michele Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 When you pull up to the peage /Toll booth above you see which one is for Lorries /Cars they are usually lit up with the green cross or red sign. What I do not understand and need help with is usually everyone is waiting in these cues . Yet I notice some that seem to be like Credit Cards . Is it a Credit Card system and can anyone use them by just inserting your card . Also they have a similar system in some petrol stations . Can anyone buy petrol from these pumps by just inserting a card or do you have a special french card .. please help to clear this up for us thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Hi Michele - to take your last point first, no most of us Brits are unable to use our CCs at rpeent in French 24hr pumps. The technology is different - well, being French it would be, wouldn't it....! I think you have to have a French Bank Account to get such a card. I had thought with Chip and Pin this would have changed but so far don't think it has. We always fill up in daylight hours, and avoid Bank Holidays in case there are no manned booths available. For payment of tolls on Autoroutes, we always head for the booth which is high enough to let a motorhome through - and usually on 'multi entrance' ones, that excludes those which are for sole use of the CC. However, you can usually use your credit card (UK variety) for payment of such tolls. We have found one or two where there is no 'manned' booth, and after the initial panic fouhd you can use you UK card, and it will give a receipt. There does seem to be another system as well - 'telepeage', or soemthing similar, which I suspect must be a 'special' type of card. No doubt someone will have more knowledge of this one than me, and tell us how, if at all, we Brits can obtain one. Perhaps it's a bit like the London Travel 'Oyster' Card? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 When you approach a toll booth there is usually a large sign with pictures of the cards they they accept. At petrol stations you can can usually pay with any credit card as long as you pay at the paybooth. When the petrol station is closed (especially on Sunday) there is normally a 24hr pump but unfortunately they only accept French cards. If anyone is a regular visitor to France then I would advise them to open a French bank account and ask for a card. This is not a credit card but a debit card. You do not have to be a resident in France to open a Bank account. We did this a few years ago before we bought a property and moved here. As long as you keep your account in credit this system works fine and you will not have the problem of running low on fuel on a Sunday (which happened to us) and not being able to pay unless a kind French person will use his card and you give him the money. I have heard this done so many times recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 Thanks Guy's, Sylivia which bank do you recommend if any ? I have been looking online BNP Paribas seems to be all over france but there site isn't in English so makes hard studying. I would like to open a non resident bank account and start a DD going in so it's just there for us as and when we fancy it . Also you dont miss a little going in every week . Nice if it's sitting there for a rainy day . We spend so much time in France just trying to find out a little more . A friend said that credit Agricole is for farmers sounds like it from the pronounciation ? maybe I,m wrong . Credit Mutual I will have to keep looking . Thanks again there must be loads on here with a non resident account Ummmmm which bank ? I would like to do online banking from home obviously. :-( What did you have to do to open your account .... By that I mean passport something with address ect ect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 I can't add much, but ... Last summer I had it from two different petrol stations that the French would be going over to the card system the rest of us use by next summer. It'll be interesting to see if that happens, but for once THEY are the ones out of step with the rest of Europe. I was told a couple of years ago by my bank (Barclays) that they have a partnership deal with BNP Paribas which keeps the charges down. HOWEVER I haven't tried this out, because I found that Nationwide don't charge ANY commission on purchses or withdrawals using their Cr or Debitr cards, so I opened an account with them & have used it ever since. Don't know if any of that helps much ... ! Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 As I understand it the French were the 1st to use chip and pin and when the rest of Europe came along to do it the technology had moved on. The French are now changing over to the same system as the rest of Europe so you should be able to use your UK card anywhere soon. Some French supermarket petrol stations already have the new system. We use Nationwide for our banking and this means we can withdraw cash anywhere in the world without paying commission (including French cash machines) As for the toll roads - as we have a 6 wheeler we avoid the toll roads and use the N roads instead (6 wheelers pay very expensive tolls). The N roads are usually excellent and just as quick as the pay motorways running alongside them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 Thanks Tony any help appreciated . Frankia. We have loads of english cards and don't have a prob. The reason I want a french account for is I would like to sit a syphon off a liitle each week into that account . perhaps for retirement time . if I open it now and start to do that it will bild up a little nest .In saying that I dont neccesisarily ( Spelt wrong sorry can see it but jumbled ) want to save it so not really looking for a savings thingy. We might save for a year and have a blow out each time we go over . Just really want somewhere to put it from home online once a week for when we go. Which is quite often I add Thanks for info guy's ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 michele - 2007-01-06 7:56 PM Thanks Guy's, Sylivia which bank do you recommend if any ? I have been looking online BNP Paribas seems to be all over france but there site isn't in English so makes hard studying. I would like to open a non resident bank account and start a DD going in so it's just there for us as and when we fancy it . Also you dont miss a little going in every week . Nice if it's sitting there for a rainy day . We spend so much time in France just trying to find out a little more . A friend said that credit Agricole is for farmers sounds like it from the pronounciation ? maybe I,m wrong . Credit Mutual I will have to keep looking . Thanks again there must be loads on here with a non resident account Ummmmm which bank ? I would like to do online banking from home obviously. :-( What did you have to do to open your account .... By that I mean passport something with address ect ect MicheleTry Credit Agricole de Normandie. They do an account called Britline, aimed at Brits buying property in France. The website can be found under Britline, so just "Google" that. Website is in English, and most of the Britline staff are British, or speak very good English. You get a French cheque book, but the VISA debit card is not free, costs 5Euro per month, plus an intiial charge (Sorry, this paragraph has gone bold because I tried to use the "Euro" symbol, and it wont cancel!!).You do have to be very careful about your credit limit though. Under French law you may absolutely not overdraw. If you all hell breaks loose, and for a second offence you can be banned from holding a bank account, at all! This is not a law for the Brits, it applies equally to the French. The upside, is how readily a cheque will be accepted as payment: they don't bounce, see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 I agree wholeheartedly with Brian and his information is correct. There are two types of debit card, 1 is where the monies are taken from your account immediately and the other they mount up over the month and are taken out at the end of the month. As far as saving a little each week it would be very expensive to do a regular transfer, you would be better buying Euros each week and then when you come over deposit most of it into your French account each time. This will then save you transfer charges. This is what we did and our friends do the same. As far as Credit Agricole is concerned and I can only speak of our experience, we are able to see our account online and transfer money between the savings and the current account or pay someone who also has a Credit Agricole account. We can also pay Elec/Rates etc online with our card and forgot any motoring fines we get (only 1 to date). We can also use our French debit card to buy online. We also have a Saga credit card and they also do not charge us for using it away from the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 Brian & Sylvia, Keith . Thanks alot for all the info I have looked at the britline makes easy reading . God seems so involved though take your passport to the bank have it stamped on the photo page ?. I think I might jus make it easy buy Euros and bank when I get there that way not incurring a charge. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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