# Buying gasoline in Europe



## desertpilot (Mar 15, 2012)

Did some searches, browsed the wiki, etc...most posts talk about the cost (really expensive) and how much fuel you get with the car (not much), but I didn't see anything about the fuel stations themselves. 

Are there any gasoline brands in Europe to avoid? Is premium fuel clearly discernible from regular unleaded in English -- i.e. octane clearly shown in a 91-93 range number somewhere on the pump? Do they take American credit cards (not chip and pin) outside at the pump, or can I pay with a non-chip/pin card inside? I assume you pump your own fuel everywhere?


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## Neutron145 (Dec 31, 2011)

I do not know about which ones to avoid, but there are a lot of Shell stations. The have a super octane with 100. The octane is clearly marked, same as in the US. They take US credit cards without chip and pin. I went inside each time. Remember to check with your credit card company to make sure that they do not charge a fee for international use.


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## northeast_3er (Feb 11, 2011)

I don't think any brands are to be avoided. Any of the major brands are fine... the gas you should be using is Super, which is graded at 95 octane. This BTW was what the Welt recommended when I picked up my car. You could also use the 99, but is more expensive.
The number is clearly listed on the pump.
At the majority of gas stations you have to pay inside. In fact, I have not seen anywhere the option for paying at the pump. And yes, most times you pump your own fuel.

I have a chip and signature card that I've used, don't know if they take the regular credit cards, but they should.


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## jcs (Dec 25, 2001)

It's hard to answer your questions without knowing where you are going. Europe is a big place.

For example in France, after hours, during lunch, holidays, week-ends, strikes, or nice weather days, the gas station maybe unattended... that's when we had problems with our credit cards. So while in France, fill up every time you have a chance.

In Spain, I've never seen a gas station with self-service. I'm sure they exist, but I've never seen one. On the bright side, they do sell ice cubes... to chill all that white wine you have been buying along the way.


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## desertpilot (Mar 15, 2012)

jcs said:


> It's hard to answer your questions without knowing where you are going. Europe is a big place.


Sorry, good point -- my itinerary was in a different thread. Headed through Austria, Italy, Switzerland in addition to Germany.

Thanks for the tips guys!


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## neilk (Aug 27, 2007)

Don't get gas in Italy... it was about 20 cents per liter than in France due to taxes. I was told that Switzerland has relatively cheap gas. Are gas price variations by country in the wiki by any chance?


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## Kamdog (Apr 15, 2007)

Keep in mind that Euro octanes are not US octanes, so always get the highest each station has to offer.


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## sno_duc (Sep 3, 2008)

Memory serves, your first stop after Munich is Salzburg.
Gasoline is mucher (***8364;0.25 / liter) cheaper in Austria. On our June ED we stopped on the A-8 bought our Austrian viginette and put ***8364; 10 in the tank. (just enough to make sure we'd make Austria)


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## sactoken (Apr 4, 2004)

The AA posts fuel cost reports updated monthly here:

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuel/

They give the prices in local currency and GBP, so you can use the latter to compare relative prices. In July per-liter costs in GBP were 1.10 in Austria, 1.23 in Germany, 1.39 in Italy, and 1.17 in Switzerland. (1.00 GBP=1.28 euro=1.57 USD)


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## Kamdog (Apr 15, 2007)

sactoken said:


> The AA posts fuel cost reports updated monthly here:
> 
> http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuel/
> 
> They give the prices in local currency and GBP, so you can use the latter to compare relative prices. In July per-liter costs in GBP were 1.10 in Austria, 1.23 in Germany, 1.39 in Italy, and 1.17 in Switzerland. (1.00 GBP=1.28 euro=1.57 USD)


The Euro is less than a buck and a quarter, as of now.


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## sactoken (Apr 4, 2004)

Kamdog said:


> The Euro is less than a buck and a quarter, as of now.


Right, that's 1.00 GBP=1.28 euros.


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## zeddy (May 11, 2011)

I'm used to paying for fuel outside and then pumping immediately. Everywhere I filled up in Europe (Austria, Italy, Switzerland), I always went inside first to give the gas attendant my card and let them know which pump I was at. In Switzerland, they once asked for my ID and I gave them my CA driver's license, where they immediately began to ask about Hollywood and the beach. 

Just make sure you don't pump diesel and you'll be fine.


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## DonnaBlackson (May 14, 2006)

i bought the 100 octane gas during my ED in 09. There are many gas stations along the autobahns. As a previous poster posted, there are a lot of shell stations. Dont forget your vignette if you plan on driving in austria( you can buy it in the gas station).


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

Kamdog said:


> Keep in mind that Euro octanes are not US octanes, so always get the highest each station has to offer.


I don't get your point here.
for example EU 95 ~= US 91. You won't even find lower octane than EU 95 there. You don't really need to go for the highest. EU fuel is generally better than US.


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## rhird (Feb 7, 2011)

I also thought there were a lot of "one way" gas stations. At least twice saw an open pump and pulled in only to realize I was going against traffic and everyone was staring at me. Next time I do this I will spend more time studying european road signs before I leave.


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## milepig (Apr 24, 2012)

Many stations will have self service and attended pumps - often the same pump depending on which side you pull up on. I made that mistake once, and was too embarrassed to change sides - it was just a few cents more per litre.

When you pull into a station at a rest stop on the highway you can just pull into any open pump in the direction of travel. Usually I would pump first and then go inside to pay since my American credit card seldom worked at the pump.


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## Wine-O (Feb 17, 2010)

milepig said:


> Many stations will have self service and attended pumps - often the same pump depending on which side you pull up on. I made that mistake once, and was too embarrassed to change sides - it was just a few cents more per litre.
> 
> When you pull into a station at a rest stop on the highway you can just pull into any open pump in the direction of travel. Usually I would pump first and then go inside to pay since my American credit card seldom worked at the pump.


I was in Zurich and the attendant told me that the American credit cards wouldn't work with the pump but then went ahead to tell me that if I had an American Express Card, that would work, and it did.


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## ChuckE89 (May 15, 2011)

Just insure you don't use the "95 E10", this is the 10% bio-ethanol, pretty much every BMW, except an "M", can run on it, but noticeably less power and a 10% mileage hit.


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## milepig (Apr 24, 2012)

Oh, you'll see Shell stations everywhere, but they don't take US Shell cards.


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## bigugly fab (May 28, 2009)

i dont understand why yall use CC's over there. Cash is always accepted and doesnt cost an international fee every time to be used lol


I spent 2 vacations over 3 1/2 weeks each time over there in a motorhome.... never had a problem getting car or truck diesel.... but i did notice that the car diesel was more expensive, but got better MPG's..... (KPG's? lol).... truck diesel was cheaper, but got worse... in any case it turned out to be a wash and i ended up getting truck diesel mainly because it wasnt as busy normally, and it uses much faster pumps to fill the tank.


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

It's like it was in the USA before there were so many gasoline drive-offs.... you pump, then walk in and pay.

HOWEVER, there are a two guidelines that have served me well for over a decade:

a) Just look at the windows/doors of the business and identify the tell-tale stickers of AMEX, MasterCard (or its variations), VISA, Diners Club, etc. If you do NOT see your particular card, then just pull it out of your wallet, walk inside to the clerk, and point at the card and ask if you can use it. Even if they do not understand English, they will know what you are asking and will give you a nod or a shake. Then you act accordingly.

b) Always have plenty of EUROs cash in your wallet when you are in Europe. Meaning, don't go below, say, 200 EUR at any one point, usually mixed bills (20's, 50's, 5's). Your odds are good that at least once you will find a petrol station that will not take your/any credit card, and you do not want to be stuck. It's also good in case you intend to pay for a meal with a credit card, and discover (more frequently than petrol stations) that they only take cash.

Bonus Guideline:
c) If you are traveling much in the evenings, you will find a scarcity of 24-hour restaurants dotting the landscape (i.e. you won't find an equivalent to Denny's, Waffle House, or TGIFriday's.) You will find truck stops along the autobahn/autostrasse/autoetc. You can leverage those for restroom breaks (have a few EUR coins ready), and late-night snacks. I can't tell you how often that getting a surprisingly-good bratwurst and brotchen has saved me from an evening of starvation! Oh, and those truck stops have petrol, too!

Have fun!


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## bigugly fab (May 28, 2009)

hell i stayed in those truck stops the majority of the nights in the motor home. shower/diner/fuel/food/snacks were all available.


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## sactoken (Apr 4, 2004)

bigugly fab said:


> i dont understand why yall use CC's over there. Cash is always accepted and doesnt cost an international fee every time to be used lol


I use a CC (without a foreign transaction fee) whenever I can because they don't mark up the exchange rate, and I get whatever rewards points the card offers. I get charged a 1% transaction fee when I get cash out of a European ATM. I am getting a small amount of Euros from my bank because I like to have a little cash in my pocket when I land (just in case of ATM problems) but the exchange rate is bad ($1.30 instead of $1.23 today).


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

The area you go to will have plenty of Shell, Total, BP, Jet. These are all reputable companies. They all accept CC with or without chip. Sometimes you will see gas stations in the supermarket complex, like you see in Safeway or 7-Eleven, those stations prices the gas at a lower price. BUT, they are all pay at pump, so you must use a chip and pin credit card. I recalled it was at least 5~6 cents per litre cheaper than regular gas station in southern France.

Octanes are clearly marked but I don't recall low octane stuff.


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## milepig (Apr 24, 2012)

bigugly fab said:


> i dont understand why yall use CC's over there. Cash is always accepted and doesnt cost an international fee every time to be used lol
> 
> I spent 2 vacations over 3 1/2 weeks each time over there in a motorhome.... never had a problem getting car or truck diesel.... but i did notice that the car diesel was more expensive, but got better MPG's..... (KPG's? lol).... truck diesel was cheaper, but got worse... in any case it turned out to be a wash and i ended up getting truck diesel mainly because it wasnt as busy normally, and it uses much faster pumps to fill the tank.





sactoken said:


> I use a CC (without a foreign transaction fee) whenever I can because they don't mark up the exchange rate, and I get whatever rewards points the card offers. I get charged a 1% transaction fee when I get cash out of a European ATM. I am getting a small amount of Euros from my bank because I like to have a little cash in my pocket when I land (just in case of ATM problems) but the exchange rate is bad ($1.30 instead of $1.23 today).


I don't really want to carry around hundreds of Euros just to pay for petrol, and indeed the CC rate is the clean bank to bank rate of the day, and with my card I pay no fees. No brainer for me.


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## zeezz (Mar 30, 2012)

As an FYI, my chip and signature card (Chase Hyatt Visa) worked fine at the unattended stands in some places (Germany/Switzerland) but did not work in automated ones in France. They also did not work in automated metro stations in Spain. It worked at all restaurants except a shady one who cancelled the transaction and said it didn't work (the receipt already showed the currency selection).


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## bigugly fab (May 28, 2009)

ALSO: your credit card apparently needs a PIN number.


that is 4 digits.


my ATM was 5. nothing would take it.
i didn't even know my CC *HAD* a PIN number......


things to remember.


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## desertpilot (Mar 15, 2012)

bigugly fab said:


> ALSO: your credit card apparently needs a PIN number.
> 
> that is 4 digits.
> 
> ...


Huh...I didn't know this. I guess I need to call my bank and ensure the card has a PIN tied to it?


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## bigugly fab (May 28, 2009)

yup. i just typed out a long thing explaining our struggles for 3 days, but the forum erased it when i submitted...


so you get cliffs 


yes.
make sure your CC and debit have 4 digit pins.
make sure you know them!


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## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

northeast_3er said:


> I don't think any brands are to be avoided. Any of the major brands are fine... the gas you should be using is Super, which is graded at 95 octane. This BTW was what the Welt recommended when I picked up my car. You could also use the 99, but is more expensive.
> The number is clearly listed on the pump.
> At the majority of gas stations you have to pay inside. In fact, I have not seen anywhere the option for paying at the pump. And yes, most times you pump your own fuel.
> 
> I have a chip and signature card that I've used, don't know if they take the regular credit cards, but they should.


The delivery rep at the Welt recommended against E10, being bad gas. Funny, in the U.S. most of the gas is, therefore, bad as it's federally mandated to be E8-10.

Quite a bit of 95 octane is E5.


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