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Scottish money not good enough in England

I've just returned from a short holiday in Scotland to see my family and I have brought back with me a pocket full of Scottish currency.  If you've ever tried to spend Scottish money in England you will probably be in a good position to understand my gripe.

The problem is the funny looks you get from the cashier at the supermarket, or from the guy behind the bar when you hand over your Scottish notes.  More often than not, they hold it up to the light to check the watermark or scan it with a UV light, probably because they assume that its a counterfeit and you are trying to rip them off.  The way they treat you almost makes you feel like a criminal.  Why is it so difficult to accept that a Scottish bank note is actually still 'good money' in England?

It's actually really embarrassing, especially if you are standing in a long queue at the supermarket and it happens to be really busy that day.  I know its quite irrational, but sometimes I actually dig into the wallet to see if I can find some English money to use instead so that I dont have to put up with all the hassle.  Scottish money is every bit as good as the English equivalent and although no one has actually refused to take it, theres always that doubt in your mind.  The thought that your cash might be refused just makes it a bit of an awkward situation

Staff that handle money probably ought to be better trained.  Although they dont see a Scottish bank note on most days, they should be able to easily recognize them for what they are valid UK currency!

Royal Bank of Scotland - Pount note Perhaps they could also be shown how to handle the situation with a little bit more care and sensitivity at the same time.  Yelling out to their supervisor down on isle nine "Hey John, are we still accepting this Scotch money? isn't exactly what I'd call subtle.  So many times I've been so tempted to reply "Careful with that there lassie, I've just printed it for ye and the ink will be wet..."  Fortunately though, good sense usually prevails and I wait there patiently whilst the supervisor wanders up to verify that money is okay.

Not everyone is quite so offish about our "funny money".  In fact, the landlord at my local pub is quite a sport and I always make sure that I bring at least a few Scottish fivers for him!  I know he loves to make that extra trip to the bank to change them!!!

Hey, It could be a whole lot worse though remember the old pound notes?  Some of them are actually still in circulation in Scotland but they cant be used south of the border anymore.

Probably just as well because youd need a sack full of them to buy a pint of beer at our local but thats another story!

Find out more about Scottish currency

Money in Scotland
A few interesting facts about Scottish currency that you may not know, for example...  Scottish banks do not produce coins - the Royal Mint has a monopoly on that.

Definition of legal tender
Here's something I discovered whilst looking into this subject.  Legal tender or forced tender is payment that cannot be refused in settlement of a debt denominated in the same currency by virtue of law.  Bank of England notes are the only banknotes that are legal tender in England.  Scotish notes are not considered legal tender, however are not illegal under English law and traders/creditors may accept them if they choose.

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FI: You're a douche bag. We should export people like you to China. They'd love you there, because I'm certain no one does here. Phwt!

+6

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JQ - 19-Oct-11 23:29 

Jersey, Guernsey, IoM are not foreign countries, they are jurisdictions, and you are ignorant, boring, and bigoted.

-3

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MikeP - 19-Oct-11 09:38 

Countries who don't pay tax here are foreign in my book. Jersey, Guernsey, IoM etc. are all foreign.

The Scotch by wanting using their own bank notes are beginning to express their "foreign-ness", ergo the Scotch are foreign.

-5

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Foreign Identities - 19-Oct-11 02:03 

I am sure the authorities in those authorities would be mortified if they learned that you 'don't recognise' them. Maybe you should write to them and inform them of your learned views on the matter.

They are not 'tax avoiding' states, they are Crown Dependencies which enjoy a different tax regime. Before you start spouting nonsense, at least try to find out some facts.

+17

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MikeP - 12-Oct-11 15:48 

"Promise to Pay the Bearer" ...

Promise What?

Jersey, Guernsey, etc. these are all like the Cayman Islands. I don't recognise their existence at all, these tax avoiding scum states. These places embarass me. They are not UK. They should be cut adrift totally. With Defence or Support whatsoever. Their citiznes should have to apply for visas to enter the country.

-13

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Social Justice of Foreign Poli - 12-Oct-11 12:25 

There is another difference between Scotland and England in England Mike P is known as a Prick in Scotland he would be known as a Gobshite.

+43

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Wee Jock McAngus - 8-Sep-11 15:46 

First of all. You moan at me for continually criticising you & yet you persist in criticising other's. If a lorry driver for instance is going on a run to Scotland he will use the term "Going Scotch" Their money has always been know in England as "Scotch Money". As indeed our penny or halfpenny is known as copper. A two-shilling piece was known as a florin, two bob, or just plain silver. It is British terminology you twerp. Leave us alone to our idiosyncrasies they are ours, we like them irrespective of detractors such as you.

+18

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Boblet - 8-Sep-11 15:28 

First of all, it's not Scotch, it's Scottish.

A pound sterling is a pound sterling whether the 'promise to pay' bearer document is Bank of England, Jersey, Guernsey, Ulster Bank, Clydesdale Bank, and so on.

+45

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MikeP - 8-Sep-11 13:32 

I wouldnt worry about him he is always trying to bully newcomers and thinks hes something special and enjoys telling lots of lies, like he is a landlor the poo that spews from his cakehole is never ending.

-64

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Biffo the Bear - 6-Aug-11 00:16 

I see Lord Snooty posts here, a world of ignorance away.

Oxford English Dictionary

Scotch adj. = SCOTTISH

Having a quality or qualities attributed to Scottish things or people, esp. frugality or thrift.

Ergo Scotch Money = Scotch Spondulicks

-76

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Corrigendum - 5-Aug-11 23:32 

For heaven's sake, Scotch is a whisky or an egg. Maybe you are trying to be funny but your comments just come across as ignorant and prejudiced.

-54

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MikeP - 5-Aug-11 08:54 

If I were a trader I would refuse them, the Scotch notes that is. It's all funny money. The paper on which they are printed is practically worthless. And who trusts Scotch banks to honour their debts? They're all in hock to the UK government: RBS, BoS who has mortgaged all our futures via the BoE's "quantitative easing". Money in Britain is up the Swannee. Money in the EU is up the Swannee. Money in the USA is up the Swannee. I would far rather be paid in North Korean Won. A rate of 2.16 won to the dollar, based upon Kim Jong-il's birthday, February 16. 1.604 Scotch Pounds to 1 English Pound, based on the date of the battle of Culloden.

+59

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Barter: It's the Future - 5-Aug-11 06:56 

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.

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/about/faqs.htm#16

+103

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Benthic - 27-May-11 12:39 

LOL @boozy Actually, it's not going to make any difference, because we'll all be using euros at some point in the near future and I for one will welcome that day.

+79

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Bring in the euro - 27-May-11 09:03 

Scottish notes are not legal tender in England and do not have to be accepted.
Neither are they legal tender in Scotland, they are in fact, promissory notes.

+93

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Riever - 26-May-11 03:33 

Just a quick one for Dean from Edinburgh, As Scottish notes are not legal tender in England then that establishment has the right to refuse as a method of Payment. Although myself owning several bars I have never had an issue in accepting them, just need to educate the workforce so they feel comfortable in taking them.

+102

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Jim - 19-Apr-11 11:49 

I spent last weekend in London....had trouble with scottish notes being accepted...thought I would go into bureau de change to exchange for english notes to make life a bit easier.....was offered £17.50 for every £20!!! I dont think so....and no we shouldnt give up our scottish notes why the hell should we...I for one want to retain as much as I can of all things scottish...including taking all my holidays in my own beautiful country. A PROUD SCOT

-56

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maggie - 11-Apr-11 10:55 

How many Btits were shot in the back by their own side in the First World War: hundreds of thousands probably.

So it is with the Scottish Pound. Like Portugal and Ireland needs to leave the Euro. Scotchland needs to leave the Pound. Free up Jock spondulicks. 1 Jock pound to equal 50 pence English.

+2

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Ain't Nae Mawr - 7-Apr-11 23:12 

Taxi drivers run their cabs on cherryB over the weekend & on nights when the customs & excise are asleep. They only deal in cash, They ask garages to cock their cab up on the cheap when it needs a proper repair, In Bradistan they have Disabled badges. The reason he does not want to take Jock money is he will have to take it to a bank, Why doesn’t he want to do that? Because he is on the fiddle. Do not fret over cabdrivers, they are shysters. There is no good reason for not accepting Jock money if you are running a cab as a legit business.

+101

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Cynical Boblet - 7-Apr-11 19:55 

Just been down south for 2 nights, had my taxi driver ring me and complain, I had paid him all in scottish notes and he couldn't use - been refused everywhere he tried to spend, think he suggested I don't use him again! I apologised and said I had never had a scottish banknote refused in England. This is really outrageous, if they can't sort out the currancy of the UK and it's accpetance perhaps we should all go for the Euro, that would stop all this nonsense. By the way, I have a business in Scotland and accept anything accept shirt buttons!

-46

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ritab5 - 7-Apr-11 19:32 

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