bradleykhofmann

I'll be in Scotland for a week in April with a rental car. How would I go about paying for fuel with a US credit Card?

It has a Chip. But no PIN. Banks think we are too dim and will forget these. (never mind we have them for debit cards, another day)
Will this work at the pump still or should I go in?
Just pay cash?

If go in/pay cash, do I need to pay first?

Thanks all!

Ldnn1

No need to pay first, and in most petrol stations in the U.K. you cannot actually pay first.

Just go into the shop after you fill up and you'll be able to use your card with a signature there.

bradleykhofmann

Thank you. That's impossible to do these days in the US. Pre-pay only.

stut

It all happens behind the scenes. Your registration will be automatically read by ANPR cameras. At a minimum, it'll be logged, but probably also recorded against CCTV footage of you at the pump, and checked against a police DB. If there's a slight delay before the pump kicks in, this is why. Welcome to Britain.

Always check you have a card or cash on you, failure to have the means to pay is treated as intention to steal, as far as the police are concerned. The days where you filled in a form and left ID are long gone.

The only exception may be the handful (and it is a small number) of garages that are unmanned, and may require chip+pin.

RedLight2015

I’ve used a US a card anyway and you’d just insert it, wait for remove card to come up and then pump. No PIN Required. Very similar to a US chip & signature terminal.

Now this is the U.K., France is a whole different horror story

lwildernorva

You should be able to use your US credit card in most locations without question. Pump first, pay upon completing the fillup is the norm. In most situations, credit is accepted, but as recently as 2014 in a small town north of Aberdeen, they didn't take credit only cash. Same may be true when you get way up in the Highlands.

Two rules. One, always have a little cash on hand, just in case because in some of the rural areas, ATMs are not conveniently located. During a 2011 trip that took me to Reay along the northern mainland coast, I tried to pay for a round of golf by credit card. No credit card accepted. I told the person at the club that I'd go to the nearest ATM, withdraw some cash, and come back. He gave me a look that said, "you're not from around here, are you?" and told me to go play and send the cash in the mail later. Turns out the nearest ATM was nearly 20 miles away! I sent the cash the next day and have maintained an occasional correspondence chain with the club ever since. Very trusting and very friendly--I wasn't going to be the ugly American who burned them on that!

Two, especially in the rural areas, don't assume stations will be open much past 5. Not a bad idea to fill up your car when you're half empty. If you're ever in Ireland, outside the urban areas, follow these same two rules.

RichardInSF

If a PIN is required and your card doesn't have one, always try 0000 before giving up. It's worked for me on occasion.

RedLight2015

Badenoch

If your credit card doesn't work then a debit card often will. I've found that in the U.S. where my Canadian cards are rejected because I don't have a zip code my debit cards work fine.

pt flyer

Andrews Federal Credit Union issues a true chip and pin VISA card if you are interested. It makes automated ticket machines, etc. far easier to deal with when traveling.

bradleykhofmann

Thank you all. I will fly into Edinburgh and be staying in Dundee. This is a Golfing adventure. I'm not straying far. St. Andrews and Carnoustie area for golfing. The farthest ill stray is Braemar or Balmoral for a 1 day break. I believe a full tank prior to leaving Dundee will be more than enough for the round trip. I'm staying at the Dundee Centre Premier Inn. (Lovely surprise to see the massive rebuild, I thought I got a deal only seeing the old photos!). There is a Tesco just down the street that looks convenient for me to use.

dulciusexasperis

Ah the joys of having an antiquated US credit card. No one with a card from any other country would need to even ask this question.

I wonder if someone could get Trump on board with this issue? 'Make America Great Again', get them cards that work everywhere, like everyone else has.

1P

Not true in my experience. Perhaps in cities, but not necessarily outside them. And even in cities when the machines are not functioning properly you need to go inside to get authorization to pump gas, but not pay until you're done.

lwildernorva

Given the purpose of your trip, let me recommend that you take a look at this book, https://www.amazon.com/Golf-Scotland...allan+ferguson. By the time I read it, I had taken several trips to Scotland. Two things: many matters he covers, I can corroborate through the experiences I'd already had; second, the things I didn't know, especially the bits about checking clubs to see if they're running open competitions while you're there and the multiple ways to get on the Old Course, were extremely helpful.

If you're going during the summer, for relatively low cost but convenient lodgings in St. Andrews, consider student housing at the University. There are some dorm facilities at the Agnes Blackadder Hall located off the main road leading out of town towards Leuchars that splits the St. Andrews golf courses and the more modern parts of the University. Not luxurious, certainly, but you'll get a double bed with an ensuite shower plus a free breakfast plus laundry facilities plus free wifi for approximately $80 per night for a solo. These rates appear to hold for the stretch during the Open at Carnoustie next summer. Short walk to the Old Course and surrounding pubs and restaurants but far enough away from the action so that you won't hear any noise. More info: https://ace.st-andrews.ac.uk/accommo...ackadder-hall/.

Dundee is fine, but St. Andrews is a unique experience for a golfer. After playing a round there, you'll want to hang in the pubs located near the R&A without having to drive back to Dundee. And there's plenty more to do there, including sightseeing at the ruins of the St. Andrews Cathedral, the British Golf Museum, and the ancient Castle.

tmiw

The US isn't the only country that doesn't use PINs on cards. (Also, I suspect that we're trying to skip past the chip as quickly as possible; it's why mobile wallets started being pushed around the same time the cards got chips. The jury's still out on that, however.)

Speaking of mobile wallets, I don't know how common contactless is at petrol stations (didn't rent a car on my recent trip over there) but I was able to use Apple Pay for nearly everything--including buying rail tickets at a machine and on the Underground. No signature required. ^