It's legal tender

[iwoulddoanything]

I'm sure by the title, you can guess where I live

Every day, without fail, I get asked for English notes back in change (manage a large store but often have to jump on tills). Or if I'm in England (actually where I'm from btw), they won't accept my money. I just don't get it. It is legal tender but people still refuse it (when I pay) or don't want it in change (when they're visiting Scotland ). It actually has sterling written on it when English notes don't as far as I'm aware. I just don't get it. And people wonder why Scottish people are fed up of being part of a union which seems our money (the exact same as 'english' money) as less than, or a phrase I hear every few weeks, 'monopoly' money. AIBU?

Explanation from the Bank of England for those that are interested:

What’s classed as legal tender varies throughout the UK. In England and Wales, it’s Royal Mint coinss and Bank of England notes.. In Scotland and Northern Ireland it’s only Royal Mint coins and not banknotes.
There are also some restrictions when using small coins. For example, 1p and 2p coins only count as legal tender for any amount up to 20p.
Many common and safe payment methods such as cheques, debit cards and contactless aren’t legal tender. But again, it makes no difference in everyday life.

So technically no shop has to take anything as it's not paying a debt as such. I guess that's why there are now pubs which are able to go cash free. On a more practical note I am Scottish but live in England (southish) and always get English notes if I can. Most big shops take them, but smaller shops, taxis etc I have had issues with in the past. It's just easier to not try.

I've visited England many many times (half English) and have only ever been refused Scottish notes once.

Me too and it was decades ago.

shops won’t accept it

Except that most often they do.

@xine15 I totally get where you're coming from but it's not fair

DH's family is in England and when we send birthday money we send scottish notes as the kids like getting their 'funny money'. They must spend it somewhere there

The total value of bank notes in circulation in the UK is around £70bn. If that, only around £5bn is represented by notes issued by the Scottish and Northern Irish banks. As a result they are not as familiar as Bank of England notes. You can say it's not fair that businesses won't accept them, they should get staff more training etc etc but really who can be arsed. It's really not worth getting in such a tizz about.

I'm Scottish but have lived in SE England for around 15 years now and can not get worked up about this.

A Lib Dem MP has lodged a bill to make Scottish notes legal tender in Scotland and England. At present they’re not even legal tender in Scotland, (and neither are English notes there)- only coins are.
I don’t know how much progress his bill has made - the news report was back in April.
However, I do wish people would stop stirring it as a grievance to try and justify independence. Nobody refuses the notes out of racial hatred of Scots, ffs- it’s just the unfamiliarity and fear of forgeries.

One of the reasons they are not always accepted is that people in England are not familiar with the Scottish notes so it's hard to check they are legitimate. 4 small shops local to my family in England this week have been scammed by accepting a Scottish £20 note for a small purchase - handing out £18 change and then finding the note was a fake.

Unfortunately for those people who don't see Scottish notes regularly, it can be safer to refuse them than take the risk

What xine15 said. Having lived in England over half my life, it seems to have got more difficult, not less, so I no longer try.

Lots of problems with NI notes - at the beginning I was not expecting it and had a conversation at the petrol station ending in 'well you'll have to just suck the petrol back out of the car then'

They decided to take the Ulster bank £20

Scottish notes are EXCITING.

Anyone refusing them is really missing out.

Never had any problem spending Scottish notes in England, myself!

Live in Scotland too and frequently travel across the UK so understand the issue highlighted, however if I'm honest (and bit meaning to offend anyone) I'm not really sure why Scotland needs separate back notes to begin with. It causes confusion and challenges with limited benefits and at a cost to the Scottish people. Wales were perhaps more sensible in keeping things simple and using the same notes. It might really be more sensible for all 4 countries to work together to have a standard format for currency (since it's all based on Sterling anyway!) that recognises all heritage rather than it costing more on the long run to have separate printing/currency/banking systems. Maybe a little pragmatist for some people's views and again, not being said to cause any offence.

In terms of not taking Scottish notes, yeah it's irritating, but people are unfamiliar with them and it is a tellers right to choose what to except- same as not everywhere taking £50 notes. If every staff member had to have training on English, Scottish and NI notes when they see them so infrequently it could be a waste of training (especially when they change design!). It hasn't really caused me personally any issues, just get money out of local cash point when I am traveling between the different areas

However, I do wish people would stop stirring it as a grievance to try and justify independence. Nobody refuses the notes out of racial hatred of Scots, ffs- it’s just the unfamiliarity and fear of forgeries.

Also this! Thanks @Babdoc

Have had English bank notes refused in Scotland but not Scottish bank notes refused in England.

`My point is, it's British currency, is in pounds, is legal. So why don't English shops accept it.

It isn't legal, but technically it isn't in Scotland either.

In England we have a huge problem with counterfeit notes, which is why so few places accept £50.00 notes. Staff are trained to spot counterfeit English notes.

From one of the earlier links, there are three different banks that issue Scottish notes. So we're already at nine notes, excluding £50+ and the adorable £1s.

In addition to that, it read to me as if the notes can change depending on the "series".

That's a lot of different money to be unfamiliar with , compared to the three notes issued by the Bank of England.

A simplified approach to issuing Scottish notes might help? The colour coding is a great idea, for example.

My dear mum used to make sure she went to bank to get crisp new Scottish bank notes when ever she visited us in Wales ...she loved seeing if people would/wouldn't accept notes

I have never had any problems using Scottish notes in England - not once. So it's completely wrong to claim "most paces won't accept it". They will, and do.

Where I use to work, we would accept them, but we couldn't tell if they were fake, also it was a completely different banking system we had to use.

Having said that, the amount we actually got was small, compared to the amount of fake £20 notes.

@jcyclops has solved it. I hope she’s in the senior civil service.

I use them regularly - no one bothers ime. A accepted.

When i worked in retail I'd get a Scottish note maybe once a month, usually less, cashiers see thousands of english notes in that time and so havent a clue whether the Scottish note is real or not.
Even with training the rairity of them makes it impossible to become familiar with the quick checks you do many times a day for forged english notes.
The feel, placement, quality, whos on the note, colours and more.
I can spot an English forgery straight away but Scottish notes ive not a clue!

Yes it's not strictly legal tender but boy it boils my blood when they study it for about an hour deciding if it's genuine 🙃

also it was a completely different banking system we had to use.

In what way? I worked in a bank for ten years and I've never heard of this.

Littlecandle 😂😂😂