France,Tolls and card payment for petrol

[CbrDavE]

When travelling in France over the last 2 years there has been 2 things that bugged me:-
When queing for a long time at the autoroute tolls, there was always 1 or 2 special lanes through the tolls for payment with a card or whatever but not many people used them, not even the french. Does anybody know what these lanes were for, and, are we Brits able to use them?
Secondly, on sundays and out of normal opening hours, many petrol staition were unmaned and only for use with payment cards that only the french could use, my visa or bank cards would'nt work. Does anybody know how to get a card that works in those petrol staitions?

 

[SILVERONE]

w;;v Tolls, there are some lanes only for credit cards, (automated)
I think some of the lanes are for people with some sort of season ticket :dunno: .
As for fuel on Sundays if you are desperate you will just have to hang around the pumps till you find a willing French person that will let you use their card in exchange for the equivalent in cash or sex :m .

 

[richard]

Or get yourself a French Bank Account like (CA) Credit Agricole We keep a ton in it, and bump it up when we need so when we go over to my sisters or on the annual holes we have no probs...


R :yo:

 

[roXXo]

It's not just France

I got caught low on fuel in Denmark and had to use an unmanned petrol station and it was a cash (Danish Krone notes) only machine that doesn't give change!
Expensive fill up.

 

[Allan1]

Try this..

I have just published a book on the very subject, look here..
http://www.allrich.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.htm

This explains all you need to know on driving in France.

The lane you mention on tolls are for those who have a chipped card in their window that the lane 'reads' as they drive through it and the payment is made directly at the bank.

As for the fuel issue, yep, they have special cards that are again chipped (like our pin and chip cards) and you have to apply for one..

Rule of thumb, dont let your tankget below 2/3rds empty, and on Sunday's most places are shut!

Buzz

 

[trophychap]

SILVERONE

Can we go to France with you please, because in similar circumstances we have always had to give the French driver cash!!!!!!!!

 

[SILVERONE]

SILVERONE

Can we go to France with you please, because in similar circumstances we have always had to give the French driver cash!!!!!!!![/QUOT

I'll think twice now when saying "fill her up"

 

[R2B2]

I drove down thru France into Spain last summer and used a (British) credit card at every toll booth, (a manned lane), there and back. I didn't use cash once!

Very fast, nothing to sign. They just swiped the card, the receipt was printed almost instantly, - which was handed back with the card.... and away. It was actually quicker than handing over cash and getting change.

 

[graham]

fuel in france

generally motorways (autoroutes) are ok any time for fuel, but beware on N routes on Sundays and also national and religious holidays. for example we went down to Monza a couple of years ago and Ascension Day fell on the Thursday and all small gas stations were closed.

for any one going to Monza this year, Asension Day (5th May) again falls on the Thursday before the WSB Sunday, hotels also tend to be full because the locals take Thurs-Fri-Sat-Sunday as a holiday! Beware!!

 

[duracellbunny-on-a-CBR1100]

french bank account

Or get yourself a French Bank Account like (CA) Credit Agricole We keep a ton in it, and bump it up when we need so when we go over to my sisters or on the annual holes we have no probs...


R :yo:

How do i go about getting this credit agricole card as i am of to south of france soon and it would save me a load of hassle any help here would be most gratfully received:h :h

 

[birdinflight]

okay if you can read french

http://www.credit-agricole.fr/index-fla.shtml?xtref=

 

[eugen44uk]

I have two accounts over the water, A Credit Agricole with MasterCard and a Societe Generale account.

Both were setup in person as it was easier, although CA have been tossers recently. Accounts held by people outside France are allocated to a specific person to administer (A personal Banker), but mine (In Nancy) is a tosser.

You can only do things through Fax, they will not accept email and it seems to take him ages to do anything I request. He alway manages to screw up money transfers (always in the banks favour). Work out where it is best to transfer into Euros in the transfer process as the different banks UK and France have different rates.

I always scoot through to the front at the booths and use my CA card without hassle. Nobody has ever given me any hassle and you often find that on the main routes the booths accepting cards flow easier.

I spend a lot of time down in Bandol and love the roads down there, so it was in my interests to have French accounts.

 

[graham]

uk credit cards for french gas?

have spoken recently to both visa and mastercard, they both say that uk issued 'chip & pin' cards SHOULD now operate un-attended fuel pumps.

when pushed for a firm answer, they would not guarentee the cards would work.

be interested to hear from anyone thats tried to used the latest issue cards this year, certainly my old (2004) cards would not work last year.

any info gratefully received :bow: g0551p

 

[Speedy]

Just got back from France. Have two credit cards, one issued 2 months ago, one last year, both chip and pin and still had to ask a nice Frenchman to use his card for me in Perpignan on Easter Sunday. Fortunately, he took the money and wasn't interested in sex.

 

[Blue_CBRXX]

Unmanned Petrol Pumps

While touring in France last year, I managed to use by Delta card using my PIN to get fuel. I haven't tried it with the VISA yet.

Cheers Paul

 

[D.S.]

bawahahahahahah

why anyone uses motorways in France is beyond me! I've done countless trips now and have just done a five dayer with the g/f. She'd always used m-ways and N roads in the past so it was a bit of an eye openner for her too. On many occasions D roads run alongside m-ways but:
1. have been designed by a biker I reckon :}
2. are unpoliced
3. allow ya to see the real France

My advice is keep ya Delta, Visa, whatever......card in ya pocket, keep off the m-ways, head for the D roads and get that Barge cranked over :beer:

 

[CbrDavE]

Just to put the record straight as I opened this thread.

It was travelling with car'n'family that all this started.

If on a bike in France, i agrree about seeing the real France, but when the car is full of winging sprogs, the best way is the fastest way. Thats if waiting 20 mins to go through tolls of waiting 1 hour for petrol is fast!

 

[Jaws]

Germany France and Belgium all took my Visa credit card with pin no probs ..

Chatting to a German guy I did find out that it is actually a better bet to take a debit card ( again chip and pin ) with you as that is more likely to be accepted ..

 

[lucelie]

Just to put the record straight as I opened this thread.

It was travelling with car'n'family that all this started.

If on a bike in France, i agrree about seeing the real France, but when the car is full of winging sprogs, the best way is the fastest way. Thats if waiting 20 mins to go through tolls of waiting 1 hour for petrol is fast!

Hello
With a motorboke if you pay directly in the lanes for cr?dit card you'll pay as a car.
So go to the right where there is a cashier you can pay either in cash or cr?dit card AMEX included and the price is quite half the car.
Hope that helps
Elie

 

[frenchuk]

Since they're all rude inbred islanding rosbifs...bienvenue au club de tar?s!:yo: