Some of us will have good credit records and others will not
 

The common theme is that you are all correct, even though you have different experiences in the use of credit and debit cards; this is simply because different banks have different rules and procedures for both the issuing of cards and the prevention of fraud

if that was the case, and the card was stopped for fraud prevention reasons, then I wouldn't be able to use it afterwards until I had called the bank to take the stop off, which isn't what happens.

Also, it only happens in French self service stations, so it is evident it is a problem with the way those facilities process the cards or the cards they accept and nothing to do with the bank or their security measures, which I have been subject to on numerous occasions and are entirely different to this problem.

Yup.

Or should I say, "That corresponds to my personal experience....?"

Obviously, there are several separate issues here, and each of us can only report what we know about our own personal situation. In my case, nothing whatsoever to do with credit holds, limits, or fraud prevention. In someone else's case, who knows? In the end, French petrol stations are a particular headache for many of us.

Mark

I'm with Markharf and PanEuropean - in my experience it's been nothing to do with my bank, just with a minority of filling stations not taking out-of-country cards.

I've done a lot of miles in France over the last 12 years or so, and I've only twice had issues getting fuel. The first time we just went and found a manned station. The other was Bastille Day, so nothing else was open and we had to resort to waiting for a local and giving them cash.

I wondered at the time if they'd turned off the 'accept British cards' function just as an expression of patriotism for the day, as we had no problems the rest of the trip. :D

If you think France is bad (I don't) then you don't want to come to the US. I've been here eight weeks and found no more two or three stations which would take any of my UK Visa cards. If you're doing a lot of miles, you need to be carrying a lot of cash. Almost all will require you to prepay if using cash.

Yep, that is more like I was trying to say in my last post, rushing about while waiting for a skype call.
Personally, I have had no problems with the French auto fuel stations in both March and April this year; I was very pleased to come across these because they have solved all of those issues that have been going on for years about refuelling in France, especially on Sundays.
So, it might be worth checking with your bank if you do have issues; if the fuel machine is reserving a chunk of your CC limit each time you fill up and you are travelling distance (I filled multi-times per day with no problems) then your credit limit may be too low - it's not just about fraud prevention.
(As per an earlier post, I'm not with Barclays either).

I have come across manned Belgium fuel stations that do a similar thing; you have to go inside and get your CC swiped before the fuel pump will fire up its motor and work.

In France you must have a card with a PIN code. It is for your own protection and your bank can supply you with one; If not, change the bank!

Sure, but be aware that the big supermarket outlets for fuel are switching over to unattended pumps - they work by pre-authorising a debit/credit card before the fuel pump is automatically "primed" to issue fuel to you. Basically, the fuel pump is following a computer program in which you need to play your (human) part.
I haven't noticed if they will accept cash.

Thanks for the info, travelling through France next month and can do without the card issue.

Cheers Tom.

Unless you are in the most wealthy, (supposedly) technologically-advanced nation in the world, in which case there's no chip and pin, just a magnetic stripe, and only occasionally will you even get asked for a signature (which the cashier will never bother checking against the back of the card).

Ah! You might be susceptible to reading into the "bank and bankers" thread.
:oops2::offtopic:


The UK was very slow to adopt the chip and pin technology: I don't recall all the excuses that came from the bankers at the time, but IIRC they were concerned about the costs, to them, of introducing it.
doh

Dash:

I used to have a problem using my Canadian credit card at American gas stations, until I figured out the trick:

If you 'pay at the pump' (in other words, insert your card into the pump to get it authorized prior to pumping the fuel), the pump will ask you to input your zip code (American postal code), which is, of course, something that visitors from outside the country don't have.

All you have to do is enter any 5 digits (for example, 22222), and that will enable you to proceed to the next step in the authorization process. The authorization computer will recognize that you are from out of the country and then disregard the zip code you entered, and the transaction will be authorized.

The silly thing is that you can't get the connection to the authorization computer unless you enter a zip code - spurious or not.

Michael

Best solution.

Don't go to France.

Works for me

There are lots of great countries around it.

P


Sent by Peter from His IThingy.

The petrol pump phenomena can be found in other countries; a kind of Pan-European feature.
(there's a pun in there, somewhere).

France can be avoided if one really wants to, but a lot of ferry services from the UK land in that country, for their own good reasons.
And then, there is a tunnel.