Please forgive me if this is redundant query - I tried to search and couldn't find an answer.

The last time we were in France - in 2018 - we had a really tough time using our credit cards at many gas stations. The stations were usually unmanned, and our cards were rejected, I'm thinking maybe because we didn't have a pin associated with them. We were using a B of A VISA, so not an "off-brand" bank card. At one point, in Alsace, we actually had to drive back into Germany to find a station that would accept our card! Other times we had to drive all over the place to find pumps with a human around who could take our card. No cash was accepted either. Not fun times.

So - now in 2022, I have requested a pin for our chip card - but I am apparently having PTSD, and I hope someone here might be able to reassure me that gas stations and toll roads are not going to make me crazy in September when we will be driving in France for the better part of a month. Or tell me what else I need to do.

The sort of 'PIN credit cards' most Americans have still doesn't work in a lot of unmanned cc terminals. I'm not 100% sure and others may have more recent experience, but I 'think' US touchless cards do work.

Do you mean the "tap" cards?

Yep - your BofA Visa is a chip & signature card and not a chip & pin card. Even though you do have a pin - it will not work. Pre-Covid, we always located a manned station whenever we arrived in a "new area". Almost all gas stations located on the same grounds as a grocery store, has a manned attendant. Although they take lunch breaks & won't be open when the store is closed (likely on a Sunday). Gas stations on autoroutes have manned stations.

No problems with our chip & signature card at toll booths.

Don't know anything about a touchless/tap card.

Stu Dudley

For our trip in 2021, we ended up using our Charles Schwab debit Visa card at the gas stations in France. It is linked only to our travel account so it worked out fine. We were able to use our Chase Sapphire to tap and pay everywhere else. I also have it in my Apple wallet. For toll road we used tap and pay and had no issues.

Get an Andrews FCU credit card.

There are two types of PINs that may be associated with US credit cards. PINs for ATM withdrawals (generally not a good idea due to heavy fees), and PINs used in lieu of signature. They are not the same. There are very few US banks issuing PINs for use in lieu of signature, there are a number of credit unions issuing cards with PINs of this type. Cards having PIN in lieu of signature capability are those that will typically be universally accepted in France.

However, the important question for your card issuing bank is how their Card Verification Method (CVM) is set up and if their cards accept charges at unmanned purchase locations without a PIN? This is not something easy to determine, and most bank representatives will have no idea how to answer you, and if they did, they probably would not discuss a lot of detail. My Chase Bonvoy card, which has no PIN, has never been rejected for purchasing gas at unmanned locations. It just always works. My Chase Sapphire card, with no PIN, has never worked at any unmanned point of sale.

I see two options. Firstly, open an account at a credit union issuing PIN & Chip cards (not PIN & Signature cards). Secondly, if you only have a PIN & Signature card, never let your gas gauge read much below half full.

I think we will be the "never let the tank get low" people. That's pretty much what we ended up doing in 2018.

If all you need it a tap/touchless card, just request a new one on your BoA account. Very recently when I received new cards from BoA, now both my credit card and debit card from them are "tap" ones.

(I know nothing about gas stations in Europe, but if a touchless would solve the problem, you can get one for your current account very easily.)

I am not clear on how a tap card authorizes a transaction if the vendor otherwise requires PIN entry. For French bank cards, tap cards are limited to 50 euros maximum per transaction and limited to a total of 3 per day. Beyond that limit, signatures are still required.

It probably doesn't authorize one from the vendor's point of view. I think virtually all US credit cards have converted to that type now anyway. All of mine did a while ago, I had no choice, they just sent me new ones with chips and the contactless pay symbol on them.

I haven't driven in France for a few years, I just paid cash, as I recall, and did make sure I didn't run too low. As it isn't always that easy to make sure you find a manned station, and I made sure I never would need to get gas at night as they would really be more likely not to be manned.

US cards don't have such low limits per transaction. I don't know what the limit is but I know I've made charges up to $100 on a card easily, probably more. With the cost of gas nowadays (and it's always been higher in Europe), I'm surprised French cards will only let you charge up to 50 euro.

I haven't seen a petrol station which accept contactless/tap payments. What they normally do is you insert your card, type in your PIN and it reserves a huge amount of money on your card/account. It then makes the final transfer when you have finished filling up. Not enough room on the card then it will limit how much you can fill up.

To be sure I would get a card that has a PIN, not a sigature. Manned stations are getting few and far between.

When in doubt, use charm.......

We tried to fill up one Sunday in the Dordogne. Of course, the place was closed, and my VISA card didn't work in the auto-pump.

So I waited about 5 minutes until a French gentleman drove up. I waved to him, held up my card in one hand, and a 50 Euro note in the other (the gas cap lid was open), and said (in English) "help". He came over, took the 50, used his card in the pump, and inserted the nozzle in my car. Merci, merci, I said. He smiled, and said, "au revoir".

Easy, peasie

I seem to have luck using my US credit cards at Total gas stations in France. But, not too many other stations. Some gas pumps at grocery stores have been successful also while others have not.