Scottish Money

[Y961 XBU]

I currently have hold of Scottish Money and am told certain places in England (where I live) will not accept it so I was wondering if anyone else has had any Problems trying to use the Scottish Money in England?

 

[radamfi]

The easiest thing to do is to pay it into the bank. It's not worth the hassle arguing with shop assistants. You miss out on cashback if you spend cash in shops that accept credit cards anyway.

 

[ainsworth74]

I've had funny looks but never had an issue getting someone to accept it.

 

[Murph]

A tip for spending Scottish notes in English pubs. Wait until the drinks are poured and on the counter before showing them the notes.

 

[Springs Branch]

I've had grumpy looks when presenting Scottish notes down south, but no-one's yet refused.

Now Northern Ireland notes.... that's a different story.

 

[TheKnightWho]

I find it really odd that this is still a problem, when I'd've thought everyone would've heard of Scottish money by now.

I suspect it's either people being overcautious or young, sheltered kids who've never really had to deal with money properly before, and have never cared about it.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I regularly have this issue, usually anywhere south of Preston/Newcastle. I once went to Blackpool without a working Debbit card with half my spending money in Cash and the other in a mates bank account. i paid for the B and B in cash and the Scottish owner of said establishment offered to change the remainder of it to save hassle. I tend to find that whilst many companies shou5d have the facility to check authenticity of ötes that they are reluctant too and would rather öt serve you. Plastic is the way fosward
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
most notable ever was a Birmingham to Scotland Voyager trip 2 years ago when the Brum Shop attendant wouldnt take my tenner and I had to wate til Preston for my Lunch as a Glasgow Crew took over there. Unfortunately most things had sold out and so I made a complaint when I got home and got a full refund for my ticket as Customer Care quite rightly decided that a Scottish note should be accepted without question on an Anglo Scottish train!

 

[GaryMcEwan]

At times it is a bit silly. I was down in Llandudno seeing a few mates and we were getting a taxi into town and the taxi driver refused to take a Clydesdale £20 note in case he thought it was a fake.

Thankfully my mate had a BOE note and that was accepted no problem at all.

 

[Murph]

At times it is a bit silly. I was down in Llandudno seeing a few mates and we were getting a taxi into town and the taxi driver refused to take a Clydesdale £20 note in case he thought it was a fake.

Thankfully my mate had a BOE note and that was accepted no problem at all.

My answer has always been the same in that situation (goods/services already provided, query over Scottish note in payment): It's up to you, mate, it's that or nothing, your choice! It has yet to fail.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

At times it is a bit silly. I was down in Llandudno seeing a few mates and we were getting a taxi into town and the taxi driver refused to take a Clydesdale £20 note in case he thought it was a fake.

Thankfully my mate had a BOE note and that was accepted no problem at all.

Hardly silly. Frustrating for you, obviously, but not silly. Many people in England have never, or rarely, seen a Scottish banknote and so would not on the whole know what most Scottish banknotes look like. If you don't recognize a banknote, the risk to you of accepting it and then discovering it's not a genuine one is rather obvious.

 

[ilkestonian]

I regularly have this issue, usually anywhere south of Preston/Newcastle. I once went to Blackpool without a working Debbit card with half my spending money in Cash and the other in a mates bank account. i paid for the B and B in cash and the Scottish owner of said establishment offered to change the remainder of it to save hassle. I tend to find that whilst many companies shou5d have the facility to check authenticity of ötes that they are reluctant too and would rather öt serve you. Plastic is the way fosward
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
most notable ever was a Birmingham to Scotland Voyager trip 2 years ago when the Brum Shop attendant wouldnt take my tenner and I had to wate til Preston for my Lunch as a Glasgow Crew took over there. Unfortunately most things had sold out and so I made a complaint when I got home and got a full refund for my ticket as Customer Care quite rightly decided that a Scottish note should be accepted without question on an Anglo Scottish train!

IMHO you were lucky. Whilst many large organisations take them, especially travel and transport ones, Scottish and Northern Irish notes are not legal tender.

Someone mentioned up thread a particular issue with NI notes. This was understandable before Ireland joined the Eurozone, because you could have similar looking notes, some of which were worth the UK sterling equivalent and some were not. The key was to check carefully whether they were issued in Dublin or Belfast. Not an issue now, of course, but I think old habits die hard!

 

[Tom B]

I've actually found it doesn't noticeably change depending on the location - I'd expect, for example, the McDonald's opposite King's Cross station to be familiar with Scottish notes (but they still refused one last month), and conversely they've been accepted without query at many small newsagents etc.

Retail as a sector seems to be very dumbed down these days. I'd have thought that if you're a large business and you've just taken on a new cashier, one of their training items would be to learn the security features of all types of banknotes. Particular emphasis being placed on this if it's at a large railway station, a touristy area etc.

(For bonus points, withdraw some £1 notes and try spending them in England. When I was last up in Scotland I went to a branch of the RBS and asked if they could change a £20 into £1 notes. "Oh, I'm sorry, I havny got any in the till, is it specifically the notes you're after?" said the teller - I replied I wanted to take them down to England to watch the reactions of shopkeepers - "Just one moment sir, I'll go and fetch some from the safe!")

 

[Murph]

IMHO you were lucky. Whilst many large organisations take them, especially travel and transport ones, Scottish and Northern Irish notes are not legal tender.

"Legal tender" is largely irrelevant: http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/legal_position.php

Legal tender basically can't be refused as a means of settling an existing debt, but that's about the extent of it. They can refuse to serve you, but in the case of something like drinks already poured, food already eaten, or the end of a taxi journey, the supplier is in a relatively poor negotiating position. It does, of course, help considerably to have a Scottish accent while offering a Scottish note. I've had plenty of occasions where a London pub has been iffy about taking a Scottish £10 or £20 off me, but I've never actually had them ultimately refused when my response has been basically "take it or leave it" (with an obvious Scottish accent).

 

[90019]

(For bonus points, withdraw some £1 notes and try spending them in England. When I was last up in Scotland I went to a branch of the RBS and asked if they could change a £20 into £1 notes. "Oh, I'm sorry, I havny got any in the till, is it specifically the notes you're after?" said the teller - I replied I wanted to take them down to England to watch the reactions of shopkeepers - "Just one moment sir, I'll go and fetch some from the safe!")

£1 notes are great fun.

Because the RBS £1 notes are the only ones left, even up here, some people are cautious about accepting them, though.

 

[pdeaves]

I was wondering if anyone else has had any Problems trying to use the Scottish Money in England?

I tend to try and exchange everything in Scotland before heading home, or by Carlisle at the latest, just to save on the potential hassle factor later.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I don't often experience any difficulty in spending Scottish notes in England.

But it may be helpful to know that the 'self-service' check out tills in supermarkets and other shops also accept these notes, which might sometimes be a convenient way of getting rid of one for a low-value purchase and receiving change in English coins and notes.

 

[WestCoast]

I used to work in a large chain supermarket near Blackpool and with it being a touristy area, would (regularly) see Scottish and (occasionally) Northern Irish notes. No problem to accept them was policy, and the self-scan machines were also set up to do so. We weren't given any training on their security features though.

More problematic were actually Manx notes and coins. These aren't supposed to be taken as the Isle of Man is not part of the UK, but is a crown dependency. I was told there's no requirement for banks to exchange these for English tender so it can be a problem. However, there are quite a few Manx £1 coins in circulation in North West England (there's one with a picture of 90s mobile phone!). They feel and look from a distance just like the English ones so it's not surprise.

I'm told Channel Islands and Gibraltar as well, but I've very rarely seen currency from there.

 

[krus_aragon]

At times it is a bit silly. I was down in Llandudno seeing a few mates and we were getting a taxi into town and the taxi driver refused to take a Clydesdale £20 note in case he thought it was a fake.

Thankfully my mate had a BOE note and that was accepted no problem at all.

That surprises me slightly. Being such a tourist destination (with coaches coming from everywhere year round) businesses in Llandudno see more Scottish/Irish notes than many other locations in North Wales. In a shop, however, the sales assistant can generally ask a supervisor or manager to double-check a note if they've any doubts; a taxi driver can't get a second opinion.

 

[deltic1989]

In my experience it tends to be higher denomination Scottish notes that cause problems with English and Welsh retailers.
I have never personally had any issues spending Scottish fivers, very few issues with Scottish tenners, but present a twenty and prepare for at the very least an elongated raising of it to the light. A friend also reported a lot of fun with a £100 note, however I can't verify the veracity of this.
In my line of work I tend to get to Scotland quite a bit (so much so that i can't recall a time in the last 6 months where I haven't had a Scotch note in my possession).
sometimes in Scotland if I know I'm going to be back South of the border that day, I may ask a retailer if they mind giving me change in English notes, which is usually not a problem. Even without request some retailers will hear my accent and bypass several Scottish notes in their till to find an English one.
Irish notes I don't have much experience of in my life I have seen one Irish note in England, when I worked at a popular fast food chain. Accepted it without question as i knew what it was, but that didn't stop my manager asking questions come cashing up time.
One thing that has interested me for a while is what the status of Ascension Island, Falkland Islands, Gibraltan and other overseas territories / Crown Dependencies notes are in the mainland United Kingdom? As I understand it these are issued in Pounds Sterling also.

 

[Scotrail84]

Scottish Sterling notes cannot be refused in England, tell the refuser to get the police if they think it's a fake note and the police will tell them the same thing.

It's funny how english notes are never questoned in Scotland but it's a different story when we present scottish notes in England. We get looks like we are handing them a turd smeared bit of paper and it's out of order.

Check out this video as well, utter bollox. http://youtu.be/xfILPAi-kh0

 

[krus_aragon]

One thing that has interested me for a while is what the status of Ascension Island, Falkland Islands, Gibraltan and other overseas territories / Crown Dependencies notes are in the mainland United Kingdom? As I understand it these are issued in Pounds Sterling also.

My wife, when working for a national cinema chain some years ago, was told that she could only accept banknotes that are denominated in "pounds sterling". Management were taken aback when she pointed out that Bank of England notes don't come under that category!

 

[Liam]

Scottish Sterling notes cannot be refused in England, tell the refuser to get the police if they think it's a fake note and the police will tell them the same thing.

It's funny how english notes are never questoned in Scotland but it's a different story when we present scottish notes in England. We get looks like we are handing them a turd smeared bit of paper and it's out of order.

Check out this video as well, utter bollox. http://youtu.be/xfILPAi-kh0

Scottish (or Northern Irish, or Jersey, or Guernsey) do hot legally have to be accepted in England. No currency has to be accepted, many shops refuse to take £50 or £100 notes regardless of issuer.

I have had a Bank of Ireland refused in Glasgow, despite the fact the note had been given to me in change from a different location in Glasgow, so we are just as bad for it in Scotland.

 

[cjmillsnun]

Scottish Sterling notes cannot be refused in England, tell the refuser to get the police if they think it's a fake note and the police will tell them the same thing.

It's funny how english notes are never questoned in Scotland but it's a different story when we present scottish notes in England. We get looks like we are handing them a turd smeared bit of paper and it's out of order.

Check out this video as well, utter bollox. http://youtu.be/xfILPAi-kh0

Actually they can be refused in England. They may be legal currency, but they are not legal tender.

http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/legal_position.php

That said, when I worked in retail, I received training on the security features of all UK banknotes and would thus happily accept BoE and notes issued by banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Also any retailer can refuse any banknote they believe to be a forgery. They are then supposed to retain the banknote and inform their bank and/or the police.

 

[chris89]

I haven't had issues with Scottish notes when returning home from a weekend etc in Scotland.

Yes will make sure i have change for the bus as they are incredibly fussy with anything, Most shops in my area will accept them. But mostly just get them changed at the village post office instead.

Only time got strange looks was at B'north Wetherspoons as asked if they accepted them, also at Wolverhampton Station, when getting a single from Wolves to Stafford the person looked at me, as i came from a different planet.

Also when other half is down here, she tends to put her Scottish notes, in with others for restaurants etc.

 

[IanXC]

One thing that has interested me for a while is what the status of Ascension Island, Falkland Islands, Gibraltan and other overseas territories / Crown Dependencies notes are in the mainland United Kingdom? As I understand it these are issued in Pounds Sterling also.

My understanding is that its the governments of each territory who issue them, who have made the decision to hold them at par with UK Sterling. Same applies for the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

In practice UK banks receive sufficient volume of Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man notes that they can accept them and repatriate them. Gibraltar notes circulate freeley with Bank of England notes in Gibraltar, but in the UK it is usual to only receive 92p ish per pound. Notes from territories further south than that are very hard to exchange at all!

 

[ilkestonian]

"Legal tender" is largely irrelevant: http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/legal_position.php

Agreed, but I made the comment in response to the poster who felt it was eminently reasonable to receive a free train ticket just because a member of the catering staff wouldn't accept a Scottish tenner.

I simply felt he was fortunate to obtain this given there was no obligation to accept it.

Having said that, if there is a specific published company policy which was states they would be accepted, that's different...

 

[Strathclyder]

I've had grumpy looks when presenting Scottish notes down south, but no-one's yet refused.

Now Northern Ireland notes.... that's a different story.

I received a Bank of Ireland £5 'Sterling' note from my gran last April as a Easter gift (she gives me and my brothers money (something like £5) every Easter). Despite the odd look I got from the member of staff at the till, it was accepted at my local Co-op.

 

[edwin_m]

Hardly silly. Frustrating for you, obviously, but not silly. Many people in England have never, or rarely, seen a Scottish banknote and so would not on the whole know what most Scottish banknotes look like. If you don't recognize a banknote, the risk to you of accepting it and then discovering it's not a genuine one is rather obvious.

Not only that, but also there are at least three Scottish banks that issue their own notes, all to different designs. The average retailer south of Carlisle would hardly ever see something like a Clydesdale £20.

 

[Glenmutchkin]

There are exactly three - RBS, Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale.

The last named introduced plastic fivers last week I have yet to see one.

 

[Scotrail84]

If ordering a pint, let them pour it, take a sip then hand over the cash. They would either have to accept it or pour the pint away losing money.