The Air Total card states that UK pilots need a French bank account.
This is the link:http://www.total.co.uk/aviation/airtotalcard.html
Is there a way to get around this requirement?
[ Post moved to the TOTAL card thread linked to earlier – see above posts for info ]
I applied for the Total card this week. They didn’t require a French account.
Two years ago they did, but they require paper copies of everything which they then lost and I couldn’t be bothered doing it all again. I spoke to Total at Friedrichshafen last year and they sent me a new application form by email which I’ve just got around to returning.
Hopefully I’ll have the card by the spring!
The Air BP card application was much simpler.
German Bank account is fine and we had to place a deposit of a few hundred Euros.
Just send it there by mail, additionally via email and check with them after a few days.
On my first attempt, my documents got lost with Total ;)
Peter wrote:
I wonder what % of non-FR pilots have the TOTAL card. It was really hard to get for many years.
I have neither a French bank account nor a French address, and got mine about one year and a half ago. I can confirm that it is no longer difficult if your bank supports SEPA direct debits (i.e. all European banks outside the UK and Switzerland it seems). And it came in useful sometimes, when you try to beat the weather and can do a fuel stop that takes 15 minutes total including approach, taxi and takeoff times. 
I have one – no problem to get.
At Le Touquet if you want to pay with a Total card it is self service only. The bowser will not ccept the card. On the plus side self service is much cheaper.
I confirm that the TOTAL card is easy to get if your bank supports SEPA direct debit, and at least one bank in Switzerland does (Postfinance).
chflyer wrote:
I confirm that the TOTAL card is easy to get if your bank supports SEPA direct debit, and at least one bank in Switzerland does (Postfinance).
oh, good to know, I´ll make another effort then to getting one. Last time I tried it was still “French banc account s.v.p”. Can it be ordered online?
UVAir works well.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
Can it be ordered online?
Not when I got mine (in 2014).
Send a request to Marie-France Pascal using email address [email protected]
If you provide her with enough details in your email she can prepare/populate the forms that you need to sign. I suggest your name, address, and an estimate of the amount of fuel you’ll use in a year. She’ll send you an email with all the necessary files to be completed attached including a file with the instructions specific to your request. You’ll need to make a one-time transfer of a caution fee. I think this is set depending on how much fuel you tell them you’ll expect to buy in a year. They asked me for €240, and this is documented in the contract you sign.
Once you receive that, you’ll need to provide by postal mail:
- copy of your ID or Passport (recto-verso)
- copy of the aircraft CofA (recto-verso) with an indication of fuel type (e.g. Avgas 100L) – both of these are on the card when issued
- copy of proof of residence, e.g. recent electricity (EKZ) invoice
- relevé d’identité bancaire (IBAN) – I sent a recto-verso copy of my Postfinance card corresponding to my Euro account (BTW sepa.ch has a list of Swiss banks supporting SEPA direct debit)
- SEPA direct debit authorization – she’ll pre-populate this just leaving the IBAN and Swift BIC fields blank for you to fill in
- contract (she’ll provide this for you to sign) and they’ll return a counter-signed copy
I have on-line access to my statements and they send me an email everytime a new statement is available.
Using the card is easy, just like using a credit card at a auto gas station, and the Total prices are excellent and the same everywhere in France except Corsica (currently €1.73/litre). See here:
TOTAL aviation card
