French companies and works councils have until December 31, 2021 to offer up to €250 in gift vouchers to their employees

On November 24, the French government announced its decision to make gift vouchers granted to employees by works councils and companies exempt from social security contributions up to a higher limit this year, as it did last year, raising the ceiling from €171 to €250 until December 31, 2021. This initiative, supported and welcomed by Edenred, is excellent news for French consumers’ purchasing power in the run-up to the holiday season.

Companies and works councils wishing to offer this benefit to their employees have until December 31 to place or change their order with Edenred.

A digital portal to order and distribute gift vouchers in just one click

Edenred is the French leader in employee gift vouchers through its Kadéos solutions, which are already used by 160,000 companies and works councils. Available in three formats (paper, card or fully digital gift voucher), Kadéos provides access to the market’s most comprehensive acceptance network, with over 60,000 retailers, 800 brands, 9,000 local stores and 370 websites.
Thanks to the online order portal, French companies and works councils still have time to let their teams take advantage of the new exemption ceiling set by the government.
Kadéos vouchers can be ordered on commande.edenred.fr/kadeos in a few clicks. They are then shipped to employees within 72 hours – just in time for the holidays.

Two possible ways for companies and works councils to give employees up to €250 in gift vouchers this year

For companies and works councils that have already placed an order
It is still possible to raise the amounts up to the new ceiling directly via the client space at client.edenred.fr.

For companies and works councils that have not yet placed an order
Visit commande.edenred.fr to order Kadéos gift vouchers or cards for the holiday season, up to a value of €250 per employee and per child.

Kadéos Connect, a faster, more convenient digital gift voucher portal for both givers and employees

The fully digital Kadéos Connect gift voucher is an increasingly popular format among companies and works councils, a trend that has accelerated sharply since 2020. The solution offers many benefits for both givers and receivers of gift vouchers.

For companies and works councils, it simplifies the benefit distribution process, as all employees can be sent their gift vouchers instantly by email. Storage and delivery, which have become all the more critical with the increase in remote working, are no longer an issue with this solution.

For employees, the digital solution can be used on the market’s widest range of local and national goods and services. Thousands of products are available online in categories as diverse as toys, electronics, household appliances, books, and fashion and beauty. So too are a full array of cultural activities and vacation deals. Employees who prefer to do their holiday shopping in person, whether in large chains or in local stores, can also do so by transferring their gift vouchers to paper format. In this way, the solution caters to the full range of shopping habits and can be used in several installments to the nearest euro on the portal.

Support for local merchants

Every year, employee gift vouchers inject nearly €2 billion into the French economy, providing a fast, sure and far-reaching boost to local consumption.

Given mainly by companies and works councils to employees for the holiday season, gift vouchers are almost always used in full, according to a study by Harris Interactive.

To enable local retailers and independent stores to benefit directly from this extra business, Edenred has launched the affiliation.edenred.fr/kadeos portal. Here, with just two supporting documents (bank account details and “Kbis” certificate of incorporation), merchants can join the Kadéos network in three steps:

Enter a “SIRET” business number.
Enter contact details and banking information.
Agree to the general terms and conditions of membership.

Once these three steps have been completed, merchants are notified of the approval of their application by email. They also receive their account login details and a membership kit, including a sign to be printed and displayed in their store window to let customers know that they can shop in-store using the Kadéos solution.

Read the press release [in French]