Holiday vouchers: explanations and answers to questions

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17/01/2025

Family holidays are a time for relaxation and happiness… but they can be expensive. To give everyone a helping hand, the French government and the ANCV have developed a valuable aid: the Chèque-Vacances. Designed to encourage employees to go on holiday, this individualised aid is a response to the crises affecting the tourism sector. Little Guest has put together a short summary of the subject.

Holiday vouchers: definition

Created in 1982 to encourage employees to go on holiday, the holiday vouchers is a personalised aid scheme set up by the French government to support all types of holiday. It is the National Holiday Vouchers Agency (ANCV) that issues the vouchers to employers and works councils, with face values of €10, €20, €25 and €50. Based on the same principle as luncheon vouchers, the employer covers part of the value of these vouchers. The vouchers can be used for a wide variety of purposes (transport, hotels, restaurants and cultural services), but their use must always be linked to holidays.

These vouchers, designed to encourage as many people as possible to go on holiday, are distributed exclusively on the basis of social criteria to employees of all companies and to civil servants. Self-employed workers are now also eligible. Please note that management surpluses generated by the marketing of holiday vouchers are reinvested in :

programmes to help disadvantaged people go on holiday
financing social tourism assets

Today, holiday vouchers are a huge success. In 2019, the ANCV helped 11 million people and their families go on holiday.

Answers to the most frequently asked questions

A vast network of establishments accept holiday vouchers. They are easily recognisable by the sticker on their front. To find out exactly where they are located, the ANCV has produced a guide at this address.

This is a voucher issued in the name of the holder, giving access to holidays and leisure activities;
It is valid for 2 years in addition to the year of issue (e.g. vouchers issued on 29 July 2020 are valid until 31 December 2022);
It can be used by the whole family;
It is accepted in over 200,000 locations;
It can be used all year round for weekends, holidays and leisure activities, anywhere in France (including French overseas departments and regions) and for trips to member countries of the European Union;
It comes in the form of vouchers worth €10, €20, €25 or €50 each.

If you are an employee in the private sector: you can obtain one from your employer, whatever the size of your company, or from your works council (or social and economic committee).
If you are a civil servant: take your income tax notice for year n-2 with you, identify your reference tax income and carry out your simulation directly online or request your form from the website of the Ministry of Action and Public Accounts

In the hotels that welcome you: hotels, holiday villages and clubs, campsites, gîtes, villas, etc.
For the means of transport you use when travelling: trains (SNCF), planes, motorways, cruises (SNCM, etc.), as well as travel agencies and certain websites.
During cultural and leisure activities: historical monuments, castles, museums, shows, zoos, aquariums, amusement parks, etc.
During sporting activities: leisure centres, ski hire, tree climbing, ice rinks, etc.
In many restaurants: haute cuisine, brasseries, world cuisine, large chains, etc.

Little Guest and holiday vouchers

Since the beginning of 2020, Little Guest has been accepting holiday vouchers to pay for your holiday. To help you see things more clearly, here is a list of the conditions to be met when paying for a holiday with holiday vouchers:

Holiday vouchers can only be used for holidays in France (including French overseas departments and regions) and the European Union.
They can only be used for flexible holidays where the bill can be paid in several instalments.
If you use them, you will be asked to pay a 50% deposit by credit card. In fact, you can only pay a maximum of 50% of the bill with holiday vouchers.
The balance of your stay can be paid in full or in part by holiday vouchers.
You must send us the holiday vouchers at least 2 months before your holiday so that we can make the necessary arrangements with the establishments where you will be staying. After this deadline, we will ask you to pay the value of the holiday vouchers by credit card or bank transfer and the amount will be credited back to you as soon as the ANCV has reimbursed us for the amount of your holiday vouchers.
We don’t give change: if the balance is €95 and you send us a cheque for €100, we keep the difference.
If the holiday vouchers are not in the name of the traveller for whom the booking was made, you will need to provide a photocopy of the identity document of the beneficiary of the vouchers.
In the event of cancellation, we do not offer a refund on the amount paid by holiday vouchers, but we will be happy to offer you a credit note valid for 1 year, to be used on a single occasion.
At Little Guest, the minimum amount for a payment by holiday voucher is €50.

Until such time as they can be sent electronically, you can send them to us at the following address:

Little Guest SA

Accounting department

Rue du Pépin 54

1000 Brussels

Belgium

Some useful tips and contacts

In addition, the ANCV regularly offers special offers in partnership with the regions or the big names in tourism. To take advantage of them, go to the agency’s Good Deals page.
Do you have holiday vouchers to use and are wondering how? Check out our selection of the best luxury hotels for families in France!
Finally, if you still have questions about the conditions for using holiday vouchers at Little Guest, don’t hesitate to ask our Travel Designers at the time of booking..

It’s time for the holidays!