un-manned service stations (1 Viewer)

mr moo

Free Member
Jun 1, 2011
35
31
east yorkshire
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VW van conversion
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on & off for some time!
have just returned from france & the good news is that diesel at supermarkets etc is 1.25 euros/litre, whilst on autoroutes it is approx 1.44, now the intersting bit, many of the service stations are now 24hr automatated, you put you card in, then you pin number then out comes the diesel - well that's the theory.

We had no problem at all with this system when used at supermarkets etc but when attempting to fill at unmanned forecourts both debit & credit cards were declined
:shout:. yes, l did check with both my bank & cc to check that no one had withdrawn huge amounts of money in outer mongolia, so decided it had to be the credit check system in place at these spots espcially as cards worked perfectly everywhere else.

Just thought l ought to flag this up incase you are running short of fuel in france & drive into one of these unmanned garages only to get a nasty shock as opposed to a full tank of diesel. :Eeek:

Anyone else encountered this?

PS: several of the aires we stopped on also used the cc system to enter.
 

sedge

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Jul 7, 2009
5,493
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7,396
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Shedloads, ever since they invented the credit card. Pete's first encounter with the little prob was when his eldest Granddaughter was approx 4 and she's 22 nearly now ......
 

normanandsue

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Dec 31, 2010
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It is a while since we tried to use one of these as we discovered many years ago they only accepted Carte Bleu credit cards. Maybe they have changed now and accept all credit cards or maybe they haven't.

Norman

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slobadoberbob

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Jun 1, 2009
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That is why I use a Caxton FX card

have just returned from france & the good news is that diesel at supermarkets etc is 1.25 euros/litre, whilst on autoroutes it is approx 1.44, now the intersting bit, many of the service stations are now 24hr automatated, you put you card in, then you pin number then out comes the diesel - well that's the theory.

We had no problem at all with this system when used at supermarkets etc but when attempting to fill at unmanned forecourts both debit & credit cards were declined
:shout:. yes, l did check with both my bank & cc to check that no one had withdrawn huge amounts of money in outer mongolia, so decided it had to be the credit check system in place at these spots espcially as cards worked perfectly everywhere else.

Just thought l ought to flag this up incase you are running short of fuel in france & drive into one of these unmanned garages only to get a nasty shock as opposed to a full tank of diesel. :Eeek:

Anyone else encountered this?

PS: several of the aires we stopped on also used the cc system to enter.

That is the reason why I have a Caxton FX euro card.. you pre load it and it has always worked at un-manned petrol stations even in the out of way places. Being a euro card there is no issues of credit checks as the cards are pr loaded. You can draw cash at machines, pay as a credit card (Mastercard) at shops or camp sites.... You can withdraw cash at machines (no charges).

A simple way over a problem... do not use on a toll road.

Bob
 
Mar 21, 2009
1,367
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Harwich, Essex
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5,989
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C Class
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4 years
We had this in January - tank was on empty so frantically tried to find filling station, pulled into unmaned and then wouldn't take our card. Luckily there was another one 1 mile down the road but it was a close call.
May think about putting some money on a caxtons card for emergencies when we go next month.

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keith

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Aug 25, 2007
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Caravaning since 1974 - Motorhoming since 2003
Have used my cards in these un-manned fuel stations and never had a problem.

I think even the French have caught up with the 21st century now. :ROFLMAO:
 
Jul 4, 2010
1,194
804
Essex / central France
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12,437
MH
Hymer Star Line 680
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9 years
Happened to us twice, both in northern France in the fully automated fuel stations.

Second time tried 2 debit cards and then 2 credit cards, all were UK cards but none accepted. Luckily we have a Credit Agricole debit card too and that was accepted, so come to the conclusion that non French cards didn't work at that one.

First time we were looking slightly puzzled (as we only use UK debit cards in France and never before been refused).

A very kind French lady offered to use her card for us if we paid her cash, such kindness.
 

weekenders

LIFE MEMBER
Apr 30, 2008
2,656
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Leicestershire
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2,443
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A Class
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We tried to use an unmanned petrol station on a sunday, used a UK debit card and tesco credit card and none would work, we found one on the monday and machine was ok!!

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sedge

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Jul 7, 2009
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A very kind French lady offered to use her card for us if we paid her cash, such kindness.

Which was exactly what a French lorry driver did for Pete on the occasion I mentioned.

Except he put it on his 'Agency' card, and pocketed the francs ! Oh he's just said Msieur put 210 FF in the Rangie although Pete had only given him 200 FF ! (good ole Norbert or whoever he worked for :ROFLMAO:)

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Oct 12, 2008
6,243
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Balma (next to Toulouse) France
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HymerCamp 51Capucine
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Since 2011/owner since 6/03/2014
have just returned from france & the good news is that diesel at supermarkets etc is 1.25 euros/litre, whilst on autoroutes it is approx 1.44, now the intersting bit, many of the service stations are now 24hr automatated, you put you card in, then you pin number then out comes the diesel - well that's the theory.

We had no problem at all with this system when used at supermarkets etc but when attempting to fill at unmanned forecourts both debit & credit cards were declined :shout:. yes, l did check with both my bank & cc to check that no one had withdrawn huge amounts of money in outer mongolia, so decided it had to be the credit check system in place at these spots espcially as cards worked perfectly everywhere else.

Just thought l ought to flag this up incase you are running short of fuel in france & drive into one of these unmanned garages only to get a nasty shock as opposed to a full tank of diesel. :Eeek:

Anyone else encountered this?

PS: several of the aires we stopped on also used the cc system to enter.



YESSSSSS.......... Me ........ In England ... "so decided it had to be the credit check system in place":roflmto::roflmto:


Changed card for Portugal as it sometimes works , sometimes not ! And now have both cards credit card and debit card ; We don't make the difference at all in France . You have a card you can take money wherever you wish to . If the bank thinks you won't have money enough , then it is a special one which stops working once you're on Zero (well it is a bit more complicated than this but it works.)

Amicalement

Frankie:Smile::Smile:
 

maggio

Free Member
Jul 5, 2012
30
5
limousin
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21,799
MH
challenger
Exp
newbie
credit cards

Hi, Quite often 24 hour fuel stations in france will not accept any cards other than those that are issued in France. In other words, if you dont have a french bank account, you will be at the mercy of finding someone that has.

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Jul 4, 2010
1,194
804
Essex / central France
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12,437
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Hymer Star Line 680
Exp
9 years
YESSSSSS.......... Me ........ In England ... "so decided it had to be the credit check system in place":roflmto::roflmto:


Changed card for Portugal as it sometimes works , sometimes not ! And now have both cards credit card and debit card ; [HI]We don't make the difference at all in France [/HI]. You have a card you can take money wherever you wish to . If the bank thinks you won't have money enough , then it is a special one which stops working once you're on Zero (well it is a bit more complicated than this but it works.)

Amicalement

Frankie:Smile::Smile:


In our experience that's not quite true Frankie. The 2 debit cards we tried (at two different unmanned fuel stations) both had more than a £1000 in the accounts, the 2 credit cards had nil balances so also had £1000's available.

I make a point of writing northern France as it never happened to us anywhere else and we do scoot around France to the tune of 20,000 kms a year on business.
 
Nov 8, 2010
171
122
France 86
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14,386
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Chausson Allegro
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Since 2010
That is the reason why I have a Caxton FX euro card.. you pre load it and it has always worked at un-manned petrol stations even in the out of way places. Being a euro card there is no issues of credit checks as the cards are pr loaded. You can draw cash at machines, pay as a credit card (Mastercard) at shops or camp sites.... You can withdraw cash at machines (no charges).

A simple way over a problem... [HI]do not use on a toll road.[/HI]
Bob

Why not?
 
Sep 5, 2008
566
332
York
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3,947
MH
C Class Bessacarr 769
Exp
Since July 2010
We had the same problem in France in October. Wouldn't accept either of our credit cards.
Lin

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slobadoberbob

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Jun 1, 2009
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I always use the Caxton Card when I can

It is great to see our very own Bob so positive about his Euro Card as opposed to his AmEx card... :ROFLMAO:

JJ :Cool:

... Out of interested JJ Amex is in fact a british company.. not American. Based in Brighton.

I always use the Caxton FX car in europe... as it is a pre loaded card there is never an issue. British banks have often put blocks on British cards used in France, especially northern France to to the number of cards being ripped off.

I do not want to pay charges in any case so I find the Caxton Card covers the situation No exchange rate charges or admin fees... you load the card when you think the rate is best for you.

Never had a problem, even in some of the tiny towns with pay at pump machines in the middle of the night.. cuts off at about £100 equivalent... but that is the same as the Tesco night machines in the UK.

Bob
 
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mr moo

mr moo

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Jun 1, 2011
35
31
east yorkshire
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16,674
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VW van conversion
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on & off for some time!
no can't agree frankie on bank rejecting 'cos of lack of funds: debit card had over 1K in & cc was working fine, it was these particular card terminals not accepting non-french issue cards. some terminals ejecting the card as soon as entered machine on reading chip others allowing you to 'chip n pin' then rejecting. There were no notices indicating that 'foreign' cards were not accepted on the terminals or fuel pumps either.

should say that it was only in garages that this was a problem, elsewhere your max spen limit was around the 150 euro mark.
 

slobadoberbob

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Jun 1, 2009
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the FX card takes a charge against the balance


Using the card allows it to take a charge against it.. so if you put say £80 of fuel in the card holds £100 against your credit until it has been processed .. a few hours to a few days.. So if you did it on a toll road you could have the cards balance blocked by £80 for a few days.... does not happen when you use the card in a shop or to draw cash.. it is only petrol stations and tolls.

Hope that helps.

But otherwise the Caxton Card is a good bit of kit.

Bob

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Spacerunner

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Apr 7, 2008
607
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7
Maybe the problem is due to currency exchange. You use a debit/credit card attached to a sterling account in Euroland and the system falls on its face.
I use a FairFX pre-loaded card in euros and never had a problem.
 
Aug 23, 2009
311
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Since 1995
Remember that chip and pin was in use in France for quite a while before being introduced in the UK. When introduced in the UK the technology was "more advanced" and meant that UK cards were not generally compatible with most French outlets. When we went to live in France in 2000 it was a real problem and we definitely had to carry our French bank cards to guarantee acceptance by the machines. It has certainly improved over the years but there are obviously still some outlets that have not caught up!

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rainbow chasers

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Oct 30, 2009
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pre pay cards are an excellent idea for euro travel - it keeps your main cards safe!

One thing to watch with unmanned stations.....that goes for over here as well, not just europe - is these are prime spots for skimming devices as thee is often no-one around!

In the UK, one of the top places for skimming is a certain supermarkets unmanned stations according to the bank! Examine them before use, and cover your hand moreso here than anywhere.
 

Stephen & Jeannie

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Easy peasy !

HOW TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM according to the rules of Salopian (hereafter known as "The Wise One"):Cool:

There is a device in your MH known as a (wait for it !)...

A fuel gauge !!!!:Doh:

When it reaches a certain point, in my case half a tank, go to a Supermarket garage during the hours of trading , fill up and pay, either with a card or good old fashioned cash !! One might also take this opportunity to top up with comestibles and alcoholic beverages !

The wise one has spoken !!!!

:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::Rofl
 
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Snowbird

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Apr 24, 2009
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No problem getting Shell fuel anywhere in Europe with my Euroshell card. Day or night. Dont need it much these days unless am going to Spain as I have well over 1000 mile range on chipfat :ROFLMAO:.

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May 20, 2009
782
856
Haute Vienne, France
Funster No
6,799
My Nationwide debit and credit cards have worked in fuel stations at all times of day and night (manned and unmanned) all over France since I have lived here with no problems at all.
 
Jul 4, 2010
1,194
804
Essex / central France
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Hymer Star Line 680
Exp
9 years
My Nationwide debit and credit cards have worked in fuel stations at all times of day and night (manned and unmanned) all over France since I have lived here with no problems at all.

Hello

If you were to differentiate between fuel stations that are manned in the day but set on auto over night, and fully automated fuel stations that are never manned, is there a difference for you?

We have had card trouble only in the fully automated ones within say 80k of Lille, but never anywhere else.
 
Apr 13, 2012
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un-married service stations?.............. I'd better go to Specsavers...............

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