Almost every tourist coming to Iceland is using a rental car to travel around the Iceland. For some of them, however, getting gas in Iceland can be a novelty for several reasons.
There are several types of petrol stations in Iceland, several ways you can pay for gas and you also always need a card with a four-digit PIN code.
In this article, I will try to explain how getting gas in Iceland works and make it easier for you to refuel your first car at one of the gas stations in Iceland.
Paying for petrol in Iceland
The main difference between the individual pumps in Iceland is that some have their own payment terminal right at the stand, while else you refuel but make the payment at the cash register inside.
Fortunately for us, these stands are labeled, so you can park at the one that is more suitable for you.
If you prefer self-service with payment directly at the stand, look for Sjálfsafgreiðsla.
How to fill gas at self-service gas stations
Getting gas is easy, I’ll describe it in a few steps.
1. Insert the payment card into the terminal
2. Select the amount you want to refuel for
There are usually several amounts on offer. The lowest is usually 1000 or 2000 ISK, then usually 5000, 8000, 12000 or fill up. At the price of today’s fuel, the amount of 5,000 is almost half of the tank, for 12,000 you will refuel an almost full tank for classic vehicles.
3. Enter PIN (4 numbers)
4. Remove the card, or select the pump number or type of gas (petrol / diesel)
5. You can start refueling
I always recommend choosing a fixed amount, even if you are going to refuel a full tank. If you let the machine refuel the tank is full, a much higher amount may be blocked (and double charge can occur) on your payment card than you will actually pay for the gas, and this money may not be returned to the card for several days or weeks.
Getting gas with payment inside the gas station
The second way to buying gas and pay at the station in Iceland is with payment inside the gas station branch. For these cases, find a stand that is not marked Sjálfsafgreiðsla.
But there is a small catch with these stands, and many of the tourists I met in Iceland have already had a problem with that.
In many cases, these stands are locked / blocked, so you have to go to the cashier and go to the cash register and ask him to open the rack for you. Before you go to ask a worker, don’t forget to look at the number of the stand you are parking with so that you can report it to him.
As soon as the worker opens your stand, you can immediately refuel your petrol or diesel in your car and stop at the amount that suits you.
Then all you have to do is go back to the gas station building, report the payment to your stand number and pay in cash, by card or mobile phone.
Using card with Pin code
Getting gas at a self-serviced gas station always requires entering a PIN code from your card. If you have a card that does not have a PIN, there are several solutions.
- In Reykjavik and smaller cities, you can take use of the payment inside the gas station. In this case, you make the payment either in cash or by a standard payment terminal, where a PIN is not required.
- The second option is to obtain a prepaid gas card from one of the companies that sell gas in Iceland. If your plan is to travel all over Iceland, I recommend buying this prepaid gas card, because especially in the east and north of Iceland there are not so many gas stations where you can always pay at the register.
You can buy these prepaid gas cards at some gas stations that you come across in Keflavík or Reykjavík, for example. Olís, N1 and Orkan are among the largest gas station chains in Iceland, so we recommend choosing one of these companies.
Fuel discount cards
All these three companies that sell petrol and diesel in Iceland offer their clients fuel discount cards. Almost every car rental company provides these discount cards on a keychain, they are small plastic chips with the gas station logo.
Using these fuel discount cards is easy, just attach the chip to the reader on the stand at the gas station before each refueling.
Cheapest gas station in Iceland
Fuel prices in Iceland, be it gasoline or diesel, are rising all over the world and Iceland is no exception. The increase in prices can be observed every week, so it is no surprise that not only tourists but also locals are looking for ways to travel cheaper. The easiest solution is to refuel at the cheapest gas station in Iceland.
Locals from Iceland already know, where are the cheapest gas stations in Iceland.
If you´re coming to Iceland as tourist, you can check the locations of the cheapest gas stations on this website (https://www.bensinverd.is/gsmbensin_web.php?language=en) or visit one of these 3 cheap gas stations in Reykjavík.
- Orkan Dalvegur
- Atlantic Sprengisandur
- ÓB Bæjarlind
I would personally recommend everyone to getting gas at these cheap gas stations, because if you travel from Reykjavik to the countryside, you will not find any of these cheap gas stations and you will have to pay the full amount for fuel while getting gas, even 10-20% more .
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