Toll roads in France

Visa/MC are generally accepted at all toll booths. The only exception I have found was a toll somewhere near A9 that only took coins.

You do have to pay attention when getting in line for a gate. If it has the card symbol it is not going to be able to take cash. If it has the cash symbol it will take cash and card.

We were there last spring and just tapped in and out with a credit card. A regular chip/non pin credit card.

Our experience in Normandy this past September was that everything - tolls, parking, etc. - was tap and go, and never had any issues with my US credit cards. Always had some Euros as backup but never used them. Couldn't have been easier.

Thanks for confirming chip and tap works fine, no chips. Rick needs to update France book.

We leave two weeks from today! First trip to mainland Europe since we moved back to US in 2020.

Not mentioned yet is that France is rolling out "flux libre" (free flow) on Autoroutes. Not too many yet (A79 west of Digoin in central France and A13/14 between Paris and Caen), but more to come over time. They will eliminate stopping at toll booths with an aim toward reducing idling, reducing pollution, and saving time. Instead your car plate will be photographed and one of a few things will happen:

1. If you've signed up with the manager of the highway (companies like Sanef or Aliae) your payment will automatically be billed to the credit or debit card you used to sign up.

2. If you haven't signed up, you have a brief time to log on to the company's website and make your payment. (I assume this is how rental cars will do it).

3. There apparently are payment stations along A79 and probably will be on other Autoroutes that will allow payments to be made. Not sure how those will work.

My experience thus far between Paris and Caen is that it worked out well. No problems to report.

And you'd best pay promptly if you go with option 2. Here's how the fees escalate:

• Pay within 72 hours and you'll just owe the toll, probably 5€ to 20€ depending on the route segment being tolled

• From 72 hours (3 days) to 15 days, you'll owe the toll plus 80€

• From 15 days to 2 months, you'll owe the toll plus 90€

• From 2 months to 12 months, you'll owe the toll plus 375€

• From 12 months on, you'll owe the toll plus 7500€

I suppose at some point they'll garnish your first born child, but those details are a bit murky at this time.

good advice about the A13/A14 now that the free flow has kicked in on the route to Normandie. People who rent cars at CDG and drive to Caen and Bayeux will run into that and need to be prepared.