Paying for gas/fuel for rented car

Pay with either. I know but never went to the stations which have no people so I would say cc. Just something I do is fill up when I am half full. Stations are not as plentiful as in the US. I have been driving Europe for thirty years and always found a station.

I've rented cars in France, England, Scotland, Wales, Germany and Spain and have never had trouble finding a gas station or paying with a credit card. That said, most places you can pay with Euros if you choose. You just have to pay in advance.

You pump your gas and then pay. CC or euro. Never and I also lived there for two years with my own car paid first with cash. Come on why put a doubt in someone’s head when it isn’t the normal.

Come on why put a doubt in someone’s head when it isn’t the normal.

Are you talking to me? I'm not sure why you said that, but I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. Not everyplace makes you pay in advance but there were some places where I saw signs asking for payment in advance if you weren't using a card.

We just returned from a 3 week road trip, including France. We had no problems paying for gas with a credit card. Sometimes you need to go to a central kiosk, separate from the pump, to pay. You enter the pump # at the kiosk. There is generally a button to change the language to English.

It would be good to know your credit card PIN number. We needed this at one gas station, but I think it was in Italy. But we needed it to buy train tickets also, so it is good to know.

Some cards allow you to set your own pin # in the app, others will mail it to you.

Last April, used a credit card to pay for gas multiple times without problems in Greece and Italy. EXCEPT at one station in downtown Spello, Italy that would accept only a debit card or cash - no credit cards. Paid tolls in Greece with cash as frequent toll booths and small amounts. In Italy, paid with credit card as long runs between toll booths. Paid for parking in Italy with credit card.

Re: Credit card PIN #s..... Would you be talking about debit cards? My banks said they don't issue PINs for regular credit cards used for purchases. Only needed for debit cards or if you wanted cash back after your purchase. Comments?

PINS not generally needed in US for credit cards, so most users don't have one, and bank employee may not be familiar. But you can likely get one, and it will be useful in Europe. Contact your actual credit card company via website or 1-800 # on card.

My banks said they don't issue PINs for regular credit cards used for purchases.

They usually don't but you can request one. I will say that I have not needed a PIN for a credit card purchase (including gas) in a very long time (especially not since Tap and Pay).

When Barclay's US took over my AARP credit card, they made a big deal over selecting a PIN. They didn't come right out and say that it was chip + PIN, but they suggested that the PIN could come in handy when traveling. I'll have an opportunity to test it out in November.

Barclay's US has just started offing an AARP Travel Rewards card, which has no foreign transaction fees. So it could offer multiple advantages for travelers.

My weird experience buying gas in Paris before turning the rental car in...

As is normal, before returning it we had to fill the car to the level we rented it at. After driving around France for a couple of weeks, we were back in Paris and about to turn the car in, so I pulled up to a "station" -- really just pumps on the sidewalk, with a cashier in the building across from the pumps. After I pumped the gas I went in to pay him. I came out and a gendarme in a van was right behind my car. I waved, he waved back, I got into the car and drove off, never thinking anything more about it. A couple of weeks later I got a mailing from the rental car company for a ticket for illegal parking in Paris. I assume it was for that, because I didn't park anywhere else until we got back to the rental car company.

But I did something wrong! I'm still not sure what.

The pin # I referred to was for a credit card, not debit card. I have a credit card with Bank of America that I use for travel. There is a place in the app to request a pin. They will mail it to you. You can also change your pin in the app, once you receive it.

I recall needing the pin once or twice to get gas. My brother in law was trying to pay, and he didn’t know his pin. So my husband ended up paying. I also purchased train tickets at a kiosk in Boppard and a pin was required. This was in June/July 2023.

It can be inconvenient in France to try to pay with cash. I was at a E. Leclerc supermarket filling station in Lille,France yesterday and I filled up in the usual way using the credit card reader. As I drove out I looked over at the cash kiosk (11 am Thursday) and it had a closed sign on it so anybody who had tried to make a transaction there and then pay with cash would have been out of luck. Chip and PIN.