Are Ulster five pound notes legal tender ?

[Languishingonthesidelines]

Paid for DS's piano lesson with a twenty pound note. She gave change with an Ulster five pound note. I didn't realise at the time. Dp reckons it's legal but up to the shop owner whether to accept it. If so I'm in two minds whether to return it to her next week when I pay. Would that be bad form ?

The concept of legal tender applies only to the settlement of debts. As to whether a shop will accept it, that’s entirely up their own individual policy.

they are a pain to pay anything with most shops wont accept them.

• when I have some after a visit to NI I take to post office and pay in - even at a main post office they don't like them and do all sorts of checks.

It’s perfectly valid but that doesn’t mean they have to accept it.

If it’s likely to be hard to shift where you are I would put it aside to be paid into the bank with any other cash deposits.

I think it would be fine to pay it back using the same £5, after all the piano teacher must think it's acceptable

As above. No it isn't legal tender, same as Scottish notes, legal tender has a very narrow and specific meaning and is irrelevant to everyday purchases. The note is a perfectly acceptable means of exchange. Your debit/credit card, gift tokens etc are also not legal tender but nobody worries about that.

Use it in a self scan machine

It is Sterling

I would definitely just use it when you pay them for the next lesson.

I had one last week and tesco took it no problem

I agree - use it to pay for next week's lesson.

Just point at the bit of the note that says Five Pounds Sterling if a shop refuses to take it.
It is a bank note issued within the UK & NI so perfectly spend able.

As above , pay for next weeks lesson 🤣

give it back to her, see if she has the gall to say anything.

I love the frisson that occurs when you pay down south with a Scottish note. DH often has bother, but I never do, I just hand them over as it is perfectly normal, and see if they squirm at all.

Once he was aaaaaaages in a Somerset petrol station, and I thought there must be a standoff or something, but when he finally got back to the car it turned out that the guy had just got a new light machine for detecting forgeries and was very excited as the Scottish notes had something specific to look for and he'd had DH turning out his wallet for other notes so he could show off his fancy machine!

Just point at the bit of the note that says Five Pounds Sterling if a shop refuses to take it.

And?

I find the big supermarkets are the best bet for spending them - that or take them into the cash deposit machine in the bank. Or as you say, pay her with them next week. When I go back to NI I desperately avoid getting them as they are a bit of a pain to get rid of these days, particularly when people are using much less cash in general.