# New pay points on French Aires



## stoddy (Jul 1, 2007)

Hi Guys, has anybody had any experience of the New Card Payment system at some French Aires. 
I'll tell you mine, we recently returned from a visit to Spain & France, on the way down we stopped at the aire at Leucate Plage and they have installed a card payment system, the sign attached to the m/c stated that as from the 16/3/2011 it would be operational & they would be charging 7.2 Euro s / 24 hr. period. 
On returning from Spain we again stopped at the the same aire and the system was operational. To use the system you have to put in a credit/debit card & follow the instructions, after you put in your 4 digit pin you are asked to wait & the m/c prints out a 6 digit pin number on a paper ticket & the barrier opens, to get out again you have to enter the 6 digit pin and the barrier opens. Unfortunately in my case it appeared the m/c had run out of paper so did not print out a pin but it took my 7.2 euros from my card, and fortunately it did not open the barrier so I was saved the embarrassment of being stuck on the wrong side. 
Has anybody else had any experience of this system. 
Stoddy


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## AndrewandShirley (Oct 13, 2007)

We used a couple in northern France last month and after we got used to them there were ok.

It clearly prevents cash being left in the machines overnight.

No problems with our debit card so all was well.


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## madontour (May 19, 2008)

The new aire at Les Menuires in the Alps uses the same system and seems to work OK. You also get tokens for the flot bleu and the electric hookups by shoving your plastic into the machine.

As it requires no human intervention to operate or collect the cash I expect we'll see it introduced on more and more aires :-(

Mike


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## madontour (May 19, 2008)

Forgot to say at Les Menuires you get twenty minutes for free so you can go in to use the flot bleu and get out again without paying the daily charge.

Mike


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## me0wp00 (Jun 2, 2010)

ile d'oleron have had them for a while but the french often struggle with them and barriers not opening


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## zulurita (May 9, 2005)

stoddy said:


> Hi Guys, has anybody had any experience of the New Card Payment system at some French Aires.
> I'll tell you mine, we recently returned from a visit to Spain & France, on the way down we stopped at the aire at Leucate Plage and they have installed a card payment system, the sign attached to the m/c stated that as from the 16/3/2011 it would be operational & they would be charging 7.2 Euro s / 24 hr. period.
> On returning from Spain we again stopped at the the same aire and the system was operational. To use the system you have to put in a credit/debit card & follow the instructions, after you put in your 4 digit pin you are asked to wait & the m/c prints out a 6 digit pin number on a paper ticket & the barrier opens, to get out again you have to enter the 6 digit pin and the barrier opens. Unfortunately in my case it appeared the m/c had run out of paper so did not print out a pin but it took my 7.2 euros from my card, and fortunately it did not open the barrier so I was saved the embarrassment of being stuck on the wrong side.
> Has anybody else had any experience of this system.
> Stoddy


Was there not a contact phone number if the machine took your money but did not print out the receipt or open the barrier? Was there no French campers that could help?

A bit worrying I must admit. Looks like the credit card will be in use this year!


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## BwB (Dec 5, 2009)

Are you certain it took the money off your card? If it didn't print the number and didn't open the gate then I'd think it has not taken anything off your card.

You'll have to check, of course, but as it knows it didn't open the gate I should think it cancelled the transaction?

Thanks for the info though, I haven't met one of these systems yet so the heads-up on the operation is useful. Thank you.


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

I've used the facility at Leucate a number off times (the one at the Etang has been operational for a couple of years) plus the new ones at Le Plage this year, they do have a contact phone number if you encounter problems and the response is quick. The interface is not very easily understood and first use takes a bit of understanding and as mentioned there appear to be a lot of French that have problems, which I think stems from some of the older folk not being fully up to speed with cards as the norm here has been cheques.


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

We used the aire at Amboise last October. It was card operated and cost €10 per night.

If you plan to use this aire check the ground conditions before entering as it is all grass and at that time was very muddy/heavily rutted.

Don


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

madontour said:


> As it requires no human intervention to operate or collect the cash I expect we'll see it introduced on more and more aires :-(
> Mike


Although I'm not very keen on them, I rather hope you are correct Mike! :roll:

At least that will mean the Aires remain open . . . and it just might be worth quoting the system to any local authorities in the UK who seem half-way interested in establishing an Aire.

OK . . . we can all see the formation of Gloucester Old Spots at "Angels 5", but miracles do sometimes happen!!

Dave


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## inkey-2008 (May 24, 2008)

Hi Stoddy if you send me all your bank details and the pin number I will check your acount for you. To see if you where charged

Andy :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## stoddy (Jul 1, 2007)

hi guys, you are correct on both counts, meaning there is actually 2off phone numbers, 8.00pm to 8.00am and 8.00am to 8.00pm and I've just checked my bank account and I have not been charged.
Thanks for the input.
stoddy


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## TickTok (Aug 27, 2010)

We used one in the south of France last year, 6 Euro, the only problem was you had to pay to get out so if the barrier didn't work...............


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## boskybee (May 12, 2006)

me0wp00 said:


> ile d'oleron have had them for a while but the french often struggle with them and barriers not opening


This reminds me of a funny story, we use this aire alot and arrived just after they had installed the barrier, not knowing what it was for (der), we followed another motorhome in while the barrier was still up. The barrier then closed behind us and we had no ticket! We had to stand by the barrier and ask the next motorhome to drive up to the barrier, get a ticket, reverse and drive in again so we had a ticket to get out! and no there was no guardian around, it was a saturday night and nobody was coming along until monday or something stupid like that!

won't do that again...


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## johnthompson (Jul 29, 2010)

We experienced these barriers a few times in Normandy and Brittany last summer that required the use of a card to pay..

Tregastel The barrier was hit and miss but always failed safe (open) as it also had big rams that came up out of the ground. You drove up to the barrier and took a ticket. This was used to open the barrier on the way out after you had put you card into the reader. A number of vans came in when the barrier was up/ rams down only to find they had no card to get out and it needed a vehicle to be in position on the in barrier to get the ticket. My smart could squeeze out so I finished up going around in circles getting tickets for other.

They were installing the same system at Quiberon.

At Arzon we had fun with the barrier in that although it had an English option it requested our matriculation number? This turned out to be the vehicle registration. You also paid for the bourne at this machine but when we went to use it it was not working for drinking water.

At Boulogne sur mere, the barrier was not allowing vans in as it said the half empty Aire was full. This was due to people tail ending through the barrier and the counter could not determine how many vans were then on site. 

None of these problems were insurmountable and caused some humour at times.


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## kenny (Jun 4, 2005)

stoddy said:


> Hi Guys, has anybody had any experience of the New Card Payment system at some French Aires.
> I'll tell you mine, we recently returned from a visit to Spain & France, on the way down we stopped at the aire at Leucate Plage and they have installed a card payment system, the sign attached to the m/c stated that as from the 16/3/2011 it would be operational & they would be charging 7.2 Euro s / 24 hr. period.
> On returning from Spain we again stopped at the the same aire and the system was operational. To use the system you have to put in a credit/debit card & follow the instructions, after you put in your 4 digit pin you are asked to wait & the m/c prints out a 6 digit pin number on a paper ticket & the barrier opens, to get out again you have to enter the 6 digit pin and the barrier opens. Unfortunately in my case it appeared the m/c had run out of paper so did not print out a pin but it took my 7.2 euros from my card, and fortunately it did not open the barrier so I was saved the embarrassment of being stuck on the wrong side.
> Has anybody else had any experience of this system.
> Stoddy


 think your self lookey had the same trouble at same place 3months later £2500 was going out to a online gambling firm have gone to leucate for the last 10 years but no more kennny


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