French Tolls, Credit Card (3 Viewers)

[Clickem]

Been travelling down through France this week, and we do occasionally pop on to a toll road to ease the journey. We primarily use a Halifax Credit Card for French and Spanish payments, where possible. The first toll booth worked fine with the Halifax, but ever since, probably 5 or 6 times at different booths it just spits it back out again, but accepts a different credit card, both are MasterCards

The Halifax card has continued to work fine for fuel, campsite fees and shopping

Has anyone else experienced this or can suggest an answer/solution?

TIA

 

[HKF]

This might help https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/

Or you could try it again and, if it's refused, press the button for help. We had to do this once when we were in the car. I said "ma carte n'est pas acceptée" and a very helpful guy came over and told me to put the card in the top slot and it worked

 

[Mark McG]

We got a text message from Halifax when we tried to use on a toll asking us to approve the payment or say it was fraud. We were using the Halifax card as the toll machine refused to accept our Starling card. Some machines on some routes seem to be more uncooperative than others!!!

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[Clickem]

We got a text message from Halifax when we tried to use on a toll asking us to approve the payment or say it was fraud. We were using the Halifax card as the toll machine refused to accept our Starling card. Some machines on some routes seem to be more uncooperative than others!!!

We ended up using the Starling card on the tolls, worked fine, but had been refused the day before to withdraw cash from an ATM at Credit Agricole. The moral seems to be if at first …… always have at least one other card handy

 

[Russell's Dad]

We had numerous issues with various UK cards in France last year. I know this won't help you at the moment but;
This time we bought a Bip'n'go transponder and it is just less stressful. They charge €1.50 for every month you use the toll roads. Tolls are charged to your bank account ( Starling for us).Well worth it for us this year as we used a load of Toll roads to get to the Riviera. Just drive up to a barrier with the big T sign and the transponder beeps, the barrier opens, and off you go!
As an aside I don't recommend the French Ruviera in a campervan/ motorhome. Way too busy at the moment for our liking and stopovers at the Coast almost non-existant.

 

[Swozer]

No problem with our Halifax Clarity in the peages this month (and we toured large parts of France). Have you tried messaging Halifax through their phone app?

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[Dutch 68]

We had numerous issues with various UK cards in France last year. I know this won't help you at the moment but;
This time we bought a Bip'n'go transponder and it is just less stressful. They charge €1.50 for every month you use the toll roads. Tolls are charged to your bank account ( Starling for us).Well worth it for us this year as we used a load of Toll roads to get to the Riviera. Just drive up to a barrier with the big T sign and the transponder beeps, the barrier opens, and off you go!
As an aside I don't recommend the French Ruviera in a campervan/ motorhome. Way too busy at the moment for our liking and stopovers at the Coast almost non-existant.

Where did you get this transponder from and is it by direct debit they take your money? And if you don’t use the toll roads they don’t take the 1.50? Seems a good service for 1.50, what is the cost for the transponder itself ?

 

[John Barrett]

Where did you get this transponder from and is it by direct debit they take your money? And if you don’t use the toll roads they don’t take the 1.50? Seems a good service for 1.50, what is the cost for the transponder itself ?

One of our better investments!

Electronic toll payment badge subscription for individuals | Bip&Go

Your Bip&Go badge delivered in 48 hrs when you subscribe to our Liber-t electronic toll payment plans for individuals, whether you are a frequent or occasional driver

www.bipandgo.com

 

[Land Yachties]

We had an issue with the Halifax Clarity card using French tolls in the last 3 weeks. Some toll booths accepted the card others rejected it. Spoke to Halifax who stated the card was ok as we had found out while using it on campsites and shopping. Halifax claimed the issue was with old card readers fitted in the toll booths not reading the magnetic stripe

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[Clickem]

We had an issue with the Halifax Clarity card using French tolls in the last 3 weeks. Some toll booths accepted the card others rejected it. Spoke to Halifax who stated the card was ok as we had found out while using it on campsites and shopping. Halifax claimed the issue was with old card readers fitted in the toll booths not reading the magnetic stripe

Sounds about right

 

[Riverbankannie]

We have the liber-t from ATMB, €1.90 a month when used and total €15 set up including postage.
<Broken link removed>

 

[Ingwe]

The toll transponder we have allows for toll travel in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. So far, used it everywhere apart from Italy but will do so next year when we go to Greece again. Really makes life much simpler.
It is the Liber-t one referred to in earlier posts above.

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[Russell's Dad]

One of our better investments!

Electronic toll payment badge subscription for individuals | Bip&Go

Your Bip&Go badge delivered in 48 hrs when you subscribe to our Liber-t electronic toll payment plans for individuals, whether you are a frequent or occasional driver

www.bipandgo.com

I got this from a thread on this forum and BIPETE worked for me.
"If you enter: BIPETE5 or BIPETE in the code on BipandGo you get €9 off"

Billed at the end of the month and the money comes out your bank.

Other transponders are available.

 

[Clarky]

Toll tag/ transponder is definitely the way to go.
Had ours for several years now and I still get a little buzz when we drive up, hear the beep and up goes the barrier.
Even better on those toll booths that allow you to cruise through at 30kph.

Richard.

 

[emjaiuk]

I'be ha a Libre-t tag for years. Started off as a SANEF account linked to my Access card, and migrated to Bip 'n Go, their choice, linked to Halifax card. Since Brexit payment is only accepted by bank DD. ( Camping car Park stopped their Libre payment system at the same time). We haven't been to France since the end of the first UK lockdown, and I'be just had a bill for €10 for non use of the tag

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[zipppydj]

We’ve just returned from France & also use Halifax clarity. It worked fine on all tolls during our 2.5 week trip with the exception of one, the toll bridge near Honfleur.

 

[pandas]

We had an issue with the Halifax Clarity card using French tolls in the last 3 weeks. Some toll booths accepted the card others rejected it. Spoke to Halifax who stated the card was ok as we had found out while using it on campsites and shopping. Halifax claimed the issue was with old card readers fitted in the toll booths not reading the magnetic stripe

Tried to buy a submarine with it but would not except a Clarity card either

 

[pandas]

Toll tag/ transponder is definitely the way to go.
Had ours for several years now and I still get a little buzz when we drive up, hear the beep and up goes the barrier.
Even better on those toll booths that allow you to cruise through at 30kph.

Richard.

Do you know if the BroBizz system works outside Scandinavia as we already have one of these?

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[Spike62]

I borrowed a Tag for my trip to Italy from a friend and paid him on my return. Only worked in France and my experience of Italian toll roads, and Mont Blanc tunnel is that they all still use magnetic strip readers that would not accept any UK card I had (including my companies card!!). Used up all my cash and had to find a chip and pin ATM to get more out. Tags are definitely the way to go, especially if it is useable in multiple countries.

 

[Clarky]

Do you know if the BroBizz system works outside Scandinavia as we already have one of these?

No idea I'm afraid, never heard of them.
Our tag is a Sanef/Emovis one for France but I also have their Portuguese version, purchased a couple of years ago before a planned trip but never used.

Richard.

 

[carolyn]

We have ATMB for France like Riverbankannie as it’s the cheapest as you only get charged when you use it. No annual fee.

I have Sanef/Bip and go for Spain and Portugal which only charges when you use it as well but there is a small annual fee.

The ATMB documentation is all in French as is the website, including my recent reminder that my old credit card had expired so that might put some off I suppose.

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[GWAYGWAY]

I have a post office card prepaid in euros, refused everywhere I tried to use it , tolls, shops , fuel , the lot. A bank took it for euros but charged me a big fee for my own money. I tried to cash it it in back here to get my money back but once again a LARGE redemption fee and conversion to pounds commission. Do not touch it with somebody else's bargepole let alone yours.

 

[Al n Val]

I’ve found Starling and Revolut seem to work more or less everywhere but have struggled with a few toll booths and was told they need to update they’re card readers.

So 2 years ago i purchased a tag for France from Emovis and it’s been great, I’ve since purchased one for Spain & Portugal but not had chance to use it yet.

Only once on the mad Covid dash back to the UK in March 2019 did all cards fail including my TSB ones and they made me pay class 4 cash only, i’m bloody certain they pocketed that, €96.70

 

[pandas]

We’ve just returned from France & also use Halifax clarity. It worked fine on all tolls during our 2.5 week trip with the exception of one, the toll bridge near Honfleur.

interesting that the Clarity Card seems to be mentioned a number of times, we have been using it for years specifically for travel abroad, really good facility and not been an issue to-date.

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[Clickem]

interesting that the Clarity Card seems to be mentioned a number of times, we have been using it for years specifically for travel abroad, really good facility and not been an issue to-date.

Likewise, until meeting the French tolls in the last week. Never had any problems with it before

 

[Twoleftfeet]

We were in France last week for 10 days and also had a couple of spit backs using the Halifax card, at one toll near Le mans it would only take cash, The Arthur Daley of Toll booths

 

[MGSMerc.]

The last few posts appear to start to show a pattern. We are now in Croatia and used the France, Italy route and we too have had problems with Clarity for the first time ever. Starling came to the rescue and stopped the impatient queue behind on the toll booths.

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[gus-lopez]

The problem with that is if they have a rogue employee you have given them the green light as to when you are away especially as I was once asked to notify dates from & to?? really?? they also stated that even if I did what they asked that quite likely it was possible that they would decline cards when presented for payment but all I had to do was " ring them from the checkout& they would authorise them".
I refused completely & made official complaints as above & told them that I wanted the cards to do what they were invented for & work wherever I produced them. Never had any trouble since.
Why is it only the UK who ask you to do things like this? I have spanish cards, +German +Revolut+N26 , no problems whatsoever.

 

[Michael Rennison]

The toll transponder we have allows for toll travel in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. So far, used it everywhere apart from Italy but will do so next year when we go to Greece again. Really makes life much simpler.
It is the Liber-t one referred to in earlier posts above.

Emovis Uk run the Liber-t transponder for France, attached to the windscreen, it was a must have after the credit card performance getting out of the van to use the top card slot at the toll booths during our first trip to France - they charge an annual fee and collect by DD - June 2021 was £8.44. Just wish I'd used it the last two years. Plus points us that you can check its battery status online and reorder a replacement.