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French super markets.


fesspark

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A lot depends on when and where you leave the ferry port and how far you want to go.

Running low on fuel in the middle of the night can be problematic in France as not all filling stations are manned 24/7 and many (used to) decline some UK credit cards.

Have not been of late so this may have improved?

For the sake of a few Euros we used to find it easier to leave with a full tank and have a range anxiety worry free first day!

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We came back 4 weeks ago, and the French fuel was expensive, more than UK. I would not chance it, and fill up in UK to start. I believe the price has dropped in France now, but you are not talking a big differance. Much cheaper in Spain! Super U appeared to be the cheapest in France

 

Enjoy your trip

 

PJay

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Tracker - 2018-07-17 5:55 PM

 

A lot depends on when and where you leave the ferry port and how far you want to go.

Running low on fuel in the middle of the night can be problematic in France as not all filling stations are manned 24/7 and many (used to) decline some UK credit cards.

Have not been of late so this may have improved?

For the sake of a few Euros we used to find it easier to leave with a full tank and have a range anxiety worry free first day!

 

Other than service-stations on autoroutes (or equivalents) I don’t think any French service-station is likely to be manned on a 24-hour basis. Nowadays a UK credit-card should (in principle) be usable at any French unmanned service-station, but that doesn’t mean it will always be accepted by the fuel dispensing equipment. I’ve had the occasional French fuel dispenser refuse the credit-card that I normally use (once quite recently) but happily accept one of my alternative cards.

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Derek Uzzell - 2018-07-18 8:42 AM .... I’ve had the occasional French fuel dispenser refuse the credit-card that I normally use (once quite recently) but happily accept one of my alternative cards.

Yes, that happened to me last September for the first time in years and years, at a supermarket pay-at-the-pump station I'd used many time before on previous trips with the same card.  No idea why it decided to reject my card that time.  Made me quite nostalgic for the days when it was always a chancy business getting any French machine to accept a "foreign" credit card; part of the mystery and charm of being in France and having to wind your way through the narrow kerb-lined lanes to pay the cashier in the little booth - and always having a fall-back wad of francs and later euros, to cope when plastic wouldn't work at all.

I suppose we'll go back to all that once we've left the EU!
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We use this site when travelling to, or are in France.

 

https://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/

 

Currently supermarkets are about 1.40€, so a bit cheaper than the UK. But we use a Santander 123 credit card and in the UK you get a 3% cashback on fuel. So if we were leaving now we'd fill up here!!

 

We use this site for Spain

 

 

http://geoportalgasolineras.es/#/Inicio

 

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Derek Uzzell - 2018-07-18 8:42 AM

 

Tracker - 2018-07-17 5:55 PM

 

A lot depends on when and where you leave the ferry port and how far you want to go.

Running low on fuel in the middle of the night can be problematic in France as not all filling stations are manned 24/7 and many (used to) decline some UK credit cards.

Have not been of late so this may have improved?

For the sake of a few Euros we used to find it easier to leave with a full tank and have a range anxiety worry free first day!

 

Other than service-stations on autoroutes (or equivalents) I don’t think any French service-station is likely to be manned on a 24-hour basis. Nowadays a UK credit-card should (in principle) be usable at any French unmanned service-station, but that doesn’t mean it will always be accepted by the fuel dispensing equipment. I’ve had the occasional French fuel dispenser refuse the credit-card that I normally use (once quite recently) but happily accept one of my alternative cards.

 

On our recent trip to France we saw no supermarket members of staff in the little payment kiosks.

 

I think the cost of having a member of staff sit in the kiosk when most customers are using credit cards is the reason.

 

Probably the main reason for the member of staff in the kiosk (where there is one) is to sell LPG bottles.

 

We now always use the card only pumps as maneuvering round the payment kiosk can be a real problem at some supermarkets. The layouts are designed for cars not MHs.

 

Also not had any problems with UK credit cards (ours is the Halifax Clarity Card) now for probably five years.

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Left the uk 5 days ago. We paid 1.41 and 1.42€ to top up before traveling to Spain with a very empty tank.

Here in the Costa Blanca I paid 1.178 and noticed it cheaper with card payments only.

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colin - 2018-07-21 12:05 AM

 

StuartO - 2018-07-18 9:14 AM

 

I suppose we'll go back to all that once we've left the EU!

 

 

I've used my credit card all around the world, only place I've had problems is Netherlands.

 

If you’ve never had a problem using a credit-card other than in the Netherlands, you’ve been extraordinarily fortunate. I’ve encountered card-reading equipment in the UK and abroad that refused to recognise one of my cards (commonly at small restaurants) but accepted an alternative card and, on one occasion, it was apparent that an equipment (a fuel pump) was malfunctioning because other people’s cards were also being rejected. My wife’s usual credit-card is much more problem-prone than mine (possibly because she wears it out shopping!) but, when this happens, an alternative card normally works.

 

Like sat-navs and the internet, when you think about it it’s amazing that the credit-card system works at all.

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Derek Uzzell - 2018-07-21 1:40 PM

 

colin - 2018-07-21 12:05 AM

 

StuartO - 2018-07-18 9:14 AM

 

I suppose we'll go back to all that once we've left the EU!

 

 

I've used my credit card all around the world, only place I've had problems is Netherlands.

 

If you’ve never had a problem using a credit-card other than in the Netherlands, you’ve been extraordinarily fortunate. I’ve encountered card-reading equipment in the UK and abroad that refused to recognise one of my cards (commonly at small restaurants) but accepted an alternative card and, on one occasion, it was apparent that an equipment (a fuel pump) was malfunctioning because other people’s cards were also being rejected. My wife’s usual credit-card is much more problem-prone than mine (possibly because she wears it out shopping!) but, when this happens, an alternative card normally works.

 

Like sat-navs and the internet, when you think about it it’s amazing that the credit-card system works at all.

 

 

I've always carried Mastercard credit card and Visa Debit card, going back to the 80s sometimes you would find only one or other was accepted, in Netherlands this is still the case, that is if they take cards at all, but what we also found is the m/c's more often than not refused our cards, being forewarned I had a lot of Euro in my wallet. The only other time I can recall having a problem was back in 80s in NZ when Lloyds blocked my card due to an administrative error. I must admit to never having tried a automated fuel station in France, have always paid via a cashier.

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