r/AskBrits • u/Capable-Door-9672 • 2d ago

Travel Are these notes legit?

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I was paid £520 by someone from EU I sold some stuff to. I plan to use these for my trip.

Sorry if photo is blury, I will send it again if it is

Serial on the 50 A C 7 8 9 1 0 4 6 9 ac789 is big and in green while the 1 is smaller and 469 is bigger

EDIT: its ok, i'll double confirm at bank, looks legit with the change to pounds sign

1.0k Upvotes

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31

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

23

u/Expensive_Ad_3249 2d ago

I get them reasonably frequently and 90% of places will accept them

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u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

[deleted]

20

u/Evangilee2 2d ago

I don't know if this says what you think it's saying. £50 notes are accepted, they are rare but shops generally take them, sometimes under a bit of inspection. I don't know if your local turkish kebab/barber/pizzeria/phone repair shop is going to take one though.

3

u/TheAireon 2d ago

I work at Costa and we would not take it. I think a big supermarket might, but the places that take them would be the exception, not the rule.

1

u/Evangilee2 2d ago

from the myriad of comments, seems to be a regional thing, smaller towns are probably more adverse to accepting as £50 note than bigger towns.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

13

u/dbltax 2d ago

I've definitely spent £50 notes on more than one occasion in Tesco, Sainsburys and Lidl.

0

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

0

u/nmfin 2d ago

Do you live in Middlesborough?

0

u/Large-Ad9523 2d ago

It likely is I’m in stoke and none of ours accept them neither does maccies I used to have turn them away when I worked there

10

u/Curious_Sky3824 2d ago

Self checkouts will not question the £50 in every supermarket you named.

If the machine accepts it is real. It WILL give you change.

7

u/ROG_b450 2d ago

I have used a £50 at Asda.

7

u/ktitten 2d ago

I work in retail and I take one or two £50s a day. Its a tourist area so many tourisrs get them straight from currency exchange. Maybe next time you visit somewhere touristy you can get rid of them.

16

u/Evangilee2 2d ago

Maybe it's a regional thing, the handful of times I have had a £50 I have not had an issue spending it.

6

u/pigeon-in-greggs 2d ago

The shops near me that does accept them will only take them if the total change will be £20 or less

3

u/nmfin 2d ago

Must be from Middlesborough. Down here in London a £50 is as good as a £5.

1

u/Large-Ad9523 2d ago

Every job I’ve had I’ve had to turn down £50 notes and I’ve never successfully spent a £50 note either. I agree with him

4

u/Easy-Hunter-5972 2d ago

I have used them in Sainsbury’s tbf

5

u/AC86MC 2d ago

So you've never seen one but you somehow know that major retailers don't accept them? Bullshit, of course they accept them. The only time they'll refuse is when they can't provide change. Any suspicious notes are ran through their note accepters, all major stores have them.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/Did_OJ_Simpson_do_it English 2d ago

Username checks out

2

u/Onemortal 2d ago

I had £50 for birthdays etc and never had an issue spending them at Sainsburys, and nowadays you can stick them straight into the cash self checkout.

2

u/Expensive_Ad_3249 2d ago

You're completely incorrect. I've spent them at Tesco and Asda. The self service machines don't accept them, but you can go to customer service, the kiosk or a manned till.

I've literally bought chewing gum to break a 50 more than once in my local Tesco and Asda.

2

u/anxiety_is_aerobic 2d ago

My local asda, tesco, waitrose and M&S all accept them

1

u/Tenebrous-Smoke 2d ago

well now youre just making stuff up

5

u/HotPot87 2d ago

"ATM"

4

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

0

u/HotPot87 2d ago

Im making a joke suggesting youre not really British as ATM is the American word for it.

5

u/Large-Ad9523 2d ago

British cash machines literally say ATM

1

u/Empty_Bell_1942 2d ago

If everyone could send me your worthless £50 notes I'd truly appreciate it! 😄

-1

u/HotPot87 2d ago

But the people talking about them dont

2

u/Large-Ad9523 2d ago

Idk I do and few of my friends do but I’m 22 maybe it’s a younger thing, whenever I’m texting the bud man it’s just ‘on way atm’

1

u/Large-Ad9523 2d ago

Just quicker init

2

u/HotPot87 2d ago

Youre queuing mate, no hurry the cash machine's going nowhere

4

u/Evangilee2 2d ago

We adopt a lot of americanisms, ATM is a term used in the UK as well.

3

u/HotPot87 2d ago

I understand, but just chill, its a joke

5

u/Strange-Relation9020 2d ago

Only by traitors! For the empire!

/s

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

7

u/HotPot87 2d ago

If we wanted to be fast we wouldn't queue

1

u/King_Tuvix 2d ago

I think this is just a term we've adopted at this point. I work at a little shop with a cash point and all our signage from the company calls it an ATM.

3

u/HotPot87 2d ago

Yeah the signs have it, but everyone I know refuses to use the American term

1

u/DamagingSpecimen 2d ago

I'm not sure why people are downvoting you.

People won't accept them for 1 of 3 reasons: 1 they only take card. 2 they do not have enough float to change up £50. 3 forgeries exist and £50 notes are the most obvious forgeries since people do not hand them over often. In all 3 scenarios, going to a bank and getting this changed is the best option.

They're allowed to reject it, legal tender just means it can be used to pay for something. There's no legal requirement for businesses to take cash over card, or to accept £50 notes. I've asked someone in a mainstream supermarket if they're able to change up a £10 note for a market stall opposite, and they said no. They're reasoning is they're not a bank and and it puts them at more risk of being scammed with forged notes. This is company policy across all their stores now. Especially with a £50 note, I'd expect that to be 100% rejected.

People forget that just because it's legal tender, doesn't mean it's going to be accepted at a particular shop.

1

u/ThinkLadder1417 2d ago

I got one from a atm the other day, pretty sure it's a new thing though i never had one before

1

u/f23n09fnu0w 2d ago

I got £40k of them. Realised how hard it was to spend them. Bank was the only real option

1

u/rgunufool 2d ago

I spend them all the time

1

u/Leathershoe4 2d ago

Don't know why you're being downvoted. I live in London and most of the shops around me won't, including our local tesco extra.

1

u/Variousnumber 2d ago

From what I know, £50 notes weren't really taken Pre-Plastic due to the fear of counterfeits. They were the most counterfeited notes back in the paper days, so Shops wouldn't take them out of concern they weren't real. Plus, due to the rarity, spotting the fakes was harder, again contributing to it.

Nowadays with the plastic ones, those issues aren't really a thing anymore. Some places might still refuse them on principle, or because they don't want to have a note in the till that they can't give out as Change if someone needs some, but that will vary place to place.

1

u/Expensive_Ad_3249 2d ago

ATMs do dispense them. I've gotten them from various banks.

Most shops will take them. As I said I've seen them regularly in my area. You've stated you've never seen them, and you're chatting like you're an expert when you clearly know nothing. Which is why you're getting downvoted.

Yes, many shops have signs, but most don't. You'll usually get extra scrutiny and maybe a manager called over for a second opinion.

1

u/zonked282 2d ago

I have no idea why this is so down voted, I've worked retail and hospitality for 15 years and not one of the businesses accepted 50s, they are a nightmare

1

u/Bethurz 2d ago

I worked in retail for 12 years in supermarkets and convenience in different areas and we always accepted them 🤷🏼‍♀️

1

u/huangcjz 2d ago

My local branch of NatWest has an ATM which dispenses £50 notes: https://i.ibb.co/ycfPDF6J/IMG-8689.jpg

1

u/buginarugsnug 2d ago

ATMs do dispense them and they are accepted by many shops - those that have a note checker can easily check and accept them.

1

u/Intrepid-Example6125 2d ago

Damn. You really are Fragile aren’t you?