French chip & pin

Has anyone had success using a UK chip & pin card in a French petrol
station? I really don't want to be forced onto the autoroutes when I
return from Basel, but as it'll be on a Sunday, I'm thinking I may not
have much choice, other than coming back through Germany :-(

 

Cash is good you know.

Alan

 

Never got it to work on a debit card, but apparantly credit cards do work,

The french use a different chip and pin system to us, i've had my UK debit
card with the chip and pin for about 3 years now, and it's never worked in
france, at super markets or automatic petrol stations.

In germany it's worked one or 2 times, and amazingly at one petrol station
near the swiss border from the black forrest, my lloyds visa card was
refused by the automatic machines, but my ex's halifax solo card was
accepted!!!,

Nowadays i just fill up when the petrol stations are open, where they can
swipe the card at the cash desk.. that always works.. or nip into italy
where they have machines that take cash when the petrol station is closed..
just be sure you can fit the ammount of fuel into your tank.. as you pre-pay
5, 10 or 20 litre ammounts, and get no change or refunds if you cant get in
what you've paid for

 

Not if the petrol station is closed, with only automated pumps
available. Like 90% of french petrol stations on a Sunday

 

Only if there's someone there to give it to! When in France on a
Sunday...

There's always the option of asking a friendly local to use their card &
giving them cash, but it's not something I want to rely on.

 

Preston Kemp bored us all completely to death with wittery prose along
the lines of:

<fx: sigh> Here we go again.

Try to use google.

I think the plain and simple response was "No". Not yet anyway. Give it
a couple of years or so, then it'll be "Yes"

--
Cab :^) - almost as fast as G.i.n.g.e.
GSX 1400 - 'Tarts Handbag' (tm) Bike, dead 550/4 Rat
UKRMMA#10 (KoTL), IbW#015, Bob#4, POTM#3

P.S. Remove your_head from the cab. ICQ: 83023471

 

I know 2 people who tried 12 cards between them, none of which worked
:-/

I don't think nipping into Italy is really an option when travelling
from Basel to Calais

 

Indeed. I once had some luck with my RBS Switch card, sans PIN, but it
was only at one particular garage, for some reason.

Do make sure you fill up before you leave Basel. I know you would
anyway, but it's ~15% cheaper here than in France. And if you're going
up near Luxembourg, be sure to fill up there too, where it's cheaper
still.

 

CampinGazz bored us all completely to death with wittery prose along
the lines of:

The French, ATM, are using the old coding system on the chips. New
cards are being distributed (as the old ones expire) with the new
coding system that can be used throughout Europe.

--
Cab :^) - almost as fast as G.i.n.g.e.
GSX 1400 - 'Tarts Handbag' (tm) Bike, dead 550/4 Rat
UKRMMA#10 (KoTL), IbW#015, Bob#4, POTM#3

P.S. Remove your_head from the cab. ICQ: 83023471

 

Preston Kemp wrote in @text.news.ntlworld.com:

No.

Friends with smaller tanks have made detours into Belgium & Luxembourg on
occasions when desperate.

If you are going on the N roads from Metz to Cambrai then you'll find a
manned Esso open, in the centre of Charleville Meziers, close to the Gare
SNCF.

Whichever route you take you will not be far from Autoroutes so you can pop
on and off if necessary to refuel.

 

I know, I know. But it's hard to tell how many of the previous
discussions were mainly to wind Des up...

 

And with the exception of a couple of short stretches between
Strasbourg and Metz are toll-free.

 

Well nine of us were in France last month on a sunday (and other days)
and we all stopped at various places to fill up and never once did we find
a petrol station closed, admittadly one old tart would only accept cash
not cards but that was no hassle.

Alan

 

no, but I've successfully used my UK chip & pin card in a French
/supermarket/ (Auchan).

 

Thanks for that, Charleville is on the planned route so that's very
handy to know.

That's a very good point. I'm sure there's a website map around with the
autoroute stations marked, so I'll note them down.

 

Where the **** were you? IME most areas there's _nowhere_ open Sundays
except for Autoroutes, and only in a few areas will you find
somewhere, e.g. at a supermarket, open and manned on a Sunday morning,
closing at 12.

 

Buying ChiASDFADFNNKC%£"*(Q£(%^RFC£"*£$R

.... NO CARRIER ...
.... NO CARRIER ...
.... NO CARRIER ...

 

I don't think my bike runs on cheese or baguettes. I guess olive oil
could be worth a try.

 

heh - sure - I was just getting at the fact the French are gradually,
albeit slowly, switching over to using the Europe-wide standard
system.