Debit card used for French petrol - pin not requested???? HELP!

Lizzielonglegs_2

Wasn't sure how to put this one...but am getting more concerned about it as time passes...

Went to buy petrol at Leclerc in France yesterday for return journey home. Husband pulled in to pumps with kiosk. After we filled up, the lady at the kiosk put through the visa debit card and the pin machine indicated that the the payment was being authorised, and then it was accepted. She handed my card back with 2 recipts and we left the forecourt.

At no time was I requested to enter my pin number and there is nothing I can see on the receipt/paperwork that would show that the card was declined etc. The machine didn't ask for my pin on it's electronic screen....although it was in French, I could manage to follow the process.

My question is does this happen to other people? I don't think I left without paying, the woman was happy for us to leave, but when I tried to buy groceries today the same card was declined in the supermarket. The plot thickens....

I phoned the bank to check (Coop) and one person said there was a fraud flag on the card, and put me through to fraud, but then that department couldn't tell me why it had been declined but she has told me it should work now. Any ideas????? Am getting my knickers in a twist about this and am worried the payment hasn't gone through.....

(will post on overseas/holiday threads too - hope to get an answer for peace of mind)

Bob_the_Saver

Are always asked for PIN when filling up at French supermarkets (thesedays), sometimes in the past been declined for no reason and the banks always say 'It wasn't us guv'. Never been declined with our Fairfx back-up card.

You've got your receipt so don't worry about not having paid.

chexum

I had something similar about two years ago in Austria in an unmanned car park. We tried various credit cards, but none of them were accepted, when I out of despair I tried a Barclays debit card when the barrier was lifted - no pin was requested despite the terminal having a pinpad. The transaction (and the fx charge) appeared on the statement a few days after (edit: not ago).

I suspect there may be some special arrangements with Visa in circumstances like this (card present, license plate recorded) to forgo the need to ask for a pin.

atush

I have had several 'no pin' transactions in france, but mostly in toll booths. I am thinking that perhaps your petorl buy was small?

In any case, I bought gas at LeClerc and other supermarkets about 7 times recently, and every time the machine knew if my cazrkd was a UK one and if it was, it gave me the info in English.

If your receipt states the amt you bought, and your acct was debited the same, then you are fine.

callum9999

chexum wrote: »

I had something similar about two years ago in Austria in an unmanned car park. We tried various credit cards, but none of them were accepted, when I out of despair I tried a Barclays debit card when the barrier was lifted - no pin was requested despite the terminal having a pinpad. The transaction (and the fx charge) appeared on the statement a few days after (edit: not ago).

I suspect there may be some special arrangements with Visa in circumstances like this (card present, license plate recorded) to forgo the need to ask for a pin.

In Australia you don't need to enter a pin (for any card) unless you spend more than about £25 in the supermarkets. I guess it's up to the merchant to a certain degree - but presumably they have to take on some sort of fraud liability or everyone would be doing it.

gnasher18us

Chip and pin is only really used in a massive way in the UK. It was, originally, the UK banks who thought it was such a good idea (Correction Edit - France, of which the UK followed).

I have just come back from the USA and they don't use chip and pin there either. You sometimes have to sign an electronic panel and (if your transaction is quite a lot of money) they sometimes ask for I.D (very occasionally), but often transactions just go straight through.

Infact, they never seem to even check signature matching (if they've asked you for one)!

m00m00

I was regularly asked for my PIN in France (Paris), long before chip and pin was in widespread use in the UK

peachespeaches

m00m00 wrote: »

I was regularly asked for my PIN in France (Paris), long before chip and pin was in widespread use in the UK

Yes this is true for most of France. They used the chip and pin in supermarkets before we did.

We just came back and our transactions all requested pins including supermarket petrol stations. On one occasion Im sure I was asked twice for my pin (Supermarket) but DH says it was one of my blonde moments. I was actually surprised this year that I didnt get a text from Lloyds telling me my card was being used abroad. I did last year.

shiny76

gnasher18us wrote: »

Chip and pin is only really used in a massive way in the UK. It was, originally, the UK who banks who thought it was such a good idea.

That's not what was said in the press, at the time.

http://uk.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/uk-debit-and-credit-cards-why-chip-and-pin.php

It would seem that France were using chip & pin for domestic cards a long time ahead of us!
http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/reflib/dispelling_myths_cardholders.pdf

gnasher18us

shiny76 wrote: »

That's not what was said in the press, at the time.

http://uk.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/uk-debit-and-credit-cards-why-chip-and-pin.php

It would seem that France were using chip & pin for domestic cards a long time ahead of us!
http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/reflib/dispelling_myths_cardholders.pdf

I stand corrected, and am happy to be corrected! :T

UK banks followed the French example, and the UK were 2nd!

The USA is not going to be 3rd (at least I don't think so!)

Topkapi

Lizzielonglegs wrote: »

Wasn't sure how to put this one...but am getting more concerned about it as time passes...

Went to buy petrol at Leclerc in France yesterday for return journey home. Husband pulled in to pumps with kiosk. After we filled up, the lady at the kiosk put through the visa debit card and the pin machine indicated that the the payment was being authorised, and then it was accepted. She handed my card back with 2 recipts and we left the forecourt.

At no time was I requested to enter my pin number and there is nothing I can see on the receipt/paperwork that would show that the card was declined etc. The machine didn't ask for my pin on it's electronic screen....although it was in French, I could manage to follow the process.

My question is does this happen to other people? I don't think I left without paying, the woman was happy for us to leave, but when I tried to buy groceries today the same card was declined in the supermarket. The plot thickens....

I phoned the bank to check (Coop) and one person said there was a fraud flag on the card, and put me through to fraud, but then that department couldn't tell me why it had been declined but she has told me it should work now. Any ideas????? Am getting my knickers in a twist about this and am worried the payment hasn't gone through.....

(will post on overseas/holiday threads too - hope to get an answer for peace of mind)

We travel to France regularly but we always let our bank and our card providers know so they are not surprised when an "unusual" transaction goes through. The Fraud flag goes on your account to safeguard you and your money in case it is a genuine fraud (is that an oxymoron?). Once you have contacted them and confirmed it was you using the card they will remove the flag. Let them know in future and you should not have any more problems. Having said all that we have always had to put our pin number in.