| Term seen on a French bill | What it means |
|---|---|
| Service compris | Service is already included in the listed prices — this is the near-universal default and has been required by French law since the 1950s |
| Pourboire | A tip — genuinely optional, on top of an already-complete bill |
| Rounding up (arrondir) | The most common gesture French diners actually make, typically a euro or two |
Because US-style card terminals with 15/18/20% tip-percentage buttons have started appearing at some tourist-facing restaurants and cafes in central Paris, modelled on American payment technology, some travellers assume France has adopted US-style tipping. It has not. Those prompts are an import from how the card readers were built, not a reflection of French dining custom, and the service charge was already included in the prices on the menu before you ever reached the till.