Did You Know? Refilling at a French Gas Station
Driving through France? Be aware of a common problem when using your U.S. Credit Card at a gas station.
Stopping in a small town to shop. Discovering a charming off-the-map brasserie. Exploring acres of sunflower or lavender fields at your own pace. Getting that perfect shot of Chartres cathedral. How to do it? Drive!
Driving through France allows one to experience the countryside and culture in a way like no other. If your French experience begins and ends with Paris, you are missing out on thousands of years of history, art, architecture, viticulture, and gastronomy.
The French highway system is top rate and the people themselves enthusiastic road trippers, so if you’re the adventurous type looking for a deeper dive into all things French, we recommend renting a car and getting on the road to create some new experiences. Get out there!
TFE Insider Tip: The French highway system is called la autoroutes
There are many similarities between the French and American highway systems, including rest areas (aires), exits (sorties), and filling stations (aire de service). There are even two similar brands of gasoline available: amongst Total Energies, Avia, and Carrefour, you’ll find Shell and BP.
Be aware that Shell and BP stations do not accept U.S. credit cards at the pump, requiring you to present your card to the attendant. (We believe it’s because of the way the expiration date is electronically stored on U.S. cards…for some reason you will NOT encounter this problem at a Total, Avia, or Carrefour station)
Unlike a U.S. gas station however, you cannot tell the attendant you want to “Fill it up (Le plein, s’il vous plaît)”, you must indicate a specific Euro amount that you’re purchasing, then leave your card at the register while you pump. This can obviously present a problem as you’ll have to guesstimate how much fuel you need.
With this in mind be aware of a few things:
Gasoline is priced and dispensed in Liters, not Gallons (3.78 liters = 1 U.S. Gallon)
The average tank capacity of a French car is between 50 and 60 liters
There are plenty of service stations throughout the entire highway system
Our recommendation: skip Shell and BP entirely and wait for a Total or Avia station, or in a pinch, buy enough gas to get you to the next station.
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