Fuel and oil in France

[QDMQDMQDM]

2 questions:

1. Is it easy to get a Total credit card? These seem to be accepted in quite a lot of places for fuel which otherwise take only cash.

2. I am using Castrol 15/50 multigrade. Can I mix other multigrades with this if the Castrol is unavailable?

Thanks,

David

[A and C]

I,v tryed to get a Total aviation credit card but they just wont answer me , however all of the french airfields I have visited over the last year or so take visa or mastercard ( and some take the BP or shell fuel cards ).

As for the oil ALL the aviation piston engine oils can be mixed but you will start to loose the advantages of the multi grade if you mix it with a "W" oil.

Also DONT USE "W" oils for the first 50 hours with a new engine or cylinders.

[QDMQDMQDM]

Thanks a lot, A and C. Very helpful. I was a little thrown because the VFR Flight Guide France shows very few airfields taking credit cards.

David

[capt_sparky]

It really varies from airfield to airfield... of those I have visited and refuelled at, most took credit cards (eg, Le Touquet, Deauville, La Rochelle, Saumur, La Baule, etc.), but not all (eg, Dieppe, Alencon, etc.)

When flying in France I always carry some spare euros specifically to cover the eventuality that I need fuel and the airfield doesn't take a credit card.

[alphaalpha]

On my recent long weekend in France, two airfields took a variety of credit cards, one took Visa only (not Mastercard) and two took cash only, one of which was happy to take pounds Sterling.

AA.

[skydriller]

chips....

You probably know this anyway if you have tried using a credit card at a 24/24 fuel station in France, but if you are using british/US creditcards in france be aware that they do not always work. All French cards have a chip in them and you need to key in a 4 digit PIN to have them accepted, just as you would at the bank hole in the wall in the UK, except everywhere you use it!! However, british cards usually just have a strip, and this does not always work, even if the establishment can manually swipe the card. Plus, even if your card has a chip, it may still not work, as two of my cards have chips, but only one works at petrol stations....

This does not happen at large establisments, but on several occasions even when handing the card over for someone to manually swipe I have had to explain that my card is valid and they need to call the credit card company about how to make it work because it does not have a chip etc.........

I guess Im saying that it pays to take some Euros with you whatever, just in case.

Regards, SD..

[QDMQDMQDM]

You probably know this anyway if you have tried using a credit card at a 24/24 fuel station in France, but if you are using british/US creditcards in france be aware that they do not always work.

Spent three hours in the middle of the night trying to get fuel once and eventually managed to persuade a lady to fill up for me and accept ££ instead of euros. Not an experience I care to repeat.

David

[Romeo Romeo]

Has anyone got any advice about getting Fuel credit cards for use in France? Last year when I went there, several places (even some very small fields) had self-service pumps but they all seemed to be Total Aviation ones. Paying by Euro or by Credit Card is fine, but you do have to wait for the firemen and they seem to be at lunch most of the time!

[S-Works]

Chip and PIn has been around on the continent for many years now. I lived in Amsterdam for several years and the only way to pay is by "PIN". In the UK we are now rolling out Chip an PIN which is why you will frequently be asked to enter your PIN number into a crdit card machine. I am currently rolling out 18,000 chip and PIN machines for my business.

If you do not have a chip on your card you can request one from your bank and have it activated. All banks are required to send out new cars with chips. My own bank has been using them for about a year. Once you have a chip and have had it activated then it will work on the continent.

If you get asked to sign a reciept by a retailer after you have entered a PIN tell him it is not required. There should not even be a line for signature on the reciept.

I would however be interested in how you get the Total credit card as well as my enquiries went unanswered as well!!

[bluskis]

France seems to have more than its fair share of non working mobile credit card swipers, and more than its fair share of waitresses who wont accept the machine is faulty.

At Toulouse I sussed that the link to the base office might be line of sight, and the signal wouldn't penetrate the bowser. Moved to the other side of the bowser and all was well.

[skydriller]

Just because you have a Credit card with a chip, it does not mean it will work in other countries. I have had personal experience of this. My French card will not work in Holland at all, but no probs, they just swipe it in the old fashioned way. My UK Visa card works Ok in France and Holland about half the time, but my UK Mastercard will not work in France at all
I have been onto the Various Banks about this and have been told that its normal as different counties chips/readers are different

Blueskis, It does seem to be the French that have that problem the most, But Im well past the stage where I get pissed about it now, its not my problem, and the establishment will find a way around the problem if they want to get paid.......

Regards, SD..

[S-Works]

Not wanting to overly labour the whole chip and pin thing. There is an interbank agreement that all of the EU banks have signed upto that will see commanality of chip and PIN systems. All part of the "One Europe" plan.

As new cards are released they will carry compatible chips. It is not the readers that have the problem it is the way the chip carries that data that differs.

But hey what would I know it is only my job......

[Romeo Romeo]

Are there no French aviators out there who can shed some light on getting a Total Aviation card?

[skydriller]

RR,

I will ask around at my aeroclub on saturday, as maybe someone will have some info, and get back to you.

Regards, SD..

[skydriller]

Well, I asked around, but no info on how one goes about getting a Total Aviation Card - to be honest, only a couple of the guys knew what I was talking about!!

Sorry Chaps, SD..

[Pronto]

Is this the card you're after? http://www.totalcard.co.uk/

I found the link on the Total uk site (http://www.total.co.uk/en.uk/) rather than the (more logical I suppose) French one.

P

[Aim Far]

The application form is the easy bit. Getting a response is a different matter.

Unlike BP - who were very quick and very helpful indeed. (Not an advert, just credit where its due)

[Wrong Stuff]

Pronto - I got as far as page 6 of the application form where it asks if you want to be able to use the card in the car wash. I have a feeling it's just meant for filling up your car at Total garages. Perhaps why the long wait for a reply.

The Air Total card appears on their French site here. I talked to someone the other day who had managed to get one - but said you need a Euro bank account to get it.