12:10 p.m. on a Tuesday. An order comes in on your website: two takeout meals, paid for with a meal voucher card. A minute later, another customer tries to pay for their delivery with the same card, but the payment is declined. They call the restaurant to find out why. Situations like this will become more common: the meal voucher reform, currently under review in Parliament, will make the vouchers 100% digital and explicitly allow for remote ordering.
Key Points: On October 12, 2026, the National Assembly passed a bill that will make meal vouchers entirely digital as of January 1, 2028, and authorize their use for online orders. Members of the National Assembly had initially excluded delivery platforms; the Senate’s Social Affairs Committee removed this exclusion on November 3. The bill is scheduled for debate in the Senate on November 19, 2026, and is not yet final. One rule, however, is already in effect: delivery and service charges cannot be paid with meal vouchers.
The bill aimed at modernizing and rebalancing the operation of meal vouchers was passed by the National Assembly on October 12, 2026, with 87 votes in favor and none against. The government has initiated the fast-track procedure: following the Senate’s vote, a joint committee may be convened if the two chambers cannot reach an agreement.
For a restaurant owner, the key measures to keep in mind are as follows:
The Senate committee also introduced a two-part daily limit: a higher limit for meals and another for groceries. The amounts will be set by regulation. The current limit remains at 25 euros per day.
👉 Learn more: Meal vouchers: Everything you need to know about the current regulations
This was the point that generated the most discussion. During the Assembly’s review, an amendment was adopted to prevent the approval of meal delivery platforms: customers would no longer have been able to pay for orders placed through these apps using meal vouchers. However, ordering through the restaurant’s website or app remained permitted.
On November 3, the Senate Committee on Social Affairs struck this provision from the bill. Its report puts forward three arguments:
At this point, nothing has been decided. The bill will be debated in session on November 19, and the final version will depend on the outcome of the legislative process. Currently, payment with meal vouchers is still allowed on food delivery apps for the portion of the order that consists of food.
Regardless of the outcome of the vote, several rules already govern the use of meal vouchers to pay for orders placed remotely. These rules account for most of the declined payments that customers report to restaurant owners.
Let's take an example: A customer orders a meal set for 14.50 euros, a dessert for 4 euros, and a beer for 4.50 euros, with a 3-euro delivery fee. Only 18.50 euros can be paid with meal vouchers. The beer and the delivery fee—totaling 7.50 euros—must be paid using another form of payment.
Whether or not platforms remain eligible, the reform is moving in the same direction: 100% digital tickets that can be used remotely on a daily basis. For a neighborhood restaurant, a fast-food chain, or a franchise network, placing an order online offers three concrete advantages.
On a platform, the restaurant pays a commission on each order, often around 30 percent. On its own website, it pays only the payment processing fees. For an order paid for with meal vouchers, the difference is the same: the voucher issuer’s commission applies in both cases, but the platform’s commission does not.
With no delivery fees, a “click & collect” order can be paid for entirely with meal vouchers, up to the maximum limit. This is the simplest option for employees, who can order their lunch in the morning from their desk and pick it up at noon without waiting in line.
On your website, the customer's order, order history, and contact information are stored in your system. You can reach out to them, offer them your loyalty program, and track their orders—something a third-party platform doesn't allow you to do.
With the Innovorder online ordering system, payment via digital meal vouchers can be enabled for multiple issuers. Eligibility is set on a per-product basis in the catalog, which prevents meal vouchers from being offered on orders that contain alcohol, and the daily limit is automatically enforced. Depending on the issuer, the customer can pay for the ineligible portion with a credit card in the same order.
👉 Learn more: Online ordering: 9 reasons to skip the platforms for your restaurant
Would you like to accept meal vouchers for your online order? Talk to an expert
Yes, at a restaurant that accepts the relevant issuer's voucher, up to the daily limit and only for eligible items. The ongoing reform explicitly enshrines this option in law.
No. Shipping and service fees are not covered by meal vouchers and must be paid by another method.
The issue is still up in the air. The National Assembly voted to exclude delivery platforms on October 12, 2026, but the Senate Committee on Social Affairs struck that provision from the bill on November 3. The bill will be debated in the Senate on November 19, 2026, and the final version will depend on the outcome of the legislative process.
According to the bill under discussion, meal vouchers will be exclusively digital as of January 1, 2028. This date is subject to confirmation by the final vote on the bill.
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