£50 notes

[zetec]

The main problem with £50 notes is being able to change it, most small shops/petrol stations simply won't have the change in the till, especially if you're trying to buy something of low value.

The issue of forgeries is also a sad excuse for not accepting. I've seen plenty fake £20's, good and bad and tbh those who are used to handling cash should spot them straight away!

I'll never forget the day me the mrs and the kids took a trip to London, walking outside the Tower I saw something on the ground, as the mrs was closest, I, in my quietest shout lol, said pick it up. It wasn't until we got round the corner did she realise it was a nice crisp £50 note!

Edited by zetec on Monday 30th March 23:34

[CommanderJameson]

turbobloke said:

There was a thread on this on SP&L some time ago iirc, where plod and other informed souls said that legal tender means nothing about a shop or trader's compulsion to accept anything. Again iirc. The Bank of England has a duty to do so as they write on the notes, but they don't sell pizzas.

...yet.

[billybuds]

zetec said:

The main problem with £50 notes is being able to change it, most small shops/petrol stations simply won't have the change in the till, especially if you're trying to buy something of low value.

The issue of forgeries is also a sad excuse for not accepting. I've seen plenty fake £20's, good and bad and tbh those who are used to handling cash should spot them straight away!

I'll never forget the day me the mrs and the kids took a trip to London, walking outside the Tower I saw something on the ground, as the mrs was closest, I, in my quietest shout lol, said pick it up. It wasn't until we got round the corner did she realise it was a nice crisp £50 note!

Edited by zetec on Monday 30th March 23:34

That was mine!!

[mark_davies]

Try paying on a London bus with a £20 note , the amount of free journeys I had its unbelivable

[Vipers]

My wife has absolutely no problem spending £50 notes on a regular basis

[thehawk]

I have had similar problems with even just a £25 note. Most takeaways just throw it back at you and start hollering abuse. And don't even think about using a £60 note.

[JMGS4]

euroboy said:

the 50EUR note is pretty much the standard tender from the ATMs here and I have never had a problem using one, even for low value items.

However we also have 100, 200 and 500EUR notes (and some special ATMs will dispense them) - most places will not accept these ones though.

The French Autoroutes will not accept €100, €200 and €500 notes either! If you give them a fifty they'll give you €40 change in coins!

[Mexico.]

euroboy said:

the 50EUR note is pretty much the standard tender from the ATMs here and I have never had a problem using one, even for low value items.

However we also have 100, 200 and 500EUR notes (and some special ATMs will dispense them) - most places will not accept these ones though.

50EUR and very easy to *cough* copy.

[OllieWinchester]

£50 notes are best used for sticking up your nose, or so I'm told.

[Jgtv]

They have to accept it surly? its legal tender right? Not as if your paying in 1p's is it?
Hell you can pay in stamps if you like its all above bored I would have told them not to be daft and if there not sure get the manager.

[Risotto]

wiggy001 said:

Slightly off topic but kinda related to earlier points, I seem to recall Reading that there is no law that says a restaurant bill can be enforced ( eg if the service is crap) and you're fine as long as you try to settle for what you think the bill is worth, or something?.. Is this true? And if so, couldn't you apply this to anyone not wanting to accept a 50?

Just wondering whether I've broken the law when paying a quid for a st meal?!?

As far as I'm aware, you must demonstrate that you have the means to pay but are choosing not to.

I think. Thankfully I've never had a meal bad enough to find out.

[madala]

gtr-gaz said:

Why is it so hard to spend these?

Surely, the fakes are as easy to spot as £20 notes.

I can understand it if you just want to buy a packet of crisps or something but, we had a meal at a popular resturant chain the other night which came to about £35. Would they take a £50, no.
Ended up paying by card, but what would have happened if I didn't have a card with me?

I would have given them my name and address and walked and let them chase you for the money......nothing they could do about it.....I hope you have written a letter of complaint to the head office of said chain.

[Vipers]

Bet they don't bother checking fake £1 coins, small change I know (Excuse the pun), but take 80 or 90 of them in a day..............

Think I would just tell them either take it, or call the police, your call. How do we the punters, know if the notes we get back from them are above board? maybe we should all carry those ultra violet pens in our pockets.

Or is that all forgeries are £50 notes, don't think so, do you?

[randomman]

TheEnd said:

Yep, since it's legal tender, that have no right to refuse it, so you'd be well within your rights to say take it or leave it.
I'd like to see them call the cops on that one.

This is completely wrong in every sense of the word.

Sorry buddy.

Anyone selling good or a service has the legal right to refuse sale to anyone. This can be due to payment.

I pay with Scottish notes a lot (which as as legal as any English note) and the defense they are allowed to give is "I have no way of telling if that's real" which is true.

Since the 5/10/20 notes changed a few years back with UV holograms etc £50s have become the easiest note to forge, just bad luck its also the highest value.

[madala]

randomman said:

TheEnd said:

Yep, since it's legal tender, that have no right to refuse it, so you'd be well within your rights to say take it or leave it.
I'd like to see them call the cops on that one.

This is completely wrong in every sense of the word.

Sorry buddy.

Anyone selling good or a service has the legal right to refuse sale to anyone. This can be due to payment.

I pay with Scottish notes a lot (which as as legal as any English note) and the defense they are allowed to give is "I have no way of telling if that's real" which is true.

Since the 5/10/20 notes changed a few years back with UV holograms etc £50s have become the easiest note to forge, just bad luck its also the highest value.

If the note was good which I presume it was and they refuse to accept it....you have offered to pay so as long as you give your name and address you can walk then it is up to them to claim the money. I would have walked.

[Vipers]

randomman said:

I pay with Scottish notes a lot (which as as legal as any English note)

Just in case you missed an earlier thread on the validity of Scottish notes, I posted a response from the bank of England, bottom line, Scottish notes are not Legal Tender.

If you want a copy of said letter, drop me an email to my home email address, I will forward it on to you, too long to re-post on here. Having said that, I always take Scottish notes from Aberdeen to London on my annual jaunt.

Alternatively, I will try to find the post for you. TBH until I got the response from the bank, I was of the same opinion as you about Scottish notes, it niggles me a tad, at least our (Scottish) notes say "Sterling" on them, English ones don't

Opening statement from the Bank of England was :-

Whilst they circulate freely and are generally accepted in their respective countries, neither Scottish nor Northern Irish banknotes are actually legal tender anywhere in the UK. You may also like to be aware, however, that current Bank of England notes are 'legal tender' in England and Wales, but not in either Scotland or Northern Ireland.

So you Sasanacks travelling north to visit our beuatiful country in all its glory, don't forget to change your money for real money before you leave home

Edited by Vipers on Tuesday 31st March 14:24

Edited by Vipers on Tuesday 31st March 14:28

[Dr Jekyll]

randomman said:

TheEnd said:

Yep, since it's legal tender, that have no right to refuse it, so you'd be well within your rights to say take it or leave it.
I'd like to see them call the cops on that one.

This is completely wrong in every sense of the word.

Sorry buddy.

Anyone selling good or a service has the legal right to refuse sale to anyone. This can be due to payment.

Of course, but if they do agree to sell you a meal without making any stipulation about the notes you use to pay, and you eat the meal, then you are using the note to settle a debt.

What do you understand by the term 'legal tender'?

[dirty boy]

My in-laws always seem to have half a dozen fifty pound notes on them.

Always found it odd.

[fadeaway]

Vipers said:

randomman said:

I pay with Scottish notes a lot (which as as legal as any English note)

Just in case you missed an earlier thread on the validity of Scottish notes, I posted a response from the bank of England, bottom line, Scottish notes are not Legal Tender.

If you want a copy of said letter, drop me an email to my home email address, I will forward it on to you, too long to re-post on here. Having said that, I always take Scottish notes from Aberdeen to London on my annual jaunt.

Alternatively, I will try to find the post for you. TBH until I got the response from the bank, I was of the same opinion as you about Scottish notes, it niggles me a tad, at least our (Scottish) notes say "Sterling" on them, English ones don't

Opening statement from the Bank of England was :-

Whilst they circulate freely and are generally accepted in their respective countries, neither Scottish nor Northern Irish banknotes are actually legal tender anywhere in the UK. You may also like to be aware, however, that current Bank of England notes are 'legal tender' in England and Wales, but not in either Scotland or Northern Ireland.

So you Sasanacks travelling north to visit our beuatiful country in all its glory, don't forget to change your money for real money before you leave home

Edited by Vipers on Tuesday 31st March 14:24

Edited by Vipers on Tuesday 31st March 14:28

Sounds like the BoE didn't go into details in their letter of what the term "legal tender" actually means though. Which, as far as buying stuff goes, is nothing!

BoE said:

Are Scottish & Northern Irish notes legal tender?
In short ‘No’ these notes are not legal tender; only Bank of England notes are legal tender but only in England and Wales.
The term legal tender does not in itself govern the acceptability of banknotes in transactions. Whether or not notes have legal tender status, their acceptability as a means of payment is essentially a matter for agreement between the parties involved. Legal tender has a very narrow technical meaning in relation to the settlement of debt. If a debtor pays in legal tender the exact amount he owes under the terms of a contract, he has good defence in law if he is subsequently sued for non-payment of the debt. In ordinary everyday transactions, the term ‘legal tender’ has very little practical application.

Shops don't have to accept the money you offer. It's their call. So they can refuse to let you pay a £50 bill with pennys and a 1p bill with a 50!

I always thought that the problems with scottish notes was that shops don't see enough of them, so think they have bigger risk of not spotting a fake.

Edited by fadeaway on Tuesday 31st March 17:27

[Vipers]

fadeaway said:

I always thought that the problems with scottish notes was that shops don't see enough of them, so think they have bigger risk of not spotting a fake.

That is the crux of the problem, expecially the younger shop assistants, I usually end up sending for the Manager, who usually tells her to acept it.

Isnt education a wonderful thing, like you get a start in Tesco in London as a till operator, the boss shows you a book of what notes they will and won't accept. Taint that difficult is it?

If anyone wants the entire response from the Bank of England by the way, I will gladly post it on here, having now found it in my e-mail box.

Heres an interesting bit anyway :-

[b]The phrase ‘legal tender’, therefore, has a very narrow meaning in relation to the settlement of debts; quite simply, it means that if a debtor pays in legal tender the exact amount owing under the terms of a contract, he has a good defence in law if he is subsequently sued for non-payment of the debt.

It follows that, in ordinary everyday transactions, the term ‘legal tender’ has very little practical application. People are also often willing to accept payment by cheque, standing order, debit or credit card for example – in fact, by any instrument that they are confident will deliver value – but these, too, are not actually legal tender items. Anyone in the UK can refuse acceptance of a banknote or coin in payment for goods or services, without necessarily giving a reason for so doing. In practice, it will often depend upon whether the bank where the account is held will accept such notes/coin when they come to be paid in. Many commercial banks will refuse such currency, whilst others may make a charge for their service.[/b]

Edited by Vipers on Tuesday 31st March 18:07