Petrol Stations, French Supermarkets.

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

I once tried to fill up with petrol at a supermarket some years ago, using my credit card and the pump shrugged it's shoulders and just stared at me blankly in a very Gallic way whilst flatly refusing to acknowledge my presence, let alone allow me to get any fuel.

I'd rather like to use supermarkets for for fuel on this year's trip but I've never tried again since my last abject failure.

Was I doing something wrong? Do you need to be registered with them in some way? Is it because I was using a non French credit card?
How likely am I to face the same problem again this year?

Will I be able to use my credit card in supermarkets in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy?

 

[Muppet]

Self service machines weren't very tolerant of UK cards up until a few years ago. Much better now though, and I have rarely had a problem using credit or debit cards at all manner of automatic pumps these days. Prefer to use garages myself, even though they're a tad more expensive they have toilets food and drink readily to hand, which is more important than a few cents saved.

 

[Blue]

C/C

Never had a problem using Bank Card or Credit Card in France

 

[Homer1968]

Ive never had any problems with my credit card at petrol stations. Even the un manned ones. I use it to pay my tolls too

 

[Wapping]

Automatic petrol pumps that do not accept British chip'n'pin credit and debit cards are now the exception, not the rule.

If you want to save a possible couple of quid, arm yourself with a credit card that does not levy foreign currency charges, whilst still offering a reasonable exchange rate between the euro and the pound. The Post Office's credit card and the offering from the Halifax Building Society, for example. Both a free to own and easy to order.

Back them up with a good 'loadable' charge card, like the offerings from Caxton and the Post Office and you'll be good to go.

 

[Gonzo]

Chip and pin cards work in French petrol pumps.

They also work in the card-only toll lanes on the autoroutes. Which was not always (embarrassingly) the case.

 

[Rasher]

I had a similar issue in Egypt a few years back with some machines accepting some cards, but not others.

Discovered then that some accepted chip and pin whilst others did not. As already stated I think most of the world are now all using chip and pin.

Still worth having a couple of cards, I always carry two credit and two debit whilst abroad - and keep the spares in a seperate location.

Check charges, I have a couple of credit cards which do not charge a fee, but my main bank card does - but only £1.50 per transaction which is normally better than using a change berau before I set off as I get the proper rate so as long as I take £100+ at a time it is still a good deal, and all small purchases go on the credit card.

If stuck at a pay at pump station and all else fails the locals will normally put a few quid in your tank if you give them the cash.

 

[original_concept]

You'll come back to the UK wondering why we don't have card enabled pumps everywhere. Getting fuel in France is great these days with chip and pin.

 

[Monsieur]

You'll come back to the UK wondering why we don't have card enabled pumps everywhere. Getting fuel in France is great these days with chip and pin.

My local shell had card enabled pumps but have now stopped doing this.
Not sure why?

 

[original_concept]

My local shell had card enabled pumps but have now stopped doing this.
Not sure why?

Shell and Tescos. If you're lucky. A far cry from France.

 

[corsicandreamer]

I use a French or a UK credit card as my situation dictates and both work 99% of the time, every now and then one of the supermarket units throws a wobbler and just doesn't work but its rare.

 

[Riktus]

Most Uk Bank debit cards will work - and I tend to find mastercrd works ok. If in doubt have some cash on you and ask a local to use their card and give them the money in cash (I saw quite a few English riders doing this en route to Spain a few years ago)

Rik

 

[Timolgra]

I once tried to fill up with petrol at a supermarket some years ago, using my credit card and the pump shrugged it's shoulders and just stared at me blankly in a very Gallic way whilst flatly refusing to acknowledge my presence, let alone allow me to get any fuel.

They'll do that if you're getting the sequence wrong, ie. sometimes you need to either put which pump, which fuel or your pin number first

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Thanx Comrades, I'll mebbe's give it another go this summer. But I'll be sure to try when I've got at least half a tankful left - just in case.

 

[Frodo]

Getting petrol (or anything!) on Sundays in France can usually be a problem if you're not on the main routes. It's usually essential to use a card as the petrol pumps aren't manned. Not had any problems for many years, except with understanding the instructions on the pump. Sometimes when you use a uk issued card, the machine will recognise it & default to English instructions.

 

[Wapping]

Not had any problems for many years, except with understanding the instructions on the pump.

After many years, you maybe should just about have got the hang of them by now

That's the trouble with these 'foreign' places, they just don't cater for the English.

 

[Mick-B]

The problem with UK cards a few years back was the shoddy security standard of the chip and pin - it did not match the somewhat higher French standard and thus French chip and pin readers rejected UK cards. Roll forwards a few years, UK banks brought our cards up to a more reasonable security standard, problem solved.

I believe that card fraud had been a problem in France and the government told the card issuers a) to sort the problem and b) that passing the cost of fraud to the customer was not an available option... Faced with a choice of bearing the rising cost of card fraud or doing something about it, French card issuers introduced a reasonable standard (at that time) of chip and pin security.

Time was that travelling any distance in France (off the autoroute) on a Sunday could be a tad stressfull, watching the fuel guage heading towards zero and not seeing an open service station - not so now. Buying fuel 24/7 in France using a UK issued card is not a problem. It's not unheard of to find pumps which are multi-lingual, but in any event it's not that difficult to follow the instructions even if they are solely in French.

 

[stolzy]

Five years ago this was a common problem.

Much less common now, although it can still be an issue with some card/POS machine combinations though there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why some don't work.

I have a Caxton FX VISA card that works fine 90% of the the time, except at our local supermarket automatic petrol station, where it never works. All my other cards work fine there

I have the impression that petrol stations showing the DATS symbol are the dodgy ones, but I couldn't say for sure.

 

[cookie]

The problem with UK cards a few years back was the shoddy security standard of the chip and pin - it did not match the somewhat higher French standard and thus French chip and pin readers rejected UK cards. Roll forwards a few years, UK banks brought our cards up to a more reasonable security standard, problem solved.

i thought it was because french card machines were not using the same standards as everyone else in europe. hence why uk cards worked in machines everywhere other than france.

now the french have updated their kit, it all works

 

[ghiribizzo]

Careful if you're using a card with a low limit that may have been used to book accommodation and it's had money allocated for the deposit and then not taken off the system.
You might be right in knowing that you've still got money left, but could get a decline at the pump.