No fueling, many gas coupons
in Europe will expire this weekend
By David Josar, Stars
and Stripes
STUTTGART, Germany — Rose Khalil on Friday ripped the last two coupons from her
Army and Air Force Exchange Service fuel coupon book and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I just wanted to use these up before they’re no good," Khalil said
after she filled her BMW 318i at the gas pumps on Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart.
Starting Monday, drivers must make sure they are using new coupons that have been
printed and sold to replace the other books that expire Sunday.
The current series of fuel coupons are marked with the following codes on the cover of
each booklet: G-2, GN-2 and N-2.
The new series are available at AAFES facilities that sell the coupons and are valid at
designated commercial gas stations as soon as they are purchased. The new series coupons
are marked with the following codes: G-3, GN-3, G-4 and GN-4.
"The bottom line is that every coupon book out there has an expiration date on it
and lots of them are going to expire on 30 September," AAFES spokesman Maj. Mitch
Edgar said.
The coupons are good for on-base gas stations, all Esso stations and BP Autobahn Stores
in Germany only.
The coupons that will expire are used in Germany and at designated stations in the
Netherlands, Edgar said.
Customers can turn in their old coupon books for a cash refunds at any AAFES facility
that sells the coupons, Edgar said.
The new books will be sold at the same price as the old ones. Edgar said gas prices
have stayed the same for eight months.
He cautioned that refunds will only be made for coupons that are still in the books,
and no single coupons will be accepted. "You need to keep them in the cover and you
need the books," he said.
"The greatest worry is someone won’t get the word and then on Monday
they’ll be downtown at a fest in Bavaria and will have to pay two and a half times
the price for gas," Edgar said.
Military members and Department of Defense employees are able to buy gasoline for about
the same price as they would pay in the United States with the coupons because they are
exempt from paying the heavy taxes on fuel in Germany and the Netherlands.
Sgt. Lisa Burns said she had forgotten the coupons were expiring until she filled up
her Honda Accord at Patch Barracks on Friday.
"I’m glad I looked at the expiration date on my coupons," said Burns
after she filled her vehicle with gas. "I know I don’t want to have pay [local]
gas prices."
The new coupons will expire in either 2002 or 2003, Edgar said. The date is not firm
because AAFES is trying to develop a program where military members and civilian employees
and their families could use a card similar to a credit card to buy gasoline in Germany
and the Netherlands.
That way, Edgar explained, customers would only pay for the fuel as they use it,
instead of now having to prepay for their gasoline.
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