Buying gas with a credit card in Normandy

I’ve never had luck paying at the pump. However, the same cards declined at the pump work fine when I pay inside. Just don’t let your petrol level get too low in case your card is declined at an unattended pump.

Chip and PIN worked fine for me in Normandy. Even at the unmanned pumps at the grocery stores. Just verify with your bank ahead of time that that is what you have.

Thank you, all!

We drove throughout Normandy two weeks ago. We used our credit card with chip (no pin) with no problem at all.

I use my French debit card to buy gas, so I can't comment on your interest in using an American card to buy gas, but I thought I'd mention that you generally can find staffed places to fill up at Total stations during regular business hours (not so much on Sunday), on Autoroute aires with fueling islands (though you'll pay dearly for the privilege) and at E. Leclerc stores with gas pumps, again during normal business hours (i.e., not on Sunday and not in the evening other days). Other grocery chains, such as Intermarché and Carrefour, seem to be focusing on unattended fueling areas.

With Leclerc be careful -- the fueling area often is split with some lanes (usually the right hand lanes) for unattended credit card payment only whereas the other lanes funnel you into a single lane after exiting the pump where you pay the attendant (during normal business hours).

Just be sure to check with your credit card company before departure regarding fees attached when buying petrol and using a pin number. I had one representative tell me "oh no, no extra charges involved". Then the supervisor said the same thing. When I told her I had information to the contrary she researched further and found that I was correct: it was treated as if it were an ATM withdrawal, i.e. a big service charge and/or interest rate starting immediately. That said, my Chase Sapphire card worked fine at about 50% of the places without putting in a pin number.

Use a DEBIT card with a PIN at unmanned stations in Europe. I had a car in Normandie and paid inside with a credit card or at the pump with a DEBIT card.

Enjoy your trip!

We have been in France for about 4 weeks with mixed luck. One card is a Schwab Visa debit and they know we are in France. When the cards are rejected we don't get a chance to enter a PIN. Today we refueled at a E.Leclerec and paid with cash. We still needed to hail an employee to get the pump to read the bar code. Don't run low. Most stations are unattended.

If you have a tap-and-pay credit card, it has a better chance of working. If you don't, use Apple Pay or Google Pay on your smartphone. Be prepared to have every method rejected so that you have to find another gas station. I was in Bayeux once and had to go to three different gas stations until I found one that accepted my credit card with a chip.

Been using tap and pay or insert card without issue (currently in France). Great thing is the screens so far allow you to pick a language, so it’s a breeze. I’ve mostly been relying on grocery store pumps which are un-manned.