Be careful of using your credit and debit cards when in France as most companies have fees and give you a terrible exchange rate when you exchange dollars to euros.
This is a free debit card which allows you to pay in euros without the crazy fees. You upload $ to the account, and transfer them to € using their application and the daily exchange rate
You can pay directly using your card.
Another option : Take out cash from ATMs
Most ATM machines in France will charge a fee of around 10 dollars when you take out cash
Careful of carrying around too much cash, Paris is a big city with all the typical big city pickpocket issues
Exchange rate $ / €
The current rate is around 1 dollar = 0.90 euros (this is pretty typical and has been around this number for several years).
The exchange rate is worst with some banks and at money exchange booths both at airports and in Paris.
Tipping
You never need to leave a tip in France!
18% gratuity is already included in all restaurants so there is no obligation to leave anything extra.
If you had a truly fantastic time you can leave a small tip (50 cents min for a coffee, 2€ min for a meal, 5% max) but it is never expected.
You don't have to tip in taxis, hotels, etc.
Taxes / prices
Sales tax / VAT (20%) are always included in the price, so if you buy something at a store and the price is 2 euros, you will pay exactly 2 euros when you check out.
One exception is the hotel tax which is added to the price of a room (currently in Paris the hotel tax per night and per person is 1€ for a 1* hotel, 1,88€ for a 3* hotel and 5€ for a palace).
