Why is it that English shopkeepers often refuse to accept Scottish banknotes? Many have argued with me about the difference between ''legal and ''accepted'' tender. Are they right to do this? | Notes and Queries (2024)

Why is it that English shopkeepers often refuse to accept Scottish banknotes?Many have argued with me about the difference between 'legal and 'accepted' tender.Are they right to do this?

Scott Morris, Edinburgh, Scotland

• If it says 'Sterling' on the note (which I believe Scottish money does) then it is legal tender. I think the real reason they refuse to accept it is that it is always falling to bits and looks like Monopoly money. There are few things more annoying than getting the dreaded Scots fiver in your change

  Tom, Reading UK

• My understanding has always been that Scottish notes are not even legal tender in Scotland. According to the Bank of England website 'The concept of legal tender is often misunderstood. Contrary to popular opinion, legal tender is not a means of payment that must be accepted by the parties to a transaction, but rather a legally defined means of payment that should not be refused by a creditor in satisfaction of a debt. The current series of Bank of England notes are legal tender in England and Wales, although not in Scotland or Northern Ireland, where the only currency carrying legal tender status for unlimited amounts is the one and two pound coins.'So there you go, I can now get all snotty next time some oaf tries to pass off an english fiver in my change!

  Anne, Blairninich UK

• They don't want them, because they are a pain. You need to separate them when you try to bank them, and can't stick them in with the rest. I used to work as an ice cream man, and if anyone brought Scottish (or Irish) notes in at the end of the day, they would be paid with them at the end of the week.

  Jeremy Miles, Derby UK

• Legally, you offer to buy something from a shop (the shopkeeper isn't legally offering to sell, only advertisting his willingness to consider offers). The shopkeeper can decline your offer for any reason, or none at all (providing the price of the goods is advertised fairly). However, if you are visiting your bank to pay off your overdraft, the bank doesn't have the right to turn your money away if it is legal tender. They must accept Bank of England bank notes in England and Wales, but anything else is open to negotiation.

  Allan, Wimbledon

• The reason is that whilst they are legal tender, they are not legal currency in the UK - i.e. the shop keepers are obliged to accept them but are not legally allowed to give them out as change, this rule is very often ignored or interpreted as the shopkeeper sees fit.

  Dave, Sutton

  See Also

  Issuing banknotes | RBS Heritage HubScotland Travel Tips |Scottish ToursFacts on Scotland - Isle Inn ToursWhat You Need to Know About Currency in Scotland

• In fact Scottish notes are not legal tender anywhere - even in Scotland. In other words, you can't insist that they be accepted for payment. As has been mentioned, only coins satisfy this requirement (and even then only up to a limit - 20p for bronze).Scottish notes are essentially cheques made out to cash and drawn on the current accounts of the issuing bank. Firstly this means that they are only worth anything if you trust the bank concerned not to default. Secondly it means that the bank has to have sufficient funds to cover the issue - the Scottish banks have to hold an exactly equal quantity of English notes to cover their own issue. Otherwise there would be serious problems with inflation.So the Scottish economy works on trust - we assume that the banks will not default on their notes. So far we've got away with it, but I'm not sure how much I'd trust the ECB!English shopkeepers may have problems accepting the notes purely because they don't recognise them and don't know whether they're genuine or not. That said, criminals don't often forge Scottish notes - it's probably too much hassle. I can understand an English shopkeepers not wanting to take a Scottish pound note as there will be nowhere in the till to put it and nowhere on the bank slip to register it when paying in.That said, I always stock up on Scottish notes before leaving for the south.

  Alastair McInnes, Edinburgh Scotland

• Although they are not strictly legal tender, shop staff, such as myself, will sometimes accept them as a service to the customer. However there are considerable numbers of forged Scottish notes about. This is mainly due to the fact that they are not as common as English notes so people are less able to spot forgeries. Also businesses pay high bank charges and would have to pay the bank to change it into something customers would accept in change. Very few in England accept scottish notes.

  Chris Blakey, Halifax UK

• The bottom line is they do not accept Scottish money because they ARE ENGLISH.

  Innes Wight, Cambelltown, Scotland

• Dave from Sutton actually has it the wrong way round, Scottish Notes are NOT legal tender (in fact, notes are legal tender in Scotland) but they ARE legal currency. But as many have pointed out, shops are open to make their own decision regarding acceptance of said notes. It would be interesting to see what would happen should you try to leave said shop with goods while leaving a Scottish note even if the shop owner/assistant refused to accept.

  Chris Jeffery, Cowdenbeath Scotland

• My maw gave me a scottish £100.00 note for my birthday, great I thought, I'll get myself something nice, there are plenty of good shops in Manchester where I now live........funeeee joke Maw!!!!canna get rid O 'it ???? it is now just festering in my wallet. I have to go to the bank next week.

  Tom Greenwood, Dunfermline Scotland

• The Bank of Scotland is overseen by the Bank of England just like any other note. Shouldn't be considered any lesser or refused like stated it ultimately is tendered from Bank of England.

  Anthony , Sancton UK

• Im about to send my son to the co op with a Clydesdale 20 quid note... I'll let u know what happens ;)

  Dyan Wardle, Newcastle upon Tyne England

  See Also

  Money | Scottish Travel Guide

• I believe it is down to ignorance and prejudice. As a foreigner who travels regularly between Scotland and England for business, I don't bat an eyelid whether I get Scottish/English notes. To me currency is currency. But if you don't travel and are xenophobic as most English shopkeepers are then Scottish money is funny money/foreign (bit of a laugh when they say that) so what do you call US dollars and Euros then? It just reflects on the person you are dealing with. Sympathise with their ignorance and just use the Scotiish currency at a supermarket like M&S. Saves futile arguing with the small folk.

  B Burnett, Aberdeen Scotland

• As a Scot who frequently travels to the south of England on business, I have often been met with a snotty or patronising attitude to Scottish notes whenever attempting to make a purchase. I now stick to the big supermarkets, who make the transactions without batting an eyelid. The shops concerned shouldn't have to look too far to find out why they're losing business to the out-of-town giants...

  NORRIE LYALL, LAXFIRTH SCOTLAND

• Because they are ignorant racists.

  alistair lawrie, dumbarton alba

• The Scottish fiver is blue & actually very pretty. It doesn't look like monopoly money and does not fall apart. Trust me I live in Scotland and can not believe how ignorant England is about our currency. A currency which celebrates our culture like all currencies do. I wish shop keepers in England were aware that our money is acceptable so that everyone else was aware too. We don't refuse English money here so why refuse ours - just silly!

  Anne McLaren, Glasgow Scottland

• I have only one comment about the 'currency' issue, unfamiliarity, nothing more sinister than that.However, looking at those who have posted above,I have to ask exactly who are the bigots, racists and xenophobes eh?

  W. P. Richardson, Yatton, North Somerset UK

• That's the best answer yet, and so right. It's sad that many Scots will always find reason to hate England. It's funny really. Before we invaded they hated each other and killed over a surname. What ever happened to Great Britain? It's really sad.

  Jay Kirby, Fort William, UK

• After returning from a week in Loch Lomond I've obviously got a couple of Scottish notes in my wallet. My wife has one and has just asked if she would have any problem at the local shop (hence me on here). I have to say, I don't get it! What's wrong with English shopkeepers accepting these notes? Why shouldn't the Scots have their own currency pictorially celebrating their history, as also stated on here that ultimately sterling is controlled by the Bank of England. Grow up shopkeepers - this is the UK, be proud!

  Kevin Wood, Sc*nthorpe, UK

• I am a scot who lives in England and occasionally find if I have a Scottish note it gets a funny look from more junior cashiers. However it is rarely an issue in the pub. A polite clarification is usually enough to satisfy any query and I think these are mostly based on a lack of familiarity with scottish notes. Concerns over authenticity are also an issue as there are a few fakes about.

  Danny, West Wittering UK

• I used to work holding a market stall back in my younger days and was told by the guy I worked for at the time that we couldn't accept Scottish notes, anyone who did would be paid in them and they'd have to get rid of them (not easy in England) or if they were counterfeit then it was your problem, you basically lost your wages. My only problem with Scottish notes would be just that - as I don't see them often I could not tell a genuine from a counterfeit! I suppose I could have the same argument whenever I use foreign money, or even £50 notes for that matter, as I think I've only ever had one of those in my entire life! Certain places in England are reluctant to accept £50 notes, many smaller shops and pubs won't accept them, they have notices up.

  David, Wirral United Kingdom

• Basically you can spend Scottish & Irish money anywhere in the UK as it is a legal tender denominated and backed by sterling the currency the bank of England notes are issued in.Whilst a shopkeeper is under no obligation to take a particular form of payment (this is to do with consumer law) if they refuse to take as payment any form of sterling they would find they would have no redress as they had been offered payment.Example would be when you come to pay for your food at the end of your meal. Unless the restaurant had made it clear to you prior to accepting your order that they would not take this form of payment then payment has been offered and a refusal to accept it would mean you eat for free as there is no further action they can take other than to accept payment.Finally it does not cost any more to bank Scottish money than it does English.If you are being charged a fee you're getting ripped off! Cash is cash as long as its sterling!

  Stevie, Scotland

• I've just turned down a Scottish £20 note. The reason is quite simple - I haven't seen one for years and I couldn't tell you whether it was a forgery or not. Being only 75 miles from France I am more familiar with the appearance of the euro.

  Simon, Maidstone United Kingdom

• Well, dear Scotsmen... all you have to do is vote for independence, apply for the Euro and your euros will be legal tender from the Artic Pole all the way down to Gilbratar and the Turkish border:)))

  PASCAL, DINAN/FRANCE EUROPEAN UNION

• In 1964 when I came down to England, I filled my car tank up with petrol in Oxford. The only cash I had was Scottish Pound Notes.I remember the cashier saying he couldn't accept my Scottish money and me replying that it is Legal Tender. Still the cashier insisted he wouldn't accept it. When I reminded him, that was all the money I had (Credit cards were not the norm then) he still insisted. When I then mentioned how can I get the petrol from my car back into his pumps he relented. Why couldn't he have done that in the first place?

  ColdeSac, Portsmouth UK