Cards at fuel stations

[mascamps.com]

Must vary depending on the area; 10pm is the cut-off around here.

Actually one other thing that varies is whether or not they bother to put a sign at the tollbooth on the way onto the motorway saying what cards they accept. They don't put such a sign in this area (Pyrenees-Orientale) and therefore it's quite possible to run up quite a bill before you find out that they don't accept your card. Biggest problem locally is that the Spanish motorways accept American Express, Visa Electron and (I think) Maestro but the French ones don't. Always wondered what happened when someone turned up at the tollbooth with only one of those cards and no cash: seems that you get a police escort back to the previous service station to withdraw cash as I saw that happen the other day.

 

Arnold

 

[Ex Forum Admin]

[quote user="renaud"]

Paul,

Don't forget that, when all else fails and you're stuck in some god-forsaken deserted petrol station at one in the morning kicking a pump that refuses your English card, out of the darkness will come a petite blonde local angel on her somewhat noisy moped also looking to tank up. She WILL have a French card, will be delighted to accept your hastily profferred french cash, will insist on helping you fill up, and will then categorically refuse any gesture of thanks (such as a contribution to her own petrol) you may suggest. After all, to her it will be much the same as asking for cash-back while buying something with a card at the supermarket.

As I have a nasty and as yet uncontrolled urge to run the car as near to empty as possible (someone once convinced my frugal mind that the lighter a car is, the more mpg it attains), I have been in such a position three times in as many months. I have yet to be disappointed by the next driver who turns up. Even a good command of French is not essential when gestures will suffice.

[/quote]

This happened to us on our journey back from Le Mans this year. The Diesel we had could easily make the journey back to UK without filling up, but unfortunately my friend’s car needed constant filling, we pulled in and it was French card only - luckily a lovely chap from Paris helped us out. Thanks go to that man - Pierre.

I think he might have regretted it though when about 20 other English cars heading back from Le Mans (all running on fumes at this point) all turned up and had the same problem....

 

[mascamps.com]

Poor Pierre has probably been serving time for money laundering every since :)

 

One thing that might be worth trying is to get a UK petrol station card (ie BP, Esso, Shell, etc.). I'm told by various clients coming from Holland and Belgium that these work in French automated stations (obviously BP only working in French BP stations etc.). Snag is that the mix of stations is quite different in France than it is in the UK but I'm sure that you can get a map of where their stations are in France.

 

Arnold