Fuel card confusion on rental cars leaves many in Germany paying extra

[unhappycamper]

Fuel card confusion on rental cars leaves many in Germany paying extra
By Mark Abramson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Confusion over the need to get a separate fuel ration card for a rental vehicle has caused some pain at the pump, forcing some drivers to shell out more per gallon to fill up.

Installation Management Command-Europe and Army and Air Force Exchange Service officials said a major problem with the gas cards in Germany is that drivers don’t realize they cannot use the same fuel card for a rental vehicle that they use for their privately owned vehicle.

One fuel card user who was filling up Friday at Vogelweh said she has heard of widespread problems with the process of getting a fuel card for a rental vehicle.

"A lot of people are getting confused," said Hannah Dixon, whose husband is in the 2nd Battalion, 106th Infantry Regiment at Baumholder. "It doesn’t make sense. When you start using them for rental cars, it was a big problem."

Dixon said she was shocked when she had to pay German gas prices when she hit the road in a rental car in July because didn’t have a card specifically for her rental vehicle. German gas prices translate into about $5.40 a gallon.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=57309