I've never had a problem with 50 pound notes - I try to use them on big ticket things like theatre tickets, or when buying travelcards. The major tourist attractions will also take them without any problem (I'm sure they're used to tourists having large denominations).

I've emailed Barclays asking if they use 50's in their ATMs. I'll see if I hear back from them. I'm really just curious now.

I think I've only seen a £50 note less than ten times in my whole life - the last time was a couple of months ago when I had to withdraw £1000 over the counter from the bank.

Never had one from an ATM - I didn't even know they were stocked with them. I quite often withdraw several hundred pounds from ATMS too - so I guess it's only a few of them depending on the location. Certainly not down at the local supermarket!

Don't you think trying to get an answer from the great Customer Disservice machine in Bangalore is trying just too hard to convince us you and janis aren't financing your travels from a bit of dealing on the side?

After all, no-one else has ever got an answer from a straight question to a British clearing bank.

Actually it's a bit of an experiment to see if they respond any better than Bank of America does. When I emailed BofA and complained that despite my calling and giving them my itinerary in Europe they cut me off, the reply I got was that maybe next time I should call and give them my itinerary. Say what????

My brother was recently cut off while abroad by Lloyds TSB. When he rang them they said they could only allow ATM withdrawals from the country concerned if he phoned from that country. And he had to use the card there and have it rejected first.

Calling them in advance simply wouldn't work. And he, his wife and kids, each had separately to use each card, have it rejected, phone the 7,000 miles then wait while they played all four movements of the Four Seasons.

I can't imagine the info from Barclay's would be any more accurate than we get from our bank customer service agents here in the States - but they might surprise us.

flanner: That's hysterical - that one even trumps BofA's pitiful attempts at CS.

But - back to the ATM/£50 notes. Maybe ATMs in very heavy tourist areas (LHR, Leicester Sq, Covent Garden etc) stock the larger notes because they dispense relatively larger amounts of money during the day. Would mean not having to fill them so often. But who knows??

I do know I've received the odd £50's before but never as many as I got this last trip in Feb.

Es Scottish pound notes


They are not legal tender in England. And the reason for this is that they are not legal tender in Scotland either - it's just that they are in common usage.

Like a shop in the UK accepting Euros - they don't have to but some will.

OK I know that is off topic but just today's useless information.

Shops don't have to accept Bank of England notes, either. And 'legal tender' has nothing to do with it in any way, because that's related to debts and not purchases.

<Will we have a problem using 50 pound notes?>

none at all - you'll need at least a couple every hour now that the pound is about $2.10 (with charges)

you'll be rid of those 50 pounders rather quick.

I've never had a £50 note from an ATM either. It's sounding like it must depend on the bank, its particular hardware/software & maybe location. The bank for which I work *can* only put £10 or £20 notes in its ATMs - and our ATMs can only dispense up to £300's worth, at that. I think this is quite common across UK banks but evidently at least one other bank has at least some machines which can dispense £50 notes.

OK. I did get an email from Barclay's. And it seemed like a human response, not the usual generic computer driven ones I get from BofA.

I had asked if any Barclay's ATMs in London will dispense 50 pound notes, particularly on larger withdrawals and they responded, "Unfortunately ATM's only supply #10 and #20 notes."

So maybe audere was right. I must have gotten that 50 from some drug deal or organized crime scam I was involved in. LOL