Payment Tags for French Autoroutes

[Simon_M]

Has anyone acquired one of these electronic tags recently for paying the tolls on French Autoroutes?

There are plenty of threads on pistonheads saying how to get round the 'only post to French addresses' but they seem to have recently changed. They no longer accept a credit card and now need a French bank account.

S

 

[Spinal]

Credit Agricole Britline : The French Bank that makes French Banking easy for you

 

[kth286]

Has anyone acquired one of these electronic tags recently for paying the tolls on French Autoroutes?

There are plenty of threads on pistonheads saying how to get round the 'only post to French addresses' but they seem to have recently changed. They no longer accept a credit card and now need a French bank account.

S

How do tourists pay the tolls ?

 

[Simon_M]

Cash.

 

[Mr E]

I have one, and it's linked to a credit card.

AFAIK, it used to be that you needed a French bank account. I've got a Liber-t from ASF. You need to have a reasonable understanding of French or use a translation engine but it was all fairly straightforward and the widget arrived within a week of application.

The comment at the bottom of this page says "Offer subject to conditions: for any subscription on the internet with your first bill paid by credit card, receiving the badge within 4 working days" so looks as if credit cards are still accepted by ASF for the Liber-T widget.

With this one, there is a one-off charge for the widget (about €12 if I remember rightly), the toll charge, and a €2/mth charge for the months that you use it. It gets sent by registered "sign-for" post (which costs more than the one-off fee!) and is well worth it for the smug feeling you get driving through the "T" gates at the peage.

 

[crockers]

I just pay with a credit card - nationwide (no fees) and queue - to be honest for a few weeks abroad it doesn't faze me. So on a journey you save a few minutes with a tag - are you in that much of a hurry to get where you're heading?

Thought the point of a holiday was to chill ...

If I lived there or travelled extensively on business then perhaps a different view..

 

[Mr E]

I just pay with a credit card - nationwide (no fees) and queue - to be honest for a few weeks abroad it doesn't faze me. So on a journey you save a few minutes with a tag - are you in that much of a hurry to get where you're heading?

Thought the point of a holiday was to chill ...

If I lived there or travelled extensively on business then perhaps a different view..

We go down south 2-3 times a years plus trips over to visit friends in the north. On the summer trips we've easily spent 2+ hours in queues at the peage in both directions (but usually worse going home for some reason...). I've been meaning to do it for years as we do have a French bank account but had never got round to it.

€2 to save that seems a bargin to me

 

[Aviator]

I have had a Liber t card for three years and it is charged against my credit card. You can also charge it against a charge card.
we travel on French motorways to Nice up to three times a year and it is a great timesaver at peak periods. It also means that you do not have to struggle to get change or your credit card out whilst using the motorway. On some of the Peage points you can go through at up to 30 MPH but most you have to slow to almost stop. Once you have a pass you will realise the benefits and wonder why you did not get one sooner. the cost is €12 per year. Well worth it!
Getting one is very easy and you can apply on line. They will send you the pass within a week. You can view your usage on libe and the charges are debited monthly to your card.

Details on this link; Offres Liber-t - sanef

Good luck and bon vacance

 

[Simon_M]

Yes, the trouble seems to be that they require a French bank account to apply, even though the payments go out on a credit card.

Spinal's link looks good but I would rather not have an account setup just to get the tag but I see no other way so far.

S

 

[Mr E]

Yes, the trouble seems to be that they require a French bank account to apply, even though the payments go out on a credit card.

Spinal's link looks good but I would rather not have an account setup just to get the tag but I see no other way so far.

S

Looks like you are right, certainly for the ASF one. It now asks for a statement from a French bank or a bank with a clearing house in France or Monaco.

Edit: The Sanef one also requires bankdetails to be entered...

 

[AlastairM]

I got mine from the Autoroute Paris Rhin Rhone website (www.aprr.fr) some time ago. They still charge to my credit card and when the credit card expires send me an e-mail asking for my bank details. I respond with up to date credit card details and it carries on working....

I don't know it it will still accept a credit card for a new account, though.

The unit is especially useful when you're driving on your own - saves a lot of leaning across the car to pay.

 

[davidmi]

I too have had a Sanef Libert-T for around three years and based on the monthly scheme paid by credit card. Last used in October across the length of France without problem. The sign-up on the Sanef website seems to have changed a bit and it is understandably geared towards French users but I suspect in practice that it is still the same for international subscribers. I did have to fill in an additional form about a year or so ago asking for additional bank details but I simply put in my UK info and the system carried on working. It does say in English in the subscription info that you can call direct - "From overseas dial +33 9 708 08 709" - if you want help. I seem to recall that it was only the monthly subscription scheme that was available to foreign credit card holders.

 

[Simon_M]

Well I got my tag through the post today from France. I used, well I say I, what I mean is my wife who has a degree in french ordered it from APRR ( Autoroute : trafic autoroutier, télépéage, services sur aire | APRR AREA) - it's all set up to debit from our UK credit card and has a fee of something like 2Eur per month of use. The only thing was the website would not accept UK post codes even though you can select United Kingdon as the country, it still got here though. I think you can maintain your account online as well but I can't understand a word of the gumph sent with it. It's just like a Dart>Tag so I will stick it to the windscreen and hope for the best!

Cheers for the input guys.

 

[Stratman]

I would have thought preventing, or even making it more difficult for, foreigners from buying the tag would be against EEC rules.

Still, whenever has stopped the French doing what they want?