But what type of card did you use!It is Sunday, I have just been down the intermarche here in Treignac and topped up no problems...
Mick
livin' the dream
Major problem on Sundays in France
- Thread starter littleredrooster
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Mick
livin' the dream
Riders Rest
Registered user
I used 2 cards to test them,
1. Natwest Bank Card
2. MBNA Visa card
Both cards worked fine.
1. Natwest Bank Card
2. MBNA Visa card
Both cards worked fine.
littleredrooster
Registered user
Yes, mate, if you read my original post you will see that it was ONLY at the Intermarche where ours worked too. Try them again at a Total, an Esso or an Elf and tell me they still work. Are they UK-issued cards, BTW?
Riders Rest
Registered user
I tend to only use supermarkets for fuel, it's cheaper... And I almost never have a problem with UK cards. But on the odd occasion I have strayed to the main brand stations I haven't had a problem in a few years. The supermarkets are starting to open Sunday mornings now as they get a good throughput from tourists in July/Aug plus of course there are loads of small towns with supermarkets dispensing fuel on Sundays through the 24/24 card systems.
After the Bol had finished one year we were low on petrol and had not filled up on the Saturday.So we went to the local station just down the road. There must have been at least 50 or so bikes waiting for the garage owner to come and open up. We were just about to try and find somewhere else when we heard the unmistakable sound of a big four having it's arse well spanked coming up the road. A big cheer went up as the owner of the garage turned up on his ZZR and proceeded to brim everyone's tank( biker mates eh), can you imagine him turning up for 50 fuckin VOVO's.
And if you, mate, had read the rest of the thread, you would have seen that, apart from certain well-described circumstances, problems with foreign cards in France are now a thing of the past.
That's me off the VOLVO owners club Christmas card list with the looks of things. Good job I still have the biker mates.
Phew, that's Sunday over.
A broad selection of cards, all in regular unmanned stations..... But we were in Belgium, France and Luxembourg.
Anyway, all was well.
The weather has been 'mixed'. Never cold but always overcast, heavy showers with some stonking bursts of rain.... Pirelli Diablo Super Corsa tyres, stick like glue, whatever.
I am not in a position to fully report on the state of the Chunnel crossings (only 50% complete) and I really have no idea of the MPG, though the orange idiot light comes on at around 135 miles.
No dogs.
A broad selection of cards, all in regular unmanned stations..... But we were in Belgium, France and Luxembourg.
Anyway, all was well.
The weather has been 'mixed'. Never cold but always overcast, heavy showers with some stonking bursts of rain.... Pirelli Diablo Super Corsa tyres, stick like glue, whatever.
I am not in a position to fully report on the state of the Chunnel crossings (only 50% complete) and I really have no idea of the MPG, though the orange idiot light comes on at around 135 miles.
No dogs.
littleredrooster
Registered user
D'ya know what - I, sorry we - must have been fucking hallucinating and I must have imagined the written response from my VISA card explaining that they do not permit use in unmanned stations. I must have dreamt that three of us tried 10 (yes - fucking TEN, after we recounted) different cards in two different unmanned stations in France in June 2014. How glad am I that the nightmare is over and everything still works as it did for the past twenty years.
I give up, I really do. The majority of respondents on this thread have tried to prove me wrong, so all I can say is - to those who actually ride in France - you are obviously correct, I was fucking dreaming, my two mates were fucking dreaming, my card provider is fucking wrong so go fuck yourselves; it's the last bit of useful advice I will ever try to give.
I pretty much live in France and almost (Caxton excepted) never have a problem in unmanned petrol stations regardless of the day of the week.
I certainly don't have problems any more frequently than in the UK.
No need to try and prove you wrong, the fact that almost everybody is able to get fuel on the sabbath is evidence enough.
A sort of flounce....
Don't let this set back stop you giving useless advice.
Don't let this set back stop you giving useless advice.
I still think the Foreign Office should advise against all but essential travel to France, and even then only with a petrol tanker escort until the situation is fully clarified.
A TV advertising campaign should also be used British citizens are aware of the dangers and the Chunnel should be blocked up at the British end and ferries banned from carrying vehicles to France.
A TV advertising campaign should also be used British citizens are aware of the dangers and the Chunnel should be blocked up at the British end and ferries banned from carrying vehicles to France.
sven
Registered user
I'd read the stories about UK cards not working except in supermarket filling stations with 24/24 signs, so simply included a large town enroute for a fuel stop on a Sunday so I could use a Le Clerc or Carrefour filling station when I went to the Pyrenees in 2007.
As it turned out, I also had only one problem in the whole trip (and subsequent trips to France) and simply used a different card. Generally they work in rural unmanned filling stations too.
As promised, a report on the Chunnel.
Outwards: A tiny bit busy.
Return: Fecked beyond all recognition.
I can see a car with dogs in but it's not a Volvo.
Three blokes on matching 1200 WC Adventures, with coordinated twat suits, panniers, tents, fuel containers... The whole nine yards. I fear they may try to engage in biker banter.
PS No signs of UK cars littering the roads of France, bereft of fuel.
Outwards: A tiny bit busy.
Return: Fecked beyond all recognition.
I can see a car with dogs in but it's not a Volvo.
Three blokes on matching 1200 WC Adventures, with coordinated twat suits, panniers, tents, fuel containers... The whole nine yards. I fear they may try to engage in biker banter.
PS No signs of UK cars littering the roads of France, bereft of fuel.
I managed a little bimble yesterday; knew I needed fuel so I stuffed my pockets with credit cards.
Being the sort of guy who likes to live on the edge, I strayed sufficiently far from home that I needed to refuel to get home.
As expected, Caxton card not even recognised, but an RBS VISA worked fine. It was a close thing for a while, but I managed to struggle through.
I love the thrill of this adventure biking lark.
Being the sort of guy who likes to live on the edge, I strayed sufficiently far from home that I needed to refuel to get home.
As expected, Caxton card not even recognised, but an RBS VISA worked fine. It was a close thing for a while, but I managed to struggle through.
I love the thrill of this adventure biking lark.
I am happy to report that, unlike the Chunnel, the automatic fuel station in St Omer is performing like clockwork. I appreciate today is not Sunday but it might be good for a biker to know if they down in Grenoble. You can't beat at bit of local knowledge.
Sun shining, card working and rose well chilled. A little light lunch at midi and all is well with the world.
Deleted account 240901001
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How peculiar.....my Visa card works fine in un-manned fuel stations...so far and has done on the last dozen or so times this year. Last trip a couple of weeks ago. Will report back on Friday...after next visit.
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