Fuel ration card limits monthly fuel purchase amounts

  • Published
  • By Public Affairs
  • IMCOM-Europe
HEIDELBERG, Germany --  The new Germany fuel ration card is proving to be as easy as swiping a credit card for most drivers. However, any resemblance to a credit card stops there.

The card is not an open-ended purchasing tool.

That's the message Dave Mattingly, Installation Management Command-Europe, Germany Fuel Ration Card Development Program lead, wants to ensure European motorists understand as the December deadline for ceasing all coupon transactions approach.

There are two limiting factors to cards: Pre-paid money and rationed liters, said Mattingly. And if you run out of one or the other will, you will create an awkward situation at the gas station.

"I wish we knew why some people don't realize that they still have a monthly fuel ration limit for how much fuel they can purchase for their vehicles," said Mattingly. "The only thing that changed about purchasing fuel is what we use to purchase the fuel. The limits to how much - our rationed amounts - remain the same."

Mattingly surmises that because the new fuel ration card transaction process is so streamlined -
a pump and pay situation - people who normally physically handled coupons have forgotten that they still need to keep track of their authorized fuel ration.

"I've talked to people who absolutely love the card, however, they did say that because it was so easy to get fuel, they forgot that they are actually using a 'rationed' system," said Mattingly. "People forget they need to keep receipts and track how much money and rationed liters they have left."

All is not gloom and doom for people who bust their prepaid monetary limit on the fuel card, he said. AAFES has a process to provide relief for customers who exceed their cards monetary amount, as long as the customer had at least $1 on the card prior to pumping fuel. The relief from AAFES comes under the condition that customers must pay back the relief before their account will be fully functional again.

But for customers who go over their allotted fuel ration limit, well, it's gloom and doom. You have to pay local prices for exceeding the authorized rationed limit. That's a customs requirement.

"The name of the card is 'fuel ration card.' That alone should remind people every time they use the card that they must remain within their ration," said Mattingly.

Monitor Account Balances Online

Individuals who are unsure of what their authorized rations are may check their vehicle registration, look at a copy of the most recent fuel purchase receipt, or go to the online AAFES fuel card site to check their account status.

https://odin.aafes.com/esso/

Logon procedures require individuals to select "SSN" as the ID option, enter their SSN with no dashes, and then enter their vehicle license plate number as their password. It's important to enter the license plate number as it is shown on the vehicle registration document (AE Form 190-1A).

"This system provides a much more robust capability for monitoring fuel rationing to ensure we comply with customs requirements," he said. "In the past, a person with a 400-liter ration could purchase all 400 liters one day before one month ended, then purchase another 400 the first day of the next month and have 800 liters. That is not the case any more. The system deducts from your fuel ration as a result of each time you pump fuel into your vehicle."

In addition to checking out the AAFES site, Mattingly encouraged motorists to revisit the IMCOM-Europe fuel card website periodically in case new information or news is posted.

http://www.imcom-europe.army.mil/sites/news/fuelcard.asp