# Automated Fuel Pumps in Spain and Portugal



## shaunr68 (Oct 12, 2018)

Hi all, I've been slowly tootling down through France the past month and about to head into Spain.

In France, fuel pumps seem to be overwhelmingly of the automated, unmanned type which require card pre-payment.  This presents a bit of a problem as I'm using a Revolut account for my day to day banking.  Great for managing multiple currencies but unfortunately since starting this trip I have found that they don't support automated fuel payments.   Therefore I have to keep a lookout for fuel stations with a manned booth and these are few and far between.

Am I going to encounter the same problems in Spain and Portugal?  Any suggestions as to how to deal with this mid-trip?  I'm not due back in blighty until the end of March so opening a new account and having a card posted to the UK isn't an option.  I have an Irish bank account but the card has expired.  Don't suppose there are any banks who will allow non residents to open a Euro account over the counter?

Grateful for any advice
Cheers


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## Wooie1958 (Oct 12, 2018)

Precisely the reason why i got a Halifax Clarity card just for fuel, Caxton FX card for everything else, purchases, ATM, etc. etc.


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## QFour (Oct 12, 2018)

Loads of Repsol Stations and they all seem to be manned. They even come out and fill your tank for you sometimes. Only ones you won’t be able to use are some of the cheap fuel ones where they don’t have staff or out of hours supermarket filling stations so you should be ok.


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## TJBi (Oct 12, 2018)

shaunr68 said:


> Hi all, I've been slowly tootling down through France the past month and about to head into Spain.
> 
> In France, fuel pumps seem to be overwhelmingly of the automated, unmanned type which require card pre-payment.  This presents a bit of a problem as I'm using a Revolut account for my day to day banking.  Great for managing multiple currencies but unfortunately since starting this trip I have found that they don't support automated fuel payments.   Therefore I have to keep a lookout for fuel stations with a manned booth and these are few and far between.
> 
> ...



I've experienced no problems opening Euro accounts over the counter in France - we're (still just) in the EU.  But of course you can't expect a branch to issue a card over the counter - they are generally centrally produced and mailed out.


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## Pauljenny (Oct 12, 2018)

You could book onto a campsite, using that address to  open a bank account.
Then transfer money across from the UK, either by bank transfer or using an online FX platform, then paying them via a debit card.
That worked Ok for us, in Portugal.


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## kenspain (Oct 12, 2018)

shaunr68 said:


> Hi all, I've been slowly tootling down through France the past month and about to head into Spain.
> 
> In France, fuel pumps seem to be overwhelmingly of the automated, unmanned type which require card pre-payment.  This presents a bit of a problem as I'm using a Revolut account for my day to day banking.  Great for managing multiple currencies but unfortunately since starting this trip I have found that they don't support automated fuel payments.   Therefore I have to keep a lookout for fuel stations with a manned booth and these are few and far between.
> 
> ...



Many of our self service take money you can easy open an account in Spain but first you will need a NIE number and have an address you can   go and hire a post office box but you will have to pay about 70 euros for the year. Or go into a Repsol garage and ask if they still do a pay card we call them if they do you pay in an amount you want each time you use it the money comes of the card like the pay as you go phone cards then when it gets low you top it up.


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## shaunr68 (Oct 12, 2018)

Thanks all, sounds like manned stations are likely to be more plentiful and thanks for the other options and suggestions.  The situation became so dire at one point where I'd pulled into five fuel stations into succession only to find them card-only and unmanned, the fuel light came on and I was relieved to find I could pay at the counter at the sixth.  Note that the Revolut card is a Mastercard debit card and has been fine for purchases in every other scenario, including paying for fuel at the booth, they simply don't support automated fuel pumps.  Quite a serious setback with a multi-currency account which will obviously appeal to people travelling to different countries.


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## carol (Oct 12, 2018)

shaunr68 said:


> Thanks all, sounds like manned stations are likely to be more plentiful and thanks for the other options and suggestions.  The situation became so dire at one point where I'd pulled into five fuel stations into succession only to find them card-only and unmanned, the fuel light came on and I was relieved to find I could pay at the counter at the sixth.  Note that the Revolut card is a Mastercard debit card and has been fine for purchases in every other scenario, including paying for fuel at the booth, they simply don't support automated fuel pumps.  Quite a serious setback with a multi-currency account which will obviously appeal to people travelling to different countries.



The moral being, always have a back-up card.


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## Canalsman (Oct 13, 2018)

Pre-payment at the pump requires the use of a credit card not a debit card.

Clearly there is a significantly greater chance of payment being authorised with a credit account than a debit card which may not have a credit balance in the associated account ...

Though I suspect it's the card issuers who determine what cards are acceptable.


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## shaunr68 (Oct 13, 2018)

carol said:


> The moral being, always have a back-up card.


Agreed, and I did.  Unfortunately the AIB debit card from my Irish bank had expired and I suspect there is a replacement card waiting for me, not much use out here though.  The moral for me is check expiry dates on everything 



POI Admin said:


> Pre-payment at the pump requires the use of a credit card not a debit card.


Over the past few years I have filled up all over the continent using several different Visa Debit cards issued by UK (Intelligent Finance and Co-Op) and Irish (AIB) banks in Sterling and Euro respectively.  The problem is specific to Revolut, not debit cards in general.



POI Admin said:


> Though I suspect it's the card issuers who determine what cards are acceptable.


Yes, there is a lot of conflicting information and speculation around but it seems that Revolut have imposed restrictions on these type of transactions.

Pay at Pump - Feedback - Revolut Community


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## Deleted user 48797 (Oct 13, 2018)

We have been over twice this year and find that Caxton is more widely accepted at fuel forecourts and from memory Carrefour, Intermarche, Hyper U and Super U did accept them but Auchan did not.  It's to do with the clearing system behind the transaction.


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## mrbigglesworth (Oct 13, 2018)

Ask a local to pay with their card and give them cash.

Mr B.


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## kenspain (Oct 13, 2018)

POI Admin said:


> Pre-payment at the pump requires the use of a credit card not a debit card.
> 
> Clearly there is a significantly greater chance of payment being authorised with a credit account than a debit card which may not have a credit balance in the associated account ...
> 
> Though I suspect it's the card issuers who determine what cards are acceptable.



With the pay as you go card for Repsol if they still do then you can get a card for 20 euros and top it up when you need when i use them once i forgot the pin number but only had 5 euros left on it so if you find one remember the pin :lol-053:


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## Nabsim (Oct 13, 2018)

It looks like a lot if not all the pre paid cards can have a problem with unmanned fuel pumps. Have the R card and was looking round for a backup, about to go with Caxton when I spotted this bit:
Although you can use your Caxton Card at automated petrol pumps, please be advised that an amount of €120-€500 may be held for up to 20 days on your card. The merchant should release the hold when settling the transaction and debiting the correct amount from your card.

Think I will just keep my normal credit card as backup for these if needed


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## kenspain (Oct 13, 2018)

Nabsim said:


> It looks like a lot if not all the pre paid cards can have a problem with unmanned fuel pumps. Have the R card and was looking round for a backup, about to go with Caxton when I spotted this bit:
> Although you can use your Caxton Card at automated petrol pumps, please be advised that an amount of €120-€500 may be held for up to 20 days on your card. The merchant should release the hold when settling the transaction and debiting the correct amount from your card.
> 
> Think I will just keep my normal credit card as backup for these if needed



One thing i have found here is never pay with a credit card the pay as you go card is much safer It was that you only pay 20 euros and when you have used up the 20 euros you can top it up or put it in the bin


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## Nabsim (Oct 13, 2018)

kenspain said:


> One thing i have found here is never pay with a credit card the pay as you go card is much safer It was that you only pay 20 euros and when you have used up the 20 euros you can top it up or put it in the bin



is that with the unmanned pumps as well Ken?


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## kenspain (Oct 13, 2018)

Nabsim said:


> is that with the unmanned pumps as well Ken?



Yes you can pay with the card at the pump or at the till if they are open i always have one with 20 euros on in the van and now with the pin wrote down :lol-049::lol-049:


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## runnach (Oct 13, 2018)

Sean if you have someone with access t your base in Ireland , they in  France at least can post it "Agence postale" bit like our recorded delivery passport and driving licence as Id to trtrieve it ...It would be strange if Spain or Portugal don't offer a similar service

I used it a couple of times albeit in France

Channa


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## shaunr68 (Oct 14, 2018)

channa said:


> Sean if you have someone with access t your base in Ireland , they in  France at least can post it "Agence postale" bit like our recorded delivery passport and driving licence as Id to trtrieve it ...It would be strange if Spain or Portugal don't offer a similar service
> 
> I used it a couple of times albeit in France
> 
> Channa


Thanks, is this similar to the "Poste Restante" service?  I've only ever used that once, asked my dad to forward a green card covering the Balkans to the post office at Split for me.  I turned up at Split main post office, gave them the reference number and was met with a shrug and a "computer says no" attitude.  It looks like my green card was lost, most likely down the back of a filing cabinet, somewhere between the Royal Mail and Hrvatska Posta.  After that experience I don't have too much confidence in the system!  Thanks for the suggestion though, it is an option in an emergency.


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## REC (Oct 14, 2018)

Intermarche in Portugal are often manned especially in daytime. We had the same issue a few years ago with a Caxton card , had to use the Barclaycard a couple of times for unmanned pumps. Cost lots of extra, but now have Santander zero card which stays with our passports and only used abroad. Will go and check expiry date now:hammer::rolleyes2::rolleyes2:


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## Nabsim (Oct 14, 2018)

***** said:


> It is not advisable to use pre pay cards in unmanned stations as most often a large deposit is taken before you fill, then the cost of your fuel is deducted, but the balance of the deposit is not returned to your card for many days.



What do you use then Graham?


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## Wooie1958 (Oct 14, 2018)

The amount which is displayed on the screen ( varies between 80 euros and 149 euros :rolleyes2: ) is reserved against your card immediately.

This is replaced by the amount you actually spend once it is requested which can take several days.

We`ve known times when the fuel cost hasn`t been taken off the card for as much as 20 - 25 days after the purchase.

Theoretically you can have 600 - 800+ euros reserved on your card at any one time reducing your credit available.

A couple of years back due to an unexpected expensive repair and several consecutive large fuel fill ups we got perilously close to our credit limit whilst in France.

We had to ring the Halifax and pay the large sum ( repair ) off in order to continue using the card which is normally only used for fuel so does not have a overly large credit limit on it.

In one particular case at a unmanned SuperU station i had 149 euros reserved against the card for over 10 days but had only actually spent 9.50 euros on GPL / LPG.


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## Nabsim (Oct 14, 2018)

***** said:


> I use my Saga card, not the best but Martin Lewis says it is pretty near!
> 
> I do use Caxton and Fairfx for normal payments



MSE say my NatWest Credit and HSBC Debit are okay but nit the best and I have a Revolut card as a prepay was looking at maybe another (probably FairFX) but not sure if its overkill. The £50 minimum on the Caxton put me off a bit but it doesn't really matter I suppose just I wasn't going to load until rates look good or I need to load it. Pre paid cards are all new to me though, last time I was in France I took cash and just kept card as emergency


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## kenspain (Oct 14, 2018)

***** said:


> It is not advisable to use pre pay cards in unmanned stations as most often a large deposit is taken before you fill, then the cost of your fuel is deducted, but the balance of the deposit is not returned to your card for many days.



In 5 years that i have use the pay as you go card here i never have had problems with them now we have an account so i have not used the one i have in the van but  all i use to do was put 20 euros on it when it was empty


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## alcam (Oct 14, 2018)

I have a Clarity card which is very useful . 
Generally I use my debit card for fuel


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## kenspain (Oct 14, 2018)

***** said:


> Ken, I think you have been very lucky or you have a special card as it is well documented on many sites and the pre pay card companies advise against. What card do you have? you mention pay as you go, I presume you mean pre pay cards, where you load the card and spend later.



If they still do them you ask for a pay as you go you pay on the card what you like say to start with 20 euros when you have used the 20 euros you go to the till and put 20 euros on again we use them over here a lot before but now we have account so just get one bill every 2 months


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## shaunr68 (Nov 22, 2018)

An update on this thread.  I crossed into Spain a month ago and into Portugal two weeks ago, back into Spain now as I straddle the border at Badajoz, surrounded by Frenchies on this aire!  I have had absolutely no problems paying for fuel on my Revolut card.  I haven't come across automated, pre-pay pumps anywhere.  Spain is significantly cheaper than France and Portugal, keep an eye out for the Easygas stations, cheapest I paid was €1.169.  Estaciones de servicio - easygas

Thanks all.


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## shaunr68 (Nov 23, 2018)

***** said:


> A nice location at the Badajoz aire. A nice park and bridge to wander around.
> Need for blocks though!


Yes a cracking spot with a lovely view of the fortified town over the river.  I'm on a bit of a Peninsular War trek at the moment, something to plan the route around.  As you say most of the spots are slightly sloping but the ones at the top end are quite level.  Third night here, going to move on tomorrow unfortunately


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