to feel uncomfortable using a £50 note

[Charliegirl1974]

DH was given a £50 note by BIL and passed it on to me to top up the electricity and do some shopping and my first reaction was that the local shop might be a bit funny about accepting it. He thinks money is money and I'm being a bit strange.

I've decided to go a bit out of my way to use it at the Post Office so there shouldn't be a problem but am I being weird? All I can think of is that I'm turning into those little old ladies who were afraid of £20 notes when I was a kid

This is so strange. it wouldn't be weird to carry £50 or to spend £50 on a card so how is it flash to use them in a shop? You could easily spend £50 in B&M!

Do tell then, Malmi. I am genuinely curious as it's the phrase everyone always uses.

Most shops don't accept £50s? When? In 1992 in the back of beyond?

I get fifties quite a lot due to my OHs line of self employment and it's fine, no one will even bat an eyelid.

I'm surprised anyone still uses cash really apart from small purchase

Really?
Why?

I find it strange that you're surprised!

Using Scottish notes is the only time most people get to use the phrase legal tender!
A comedian said that... in my head it's Billy Connelly but I could be wrong.

To the pp who said using a £50 shouldn't leave places short of change... it blooming will if your float is only £50 to begin with, let alone my current place which has a float of £40. I'm afraid I would have to refuse your payment. I can't give you change I haven't got, if you come in the day the takings have gone to the bank.

We don't even take cards I work in the dark ages and yesterday I had someone try to pay 35p with a credit card. When I explained I couldn't take it, he pulled out a pocket full of change...

Legal Tender means that the currency cannot be refused when it is offered in settlement of a debt. If it is refused then the debt can no longer be pursued through the courts.

Only Bank of England banknotes and Royal Mint coins are Legal Tender in England and Wales. And coins are only up to specific amounts, i.e. coppers only up to 20p. In Scotland and NI, only the coins are Legal Tender.

But none of this dictates what is and is not acceptable as a method of payment for non-debt-related transactions. It's entirely between the purchaser and the vendor.

I got given two for Christmas and still haven't spent them because I feel awkward. Think I'll just pay them into the bank and then pay by card

Just ask the bank to change them for you. How difficult can it be?

The 500 Euro note is being withdrawn as used for money laundering.

YANBU I've never had one. The cash machine never gives you them so I wonder where all these people who use 50's often have got them from

Not so. I recently used a cash machine that had run out of every other note so it would only dispense 50s.

When i first moved to the UK i bought enough with me to pay for a deposit and the first few months rent while i settled into my new job, plus work paid to furnish my entire house. I didn't know there was a stigma against them as in Australia $50 and $100 notes are common and are given out from cash machines.

Anyways I had about £10,000 in £50 notes and commenced spending them everywhere in a tiny town for the first 6 months or so till i had burnt through them all (including all the furniture i needed!). I wondered why everyone kept giving me funny looks!!! The only upside was that the combination of spending £50 and having a broad Australian accent meant that I got to know all the shop and pub owners quite quickly which was nice!

I accept that if you don't have enough notes in the till to give change for £50 then you won't be able to change it, but surely it's not far into the day when you start getting some tens and twenties in the till. I worked in a newsagents and we never ran out of tens and twenties. Sometimes fivers temporarily and coins yes, but so many people were paying with tens and twenties it meant that fifties were never a particular problem to deal with.

Alpaca, I think it was Michael McIntyre?

We bank our takings off the system every day, too. So people who come back for huge cash refunds can be tricky as we've no back takings to float in and deduct from! They're usually happy to have it on card as I refuse to go under float but one woman made us refund her £130 our £200 safe float "because of the principle of it". We'd also just had a change order, so the one time a £50 would have been handy, we hadn't got one! £10 in 5ps anyone?

I've used a couple of £50 notes (a one off gift) and not had a problem though in one shop the supervisor was called to check it which was a bit . It did feel weird as I'd rarely seen one before and it's a lot of money to lose.

Dh works in Scotland every so often and has never been able to use the Scottish notes in shops where we are and has to change them at the bank. He was accused of trying to use a fake note once a, according to one cashier, "there's no such thing as Scottish money" .

Thank you Malmi :). And also, in response to you, I work in a 1.5mil PA turnover high street store. We've got a pretty high, steady footfall and usually take good money. Some days I take no cash or have banked really tiny amounts. Although I probably work somewhere that people will buy on card /not make change amount purchases.

I've never ever seen a £50 note.

So yes, I'd feel odd trying to spend one and probably would get it changed into smaller notes at a bank.

Scottish notes I'd be fine with though. We live near enough to Scotland for most shops to accept Scottish notes.

Yes you're a bit weird :)

I had to change a £50 at a Starbucks last week. Barista was a bit flustered but just had to use the special pen to scribble on the note and confirm with his manager it was legit.

Ahh TrueBlueYorkshire I lived in Oz for a couple of years in my late teens and yes the $50s and $100s were like no big deal! But my Starbucks barista almost broke out in a sweat at the sight of the £50 note.

You should try using Bank of Ireland money in England, I've been told many suppliers of times that my money isn't real even though it was and the Queen was on it

Had some as a gift. Thought I'd buy a few things for the house so went to The Range who wouldn't accept them. It's a large store near where I live, not sure it's nationwide? Cashier made a bit of a fuss showing me a sign by the till, luckily had my debit card so it was fine but I was reluctant to try to spend them then. Paid into the bank instead and used them that way.

There is a very simple way of ensuring that the special pen doesn't work on fake money which many fakers know.

We could go whole days without being given a note bigger than a five! Once we only took 50p all day...

Of course I'm not going to refuse for fun but Sod's law dictates that the guy with the £50 note calls in at 9.31am when you banked a months takings the day before...

Our large company refuses £50 notes because we've had so many fakes. It's just too much money to lose in one sitting.

Even before we did refuse them, you'd get people buying stuff for under £5 or £10 (or in one case 99p ) with them and taking all our change which was just a nightmare if you'd just walked in with a new till.

You should try using Bank of Ireland money in England, I've been told many suppliers of times that my money isn't real even though it was and the Queen was on it

Yes, for a time we refused Irish and Scottish money for the fakes reason too. £50 Irish notes were the main fakes so we weren't taking our chances.

"Real" money it may be, but shops don't have to accept anything by law.

Omg get a life it's a note!

I accept that if you don't have enough notes in the till to give change for £50 then you won't be able to change it, but surely it's not far into the day when you start getting some tens and twenties in the till.

Different tills come in at different times of the day, so you may walk in with a £50 at 1pm and that till has only just been put on, hence taking all their change.