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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect the Nat West to take loose change?

86 replies

lucydogz · 06/03/2018 13:11

I put loose change in a big pot, and, every now and again, bag it up in those little plastic bags the bank give you and take it to a bank. There's usually about £70. Today the cashier at the Natwest said, that as I wasn't a customer, they couldn't take it. How can they do that, when it's legal tender? It's not as though I was giving her a bag of loose change.
Our nearest bank branch is much further away, and is a faff to get to.

OP posts:
Bombardier25966 · 06/03/2018 14:50

And yes OP, you are being unreasonable. The advisor was waiting for custom, not some random wanting to swap their change.

Bexter801 · 06/03/2018 14:52

Post office?

DalekDalekDalek · 06/03/2018 14:52

Of course they wouldn't. You're not their customer. They're a bank not a charity. What would be in it for them? Were you offering to pay them a commission? Just go to your own bank or use a Coinstar machine and pay the percentage charge for it.

italiancortado · 06/03/2018 14:54

How can they do that, when it's legal tender?

Well why should they?

You are not tendering it Hmm

k2p2k2tog · 06/03/2018 14:57

We're with RBS which is hte same company as Nat West. They have changed their systems recently when the cash counter machine was installed - they just dont keep cash in the "till" in the way they did in the past. Swapping coins means leaving the till to put the bags in the safe, that is after they've faffed about weighing the money snd checking that it's all correct. Meanwhile there is a growing queue of agitated CUSTOMERS waiting to pay their gas bill or ask about their overdraft.

I regularly do the banking for my voluntary job, the bank will not accept large quantities of coin over the counter even from customers and you're directed to the machine to pour it in. Machine a LOT better than little plastic bags anyway as you can put in any quantity, it doesn't have to round to £1 or 50p, and you don't have to count it. And unlike Coinstar, there's no commission.

So in short, yes YABU. Either open an account with your nearest bank or find another way to use your coins. Feeding them into a self service till is another option.

Bluntness100 · 06/03/2018 14:59

They don't like doing it any more, my husband takes ours into the Halifax, where we do bank and was told to sod off last time. Refused to do it totally.

BlurryFace · 06/03/2018 15:00

EduCated, I wouldn't be so sure about that you know. I definitely had non-customers wanting money changed at supermarket checkouts when I worked them. Even worse when I worked in a post office.

FinallyHere · 06/03/2018 15:02

Why not open an account in the branch you want to use? It would be easy enough to transfer anything you paid in to your usual account. Win win.

ChelleDawg2020 · 06/03/2018 15:04

The bank is under no obligation to exchange your money, it takes time for their staff to process you and is of no benefit to them.

"Legal tender" means that if someone owes you a debt, you cannot refuse their repayment if they offer it in a certain form.

For 1p and 2p, legal tender is only up to 20p.
For 5p and 10p, legal tender is up to £5.
For 20p and 50p, it's £10.
£1 and £2 coins are legal tender to any amount.
Notes are not legal tender (at all).

Even if you owed the bank money and were attempting to pay your debt with £70 of small change, the bank would not have to accept it because of the limits above.

hotcrossbunsandtea · 06/03/2018 15:06

How can they do that, when it's legal tender?

All businesses (including banks) can refuse to take your money unless it's a situation like a restaurant where you've already consumed the goods.

Similarly shops etc. are not required to accept you paying for your purchase with £20 worth of coppers.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 06/03/2018 15:09

It’s nothing new though? I’ve always taken change to the bank I’ve had account with. The only think that did change was they do insist on paying it in and then withdrawing. So my cousin had old pound coins, I took them to the bank - they didnt simply exchange them, I had to bank them and then withraw it a second later.

specialsubject · 06/03/2018 15:10

Coinstar charge nearly 11%. Serious sucker tax.

k2p2k2tog · 06/03/2018 15:12

All this "it's legal tender" - that's as maybe, but the OP wasn't tendering it in payment for anything. She fancied swapping dozens of bags of smash for 7 crisp tenners.

phoenix1973 · 06/03/2018 15:16

I'm with the NatWest and I use their change sorter to cash up all my coins. I wouldn't expect to use another bank for this. The only other option is a coin star machine which charges 7% commission.

TroubledTribble28 · 06/03/2018 15:18

Not surprised. Natwest wouldn't give my pal moneybags when she asked because she couldn't remember if her mum was a customer or not Confused

nic14271213 · 06/03/2018 15:40

They won't take it as there will be no paper trial to where the money has come from . I work in a bank and we will only take money from customers and we won't swap it it has to be paid in to your account on obviously you can withdraw straight away but this then shows a paper trail to help with money laundering.

purplecorkheart · 06/03/2018 15:45

My Bank will only accept bagged coins if you have an account with them and the money must be logged to your account. You then have to withdraw the money in a separate transaction. They will not just do a straight swap even if you are a customer. Also if you hand in a €50 note and want 5 x €10 notes you have to log and withdraw.

nic14271213 · 06/03/2018 15:50

Also you can't pay money in anymore if you are not the account holder as the banks are trying to prevent financial crime

agedknees · 06/03/2018 15:52

It’s bordering on cf if you don’t have an account with them.

malmi · 06/03/2018 15:53

ChelleDawg2020 Notes are not legal tender (at all).

Bank of England notes are legal tender in England & Wales.

malmi · 06/03/2018 15:54

I use my loose change to buy things from self-service tills in Tesco and Sainsbury's (when they're not busy). You can drop a fair amount into the machine at once, you don't have to wait for each coin to register.

italiancortado · 06/03/2018 15:54

Also you can't pay money in anymore if you are not the account holder as the banks are trying to prevent financial crime

You totally can. I have customers who go into the bank and pay into my account about 3/4 times a month

MyDcAreMarvel · 06/03/2018 15:55

Pay self service in a supermarket, chuck it all in and they will give you your " change" in notes.

LeggyLinda · 06/03/2018 16:18

I bank with NatWest and found their coin paying in service to be fantastic - second to none (even getting personal assistance when required). Before anyone asks, no I don’t work for them.

I do feel your pain though OP - I once tried to withdraw cash from Lloyd’s and they refused just because I don’t have an account there. Times change.

noeffingidea · 06/03/2018 17:05

I think my bank limits it to 1 bag of each denomination per customer, and that has got to go through an account. They don't have room to hold large amounts of cash.
I don't think it's worthwhile saving large amounts of coppers anymore. I usually use mine in self service tills or pop them into a charity pot.