choisir does best on that front. You can carry out a general word search or search by category, which will give you access to a number of articles.

Like on Money Saving Expert, you can compare different brands or products by typing comparateur and then whatever it is you want to compare. To compare banks, for example, enter “comparateur de banque”, for house insurance “comparateur assurance habitation”. You can also subscribe for free to its newsletter, which is sent once or twice a week and contains selected tips and information. Only some of this information is free, however.

60 Millions de Consommateurs is similar but has less information accessible for free. The newsletter, which comes out twice a month, contains a few articles, consumer news and some product comparisons.

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