How did you manage without cash in France? Many places here don’t accept anything but cash for amounts less than 5 or 10 Euros. If I just want to buy a coffee or a baguette, I often need cash.
I spent a few days in French Basque Country and restaurants and fresh markets all accepted credit cards and Apple Pay.
I was traveling with family so spending limits were higher than 5 euros
ApplePay connected to my no forex transaction credit card earning 3% cashback covered 95% of these transactions and a few times I had to use that credit card directly.