FRENCH PETROL PROBLEMS

Taff · Jun 18, 2004

Just come back from a short blat to France. Really enjoyable trip apart from the lack of manned Petrol stations. I don't seem to remember this problem from previous trips, but certainly this year, it seems that a lot of the stations are now self service, where you use a machine similar to a British bank "hole in the wall". The problem is that they use "CHIP & PIN" where you put in your card & press in your own PIN number, and not one of our groups 11 cards would work. We ended up travelling along the motorway to get to a 24 Hr station or "hijacking" a friendly looking local, who would use his card in exchange for our Euros. With the holiday season fast approaching, bear this in mind on your next trip to the continent. Has anyone else here had the same problem, and is so perhaps some of the French members on this site, could explain where we can get these cards from.

kcain · Jun 18, 2004

You can't get these cards unless you have a French bank account to issue the cards. This is not a new problem mainly on the weekend on French A roads in the North and it is a real pain.

Iain Hogg · Jun 18, 2004

I've only ever experienced this on a Sunday before.

Please tell me it was the same or at least "out of hours"?

Unfortunately this is the natural progression of large supermarket chains taking control of the supply of almost everything - just as well they still open 7 days a week here in the UK.

(RIP) Sugar Ray · Jun 18, 2004

It certainly caused us some problems a couple of weeks ago - but only on Sundays. There are lots more unmanned stations now, but on other days you can find alternative manned stations. We also had to persuaude locals to fill up for us in excahnge for cash on 2 occasions. It's made me decide I need the larger tank on my next Adventure - although I believe it's standard now anyway.

Regards,

Charles

jack.pe · Jun 19, 2004

New credit cards

Hold on guys, i have recently been issued with a new card by my bank that allows me to use a pin to verify purchase rathetr than a signiature, as the UK is now moving towards this rather than using a signiature, I have already had to use the pin in Halfords and other shops, are you saying this card will not work in france as well??

Taff · Jun 19, 2004

Unfortunately, the problem was not limited to just Sundays or to larger petrol stations. None of the cards on our trip had PIN numbers, but I hope that the most recently issued cards will work. This is certainly something I am going to check before I go over next time, but it may be worth you checking with the card issuer - before you travel - whether they work in France. No doubt someone else from this site will have used a newly issued card in the next week or two, so it will be interesting to see whether they had any problems.

wessie · Jun 19, 2004

According to a friend of mine, who lives in France, the UK, & French chip/PIN systems are incompatible.

The French system is quite old and not secure enough. They will eventually upgrade to the new system which will be used across the EU.

Invicta Moto · Jun 19, 2004

I don't know if it is limited to France or Belgium where they also have credit card machines at unmanned petrol stations.

This is not a new problem and has nothing to do with chip and pin but the Bancontact system they use at petrol statioons. I used the chip/pin once at the manned (actually attractive blonded) hypermarket at Bouilgone to buy petrol and all the rest across Europe made me sign in the usual way despite having a chip'n'pin VISA and Switch.

(RIP) Sugar Ray · Jun 19, 2004

The stations we had problems in had signs saying 'French Bank Cards Only'. Can't understand it when the autoroutes will take any credit cards, but it's France, so what do you expect

One of our group did have a UK card with pin number issued, but it didn't work any better than mine.

Regards,

Charles

Taff · Jun 19, 2004

This seems to be a common problem - so if you are British, is there a stress free way of getting petrol in France ?

Deleted account W · Jun 19, 2004

Open a French current account?

wessie · Jun 20, 2004

E. J. Cambell Evans said:
This seems to be a common problem - so if you are British, is there a stress free way of getting petrol in France ?

You could always plan your trip so that Sunday is a rest day off the bike or a day for blasting off some miles on the Autoroute where the stations are manned 24/7.

However, I've always managed to find somewhere on a Sunday. You may have to deviate from your route slightly into a city centre. IME head for Gare SNCF as there are usually a number of IBIS type hotels nearby and therefore plenty of petrol customers. This has worked for me in Reims, Charleville Meziers and elsewhere.

Invicta Moto · Jun 21, 2004

whatton63 said:
Open a French current account?

Not sucha daft idea. I read something about it in "France" magazine a while back, and that the problem won't be sorted until the French change their system to match international standards. But as usual, they think they have the standard and the rest of the VISA world is wrong.....

I'l look out the article if anyone is interested and post if I can find it and if anyone is really interested.

THE PICT · Jun 24, 2004

Aint only France.Germany is going that way and so is Switzerland.

(RIP) Shenzi · Aug 25, 2004

wessie said:
The French system is quite old and not secure enough. They will eventually upgrade to the new system which will be used across the EU.

That is a bit of a put down that is very unfair.
France is the world leader in card technology and has been for quite some time. The chip system has been in use for a number of years over here, rather more secure than the system still in use in the UK I think. France was the first country to use this system.
I don't profess to be an expert on credit cards but I do know a lot about cards used for other applications and France is still way ahead of the pack.
The restrictions on the use of non French cards stem from the thefts by cards being perpetrated here.

Droopy Dick · Aug 25, 2004

Shenzi said:
That is a bit of a put down that is very unfair.
France is the world leader in card technology and has been for quite some time. The chip system has been in use for a number of years over here, rather more secure than the system still in use in the UK I think. France was the first country to use this system.
I don't profess to be an expert on credit cards but I do know a lot about cards used for other applications and France is still way ahead of the pack.
The restrictions on the use of non French cards stem from the thefts by cards being perpetrated here.

Actually, you've hit the nail on the head.

France has the largest base of chip 'n pin cards issued 'cos it started so long ago.

BUT as a result of this early start, the system is relatively out of dat. Just think of anything to do with computers.

So, the system that will be introduced to the UK will, allegedly, have a more secure and robust chip on each card.

Mike Werner · Aug 25, 2004

Droopy Dick said:
Actually, you've hit the nail on the head.

France has the largest base of chip 'n pin cards issued 'cos it started so long ago.

BUT as a result of this early start, the system is relatively out of dat. Just think of anything to do with computers.

So, the system that will be introduced to the UK will, allegedly, have a more secure and robust chip on each card.

France is going to more secure cards as well, as you pointed out, the French system has been in operation for quite some time.

I think the biggest confusion is that the bankcard system (Carte Blue or CB) has merged with VISA and Mastercard. So one card is both credit card and bank/ATM card.

So often when people see a credit card unit at a gas station, they think you can use a VISA or Mastercard at it. The latter often take a bigger commission per centage than CB, so hence you'll see far less credit cards at gas stations in the country.

Often you will find gas stations on a Sunday that accept normal credit cards, but often you'll need to find them. They're not the unmanned stations, nor the supermarkets.

lagrave · Aug 27, 2004

Whatton said:
Open a French current account?

Try Credit Agricole--they do a bank account called Britline--can be run on internet or phone and operators speak english.Once you set the account up and pay in money you can apply for debit card with pin.These work in french petrol stations.

Sherringford Hovis · Aug 27, 2004

Shenzi said:
That is a bit of a put down that is very unfair.
France is the world leader in card technology and has been for quite some time. The chip system has been in use for a number of years over here, rather more secure than the system still in use in the UK I think. France was the first country to use this system.
I don't profess to be an expert on credit cards but I do know a lot about cards used for other applications and France is still way ahead of the pack.
The restrictions on the use of non French cards stem from the thefts by cards being perpetrated here.

Not a put down at all.. The UK Is the first country to adopt the new standard issued by europe's national banks and it's called EMV. France has an older system that will be upgraded to meet the new standards.

Did I make this up? No, got it off Chip and Pin... if there are any IMTC members here, they will have seen the email from Chip & Pin in the last (August 04) magazine....

If I could be arsed I'd type it all in for you, but I don't have it with me! Make do with this instead:

Using your card abroad
You will continue to be able to use cards overseas. UK chip and PIN cards that carry the international card scheme logos will be accepted by overseas retailers and cash machines just as before. Where the country you are visiting has already upgraded to chip and PIN you will be asked to enter your PIN in the same way as you will in the UK. Where the country in question has not upgraded you will be asked to provide your signature instead. In France, although French customers use PIN already, UK cardholders will continue to use signature for some time. Source: http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/consumer/using/abroad.html

Although all said and done I used my Switch card in the Casino supermarket near Barcelonnette last week and my Mint VISA in petrol station near Dijon and on these occasions used the pin and all other times had to sign....

Spanish Bob · Aug 27, 2004

this credit card thing makes the french REALLY shagging popular with Spaniards. I love france and even (YES EVEN) the french but this is retrograde, primitive and subnormal.

Thank god there are decent people in france who have been decent enough to exchange cash for "french" credit card money. Personally it makes me wonder about their comitment to anyhing other than the political scene in Paris (read more corrupt more than the Bosnian police that I have been nicked by recently), VERY VERY BAD and very out of step with such a magnificent country.

I dont give a rats arse about the technology I just know that my plastic gets me petrol in Sarajevo, but cant get me petrol in France at night. sorry but :GS

that!

bob

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