When I try to use any of my credit cards:
28 Degrees (for purchases)
Citibank debit (for ATM withdrawals)
UBank (in desperation when trying to buy fuel on a Sunday)
ANZ (ditto)
in France:
I can withdraw cash from an ATM
I can buy tickets at ticket dispensing machines at railway station at CDG airport (I think this is correct but not absolutely certain. Had super sexy helper help me but I don't recall whether the problem was with CC or buying a book of 10 tickets - this is the best option for travelling on public transport in Paris for limited number of days).
I have to sign at supermarkets and other stores which causes great confusion because the checkout people aren't expecting to have to press the button that generates required vouchers so I have to tell them and then they don't have a pen available.
I cannot buy fuel at automated fuels stations (FS) that now make up the vast majority of FS. This is a major problem after hours or on a Sunday or PH when there are almost no manned FS.
I can live with 3 but 4 is becoming a showstopper as the number of manned stations dwindles.
It was almost a "disaster" in June when there was a fuel strike on. My hotel was 60km from CDG where I had to return the car (Renault (or Peugeot or Citroen) lease - the ONLY way to get a car in Europe) and I had possibly 50km in the tank. I walked, in the rain, to the 5 FS within 2km of the hotel and they were all automated. In the end I had to return the car to Orly Airport that was only 10km away and take the shuttle bus (E30/head) to CDG.
On the same trip I drove from Paris to Berlin (DE), Prague (CZ), Bratislava (SK), Budapest (HU) and Warsaw (PL) and the cards worked perfectly in all countries except France.
Can someone please provide:
- Name of credit card that works in France. Preferably free or low cost without foreign currency transactions and conversion charges (Ho Ho). Since the card is for emergency use only I can live with the FX charges on enough fuel to keep me going.
I have visited ANZ and NAB branches and, because they had never heard of problem, they called their CC ops centre who advised that they didn't have a CC that worked in France.
- Link to a website that explains why the cards don't work in France. Not critical, just nice to know.
It would country specific banking policies, its all different throughout Europe/UK/USA. Some countries want signature, others PIN, others pay-wave is perfectly fine - this varies if its an international card vs a domestic card.
The only work around is to obtain a domestic French credit card, or use that Citbank card to withdraw cash!