Scottish Pounds?

Question

do you know if Scottish Pounds are well accepted in London?

Yes , I mean Scottish paper money. Soon I will go to London and it has been said me that difficultly I will be able to change the Scottish pounds to London. If this is true, means that I would have to change my Scottish money before leaving, before in Euro, then in Sterling. Therefore it does not convene to me. For this reason I place you the question.

Answer 1

Contrary to what some people have said, Scottish notes of any denomination are not legal tender in England and Wales (see link below).

Many shops accept them, but many don't.

I was in a cafe in Earl's Court recently and wanted to pay with a Scottish £20 note. They said they wouldn't take it. I said, fine, I can't pay you then, bye. Needless to say, they changed their minds!

Answer 2

Strictly speaking, Scottish notes are only Promisory Notes and are not legal tender anywhere, not even in Scotland.
Scottish £1 notes seem to be dying out even in Scotland so it may be best to avoid using them, but £5 notes and above are generally accepted in most places although be prepared for some opposition to them. Much in the same way that Northern Irish notes may or may not be accepted even though they say "Sterling" on them as well.
Many places will not accept £20 notes of any part of the UK because of the number of forgeries going about.
Strangely enough it has been said that Bank of England notes are not legal tender in Scotland.
Why go looking for hassle?

Answer 3

Scottish money, like Northern Irish money, is not legal tender in the United Kingdom and can be refused as payment. They are accepted in Scotland because of bilateral agreements between the banks. However, the major shops and banks in England will accept Scottish money as it would be easy for them to recirculate them in Scotland. Assume that the smaller merchants and banks will not accept Scottish money. The best advise is take the Scottish money to a bank that has a major presence in both England and Scotland and change Scottish notes into UK money.

Answer 4

Scottish Pounds are not legal tender, but most larger shops will accept them. They won't be best pleased with Scottish £1s as they mess up the till system. Also, as several people have said there is great reluctance to take some of the larger denominations, particularly the £20, because there are forgeries in circulation. Incidentally, for similar reasons many (particularly smaller) shops will not take the largest English notes, i.e. £50. They might be legal tender, but who is going to enforce that law? The police have better things to do.

Try to get rid of your Scottish notes as far as possible on your journey South!

Answer 5

yes
the Scottish pound is legal tender in England any where you go
your apart of the UK
this means your currency is the same as ours ha ha
but don't use them in a London bus just to help you out
i was a bus driver and did take a Scottish note in belief that it was OK
the problem is that all bus garages have machines that count the money after each drivers shift and for some reason the Scottish note is not recognised and it come out of the drivers pocket
but you should have no problems any where else

Answer 6

Suggest you simply exchange the scottish notes for English ones at an English bank on a 1-for-1 basis to avoid any problems.

Answer 7

They are sterling therefore legal tender. However london black cabs are not obliged to take them (but usually do). You might get a funny look and they might hold it up to the light (don't know that they will find out by this) but they will grudgingly take them. Some places I just say "I've been in Scotland" and shrug my shoulders and they're fine. I've only ever had one refused and that was very locally here in West Norwood by an old lady in a charity shop but I managed to get rid of it in the local Somerfield later.

Answer 8

Absolutly, no problem without a doubt. In the same way that "English" currency could be used in Scotland. You could spend Scottish currency anywhere in the UK.

Some shops are oblivious to this fact however and that they can accept the money, and it is exactly the same money/worth.

Have fun in London!

Answer 9

Yes. Scottish notes are legal tender in England but sometimes sales assistant are badly trained and might kick up a fuss. Ask to see the manager if that happens.

Answer 10

I have had no problems with Scottish printed pounds in London. It's all the same money, just a different print in Scotland.