Credit cards on French autoroutes?

While the French autoroutes accept credit cards, we have found they will not
accept American credit cards - I think that's because our cards don't have
the Smart Chip.

Anybody had experience with this? Anybody been able to find a US bank that
issues a Smart Card? Are there options here?

Paul

On Sun, 17 Apr 2005 11:38:42 -0400, "Paul" wrote:

While the French autoroutes accept credit cards, we have found they will not
accept American credit cards - I think that's because our cards don't have
the Smart Chip.

Anybody had experience with this? Anybody been able to find a US bank that
issues a Smart Card? Are there options here?

We have found that the French auto route toll machines do accept our
American credit card - no problem at all. We use a Mastercard issued
by Citi Bank.

Al Sharff

"Paul" wrote in message
...
While the French autoroutes accept credit cards, we have found they will
not
accept American credit cards - I think that's because our cards don't
have
the Smart Chip.

My Visa doesn't have a chip and it works just fine. It's issued by European
bank but not in France.

Did you try the green line with your card?

"Paul" wrote in message
...
While the French autoroutes accept credit cards, we have found they will
not accept American credit cards - I think that's because our cards don't
have the Smart Chip.

The French Chip system is different to that which is being introduced
into the rest of Europe (apparently the Frence one will be upgraded
later). This means that there are many automated machines (in gas
stations as well as toll booths) that do not accept anything except
French cards, you are not being singled out as an American. In
most cases you have to pay at the manned booth to use a non
French card.

Anybody had experience with this?

On the Calais to Paris section there are two machines: "english"
ones and "french" ones. I guess that the english ones actually
accept other cards (but they're on the wrong side of the car!).

Elsewhere, I think we paid at the manned booth.

I can't buy petrol from the Hypermarkets in Calais after 21:00
because the manned booth is closed and my card won't work
the machines.

tim

Pay to the employee

"Paul" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
While the French autoroutes accept credit cards, we have found they will
not accept American credit cards - I think that's because our cards don't
have the Smart Chip.

Anybody had experience with this? Anybody been able to find a US bank
that issues a Smart Card? Are there options here?

Paul

Paul wrote:

While the French autoroutes accept credit cards, we have found they will not
accept American credit cards - I think that's because our cards don't have
the Smart Chip.

Anybody had experience with this? Anybody been able to find a US bank that
issues a Smart Card? Are there options here?

I drove the toll autoroute from Strasbourg to Luxembourg last September.
Tolls were paid with an American non-chip credit card without a problem.
--
dgs

"tim (moved to sweden)" wrote in message
...

"Paul" wrote in message
...
While the French autoroutes accept credit cards, we have found they will
not accept American credit cards - I think that's because our cards
don't have the Smart Chip.

The French Chip system is different to that which is being introduced
into the rest of Europe (apparently the Frence one will be upgraded
later). This means that there are many automated machines (in gas
stations as well as toll booths) that do not accept anything except
French cards, ...

I've not yet found them on the Autoroutes, but some French chip readers now
also work with British cards. Not that it helps much as Barclaycard has not
yet issued me with a card that works with a PIN and I still have to sign.

Colin Bignell

Pay with a person who can swipe your card. Also make sure that your
card has a 4 digit PIN code for things like grocery shopping etc.

Don

http://www.parisphotoworkshops.com

"tim \(moved to sweden\)" wrote in message ...
"Paul" wrote in message
...
While the French autoroutes accept credit cards, we have found they will
not accept American credit cards - I think that's because our cards don't
have the Smart Chip.

The French Chip system is different to that which is being introduced
into the rest of Europe (apparently the Frence one will be upgraded
later).

The up-dating of the french network, in itself, occurred in 2002
before even the introduction of the new EMV international standard in
the rest of Europe according to the cartebleue website :

2002
Nouveau standard international EMV pour les cartes à puce : premières
transactions de paiement en France.
Lancement du service e-Carte Bleue, la carte virtuelle pour acheter en
toute confiance sur internet.

This means that there are many automated machines (in gas
stations as well as toll booths) that do not accept anything except
French cards, you are not being singled out as an American. In
most cases you have to pay at the manned booth to use a non
French card.

Some americans have said in former posts here that they have already
been able to use french ATMs with a pin code (even if I can't remember
if their cards had a chip).

Anybody had experience with this?

On the Calais to Paris section there are two machines: "english"
ones and "french" ones.

Both machines use the same network which is common to all banks in
France and interoperatable. The facts that there are "english"
machines for english people prooves that the network is already
up-dated. Now it could be possible that the machines themselves need
to be up-dated as well or that different protocoles works with the EMV
standards but that your UK one is incompatible with the machines
precedently settled in France. The fact that french cards can
certainly use all machines nationwide including those of the
"premières transactions de paiement en France", prooves that your bank
could have made the same effort towards the initiators (years ago) of
this technology, very regularly up-dated according to the cartebleue
website, if that's the problem. "C'est la moindre des politesse"...
But the clue has not yet been solved, here.

I guess that the english ones actually
accept other cards (but they're on the wrong side of the car!).

Apparently the "english machines" are not on the same side than
"french" ones mainly because the drivers are not. It would be strange
for the society to up-dated only half of its machines on the same spot
if the problem comes from there.

didier Meurgues

Elsewhere, I think we paid at the manned booth.

I can't buy petrol from the Hypermarkets in Calais after 21:00
because the manned booth is closed and my card won't work
the machines.

tim

"didier Meurgues" wrote in message
om...
"tim \(moved to sweden\)" wrote in message
...
"Paul" wrote in message
...
While the French autoroutes accept credit cards, we have found they
will
not accept American credit cards - I think that's because our cards
don't
have the Smart Chip.



On the Calais to Paris section there are two machines: "english"
ones and "french" ones.

Both machines use the same network which is common to all banks in
France and interoperatable.

It's not the network that's the problem. It's the card reader.
When I used these machines (1999) the French already had
chip cards, and I did not. The 'English' machine read the magnetic
strip, which the French machine did not.

The fact that french cards can
certainly use all machines nationwide including those of the
"premières transactions de paiement en France", prooves that your bank
could have made the same effort towards the initiators (years ago) of
this technology, very regularly up-dated according to the cartebleue
website, if that's the problem. "C'est la moindre des politesse"...

So they could, but they didn't.

I now have a new Chip card, one that works quite happily
here in Sweden. I still can't use it to buy fuel in the Hypermarkets
at Calais. I am told (from a newgroup) that it is the French
system that is wrong.

But the clue has not yet been solved, here.

I guess that the english ones actually
accept other cards (but they're on the wrong side of the car!).

Apparently the "english machines" are not on the same side than
"french" ones mainly because the drivers are not.

That's obvious but the machines really were different..

It would be strange
for the society to up-dated only half of its machines on the same spot
if the problem comes from there.

tim