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Original poster

Is an Ulster Bank £5 legal tender in England?

26 replies

dryrobeday · 04/04/2022 08:19

I found this bank note in an old folder and wondering whether it is current and spendable in England?

Is an Ulster Bank £5 legal tender in England?
OP posts:
Awrite · 04/04/2022 08:21

If it's sterling then it's legal tender in the UK. Same with Scottish bank notes. Doesn't stop ignorance meaning that these notes get refused by some in England.

AnImaginaryCat · 04/04/2022 08:26

Yes. As mentioned, lots of people (including those who work in retail or hospitality) are ignorant to the fact and refuse it. (Gets worse the more south you go in England.)

Last time I had Ulster notes I was I a coffee shop who were tuned in and the offered to swap my notes to save me any hassle.

Ifailed · 04/04/2022 08:31

In England and Wales, legal tender means Royal Mint coins and Bank of England notes. In Scotland and Northern Ireland it’s only Royal Mint coins and not banknotes.

However, Ulster notes (and other banks) are legal currency - there is a difference.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General money
sonjadog · 04/04/2022 08:34

Is it an old paper note or one of the plastic ones? If the former you might need to take it to a bank to swap for a new note.

BeforeGodAndAllTheFish · 04/04/2022 08:36

Actually, no. They are under no legal obligation to accept notes issued from Irish banks or scottish banks. Those notes can be exchanged at any bank, so they can cash them in for English notes. But they dont have to. And most wont take them.

You can go to a bank though and have it changed for an English note.

Original poster
dryrobeday · 04/04/2022 08:43

Seems to be paper rather than plastic. It's dated January 2001.

OP posts:
BeforeGodAndAllTheFish · 04/04/2022 08:45

The paper note will absolutely be refused. Even in NI, the paper notes can be refused now.

Take it to a bank and swap it.

wimpund · 04/04/2022 08:50

What is on the back? Does it have the footballer george best?

MafaldaHopkirk · 04/04/2022 08:50

Legal tender has a really narrow meaning, and in England only Bank of England and Royal Mint coins are legal tender.

Shop keepers can accept and refuse whatever payment they want. It's ignorant people like PP who have no idea about legal tender who insist any sterling is legal tender anywhere in the UK and shout at poor retail staff (which I have witnessed).

ShaneTwane · 04/04/2022 08:54

I'm in retail and it's frustrating. Yes if it's sterling then it's legal tender in the UK, BUT, shops are under no obligation to accept it and many store policies say not to. For a start we aren't allowed to hand it out as change if we accept it from a customer so whatever we do we get yelled at. Many places don't even accept an english £50 note.

AchillesPoirot · 04/04/2022 08:55

That’s an old paper Ulster bank note. It’s not even accepted here in Northern Ireland any more.

Best bet would be go to a bank with it

DownNative · 04/04/2022 09:07

@dryrobeday

I found this bank note in an old folder and wondering whether it is current and spendable in England?
Yes, you CAN spend it in England, Scotland and Wales. After all, it is UK Legal Currency.

Legal tender is a different thing entirely. Only Bank Of England notes are legal tender in England and Wales. Scottish and Northern Irish notes are not legal tender in any part of the UK.

All banknotes are legal Currency and, therefore, spendable everywhere in the UK.

Original poster
dryrobeday · 04/04/2022 09:08

Ok, will take it to bank. Fwiw, here's a photo of the back. Not George Best, no.

Is an Ulster Bank £5 legal tender in England?
OP posts:
Original poster
dryrobeday · 04/04/2022 09:08

Attachment fail.

Is an Ulster Bank £5 legal tender in England?
OP posts:
DownNative · 04/04/2022 09:09

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish

Actually, no. They are under no legal obligation to accept notes issued from Irish banks or scottish banks. Those notes can be exchanged at any bank, so they can cash them in for English notes. But they dont have to. And most wont take them.

You can go to a bank though and have it changed for an English note.

Why would the UK accept Irish Euro notes? :hmm:

Northern Irish notes are acceptable, though Northern Irish and Scottish notes are not obliged to be accepted, of course.

DownNative · 04/04/2022 09:10

@AchillesPoirot

That’s an old paper Ulster bank note. It’s not even accepted here in Northern Ireland any more.

Best bet would be go to a bank with it

Ah yes, I'd forgotten that. Correct, take it to a bank as the vertical plastic has replaced it.
Player456 · 04/04/2022 09:13

Fun fact, if you decide to pee someone off, by paying a debt or buy something with small change, it is only legal tender up to 20p. Of course the receiver may be willing to accept over that, but they are under no obligation. So if they refuse to accept 100 pennies for something that costs £1, (or 50 2ps), but you persist, then you have not actually paid for it.

BeforeGodAndAllTheFish · 04/04/2022 09:45

@DownNative

Dont be such a twit. It doesnt make you look smart.

BeforeGodAndAllTheFish · 04/04/2022 09:48

@DownNative

I made the point about paper notes not being accepted in NI before Achillies. But you ignored me, and quoted them. I guess that didnt fit your little narrative about picking out my posts to make passive aggressive, twattish responses.

MafaldaHopkirk · 04/04/2022 09:49

Downnative

"Yes, you CAN spend it in England, Scotland and Wales. After all, it is UK Legal Currency.

Legal tender is a different thing entirely. Only Bank Of England notes are legal tender in England and Wales. Scottish and Northern Irish notes are not legal tender in any part of the UK.

All banknotes are legal Currency and, therefore, spendable everywhere in the UK."

The bank notes are spendable, but shops are under no obligation to accept them. It is purely down to individual shops.

Shops can choose to accept whatever they want in payment. I've seen shops in touristy parts of London advertise as accepting Euros and USDollars (at a terrible exchange rate, and you get Sterling as change). Shops could accept buttons, goats or whatever they want, and can turn down whatever they wants.

MafaldaHopkirk · 04/04/2022 09:55

@Player456

Fun fact, if you decide to pee someone off, by paying a debt or buy something with small change, it is only legal tender up to 20p. Of course the receiver may be willing to accept over that, but they are under no obligation. So if they refuse to accept 100 pennies for something that costs £1, (or 50 2ps), but you persist, then you have not actually paid for it.

Actually, I think it's only in settlement of a pre-occurring debt that the definition of legal tender applies. Technically in a shop, you haven't occurred a debt so shops don't have to accept anything as payment.

As you describe, if a debtor try to pay a debt of 20p with 1p coins, then the debtee cannot sue the debtor for non-payment of the debt. If the debtor owes more than 20p and tries to pay in 1p coins, then the debtee can choose to accept that payment, or sue for a non-payment of a debt.

I've written debt too many times and now it looks wrong Confused

MafaldaHopkirk · 04/04/2022 09:57

@ShaneTwane

I'm in retail and it's frustrating. Yes if it's sterling then it's legal tender in the UK, BUT, shops are under no obligation to accept it and many store policies say not to. For a start we aren't allowed to hand it out as change if we accept it from a customer so whatever we do we get yelled at. Many places don't even accept an english £50 note.

Sterling isn't legal tender in the UK. Only
specific notes are legal tender in specific bits of the UK. It sounds like your employer needs to give you some more training.

sashh · 04/04/2022 10:07

@Awrite

If it's sterling then it's legal tender in the UK. Same with Scottish bank notes. Doesn't stop ignorance meaning that these notes get refused by some in England.
Scottish notes are not legal tender in Scotland.

It's up to the seller what the accept which is why some shops in tourist areas accept foreign currency.

www.bankofengland.co.uk/knowledgebank/what-is-legal-tender

DownNative · 04/04/2022 10:17

[quote BeforeGodAndAllTheFish]@DownNative

I made the point about paper notes not being accepted in NI before Achillies. But you ignored me, and quoted them. I guess that didnt fit your little narrative about picking out my posts to make passive aggressive, twattish responses.[/quote]
More likely, I missed yours on that. Hmm

You must know that the phrase "Irish banks" means Republic of Ireland.

No, Northern Irish and Irish aren't the same thing. There's a reason they're separated in the census, for example.

"Then you should say what you mean," the March Hare went on.
"I do," Alice hastily replied; "at least-at least I mean what I say-that's the same thing, you know."
"Not the same thing a bit!" said the Hatter. "Why, you might just as well say that 'I see what I eat' is the same thing as 'I eat what I see'!"
"You might just as well say," added the March Hare, "that 'I like what I get' is the same thing as 'I get what I like'!"
"You might just as well say," added the Dormouse, which seemed to be talking in its sleep, "that 'I breathe when I sleep' is the same thing as 'I sleep when I breathe'!"
"It is the same thing with you." said the Hatter."

Quite.

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 04/04/2022 10:25

You may find it is worth more than five pounds to a bank note collector.

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