A store owner can choose which payment they accept. If you want to pay for a pack of gum with a £50 note, it is perfectly legal to refuse. As with all other tickets, it`s a matter of discretion. If your local family store had decided to only accept Pokémon card payments, that would also be within their rights. But they would probably lose customers. It is a common misconception that Scottish banknotes are legal tender. The truth comes as a shock to many, but especially to English tourists, who hope to spend their Scottish banknotes on their return home, only to discover that the currency has been legally rejected. In fact, Scottish banknotes are so rarely seen outside Scotland that a third of English residents think Scottish banknotes are counterfeit! But why are they rejected? And why do they still exist? He explained how « the definition of legal tender, if something is legal tender, cannot be rejected as payment of a debt awarded by the court. That is all it means. Scottish banknotes are unusual, firstly because they are issued by retail banks rather than state central banks, and secondly because they are technically legal tender anywhere in the UK – not even in Scotland, where no banknotes – even those issued by the Bank of England – are legally defined as legal tender. [2] [3] Formally, they are classified as promissory notes, and the law requires issuing banks to hold a sum of Bank of England banknotes or gold equal to the total value of the notes issued. [4] Legal tender has a narrow technical meaning that has no use in everyday life. This means that if you offer to pay a debt to someone who is fully legal tender, they cannot sue you for non-repayment.
The fact that banknotes are not defined as legal tender means that they are not withdrawn from circulation in the same way as Bank of England banknotes, which cease to be legal tender at some point. Instead, Scottish banks withdraw old notes from circulation when they are in the bank. All notes still in circulation will continue to be cashed by banks,[5] but retailers may refuse to accept older notes. [6] Clydesdale Bank also occasionally issues special edition banknotes, such as a £10 note celebrating the sponsorship of Team Scotland for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Scottish banknotes are legal tender – that is, they are approved by the British Parliament. However, Scottish banknotes are not legal tender, not even in Scotland. Indeed, no banknote (including Bank of England notes!) can claim the term « legal tender » north of the border, and the Scottish economy seems to be able to do without this legal protection. Her Majesty`s Treasury is responsible for determining which banknotes are « legal tender » in the United Kingdom. The fact that banknotes are not defined as legal tender means that they will not be withdrawn from circulation in the same way as Bank of England banknotes, which will eventually cease to be legal tender. Instead, Scottish banks withdraw old notes from circulation when they are in the bank. All notes still in circulation will continue to be cashed by banks,[5] but retailers may refuse to accept older notes.
[6] Prior to the creation of the Bank of England banknote, this seemingly minimal legal restriction became a problem in the days leading up to the outbreak of World War I, when gold coins, legal tender, were in high demand in England due to paper money. On occasion, the Royal Bank of Scotland issues commemorative banknotes. Examples include the £1 note issued on the 150th anniversary of the 150th anniversary of the 150th anniversary of the £20 note commemorating the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2000, the £5 note in honour of experienced golfer Jack Nicklaus at his last championship at St Andrews in 2005, and the £10 note commemorating Queen Elizabeth II`s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. These notes are highly sought after by collectors and rarely remain in circulation for long. What is classified as legal tender varies across the UK. In England and Wales, these are coins of the Royal Mint and banknotes of the Bank of England. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, these are only Royal Mint coins and not banknotes. On occasion, the Royal Bank of Scotland issues commemorative banknotes. Examples include the £1 note, which was issued on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the 150th anniversary of the 150th anniversary of the The £20 note commemorating the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2000, the £5 note in honour of veteran golfer Jack Nicklaus at his last championship opened in St Andrews in 2005 and the £10 note commemorating the Queen Elizabeth II`s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. These notes are highly sought after by collectors and rarely remain in circulation for long. Our tickets cease to be legal tender when we withdraw them. We usually announce several months in advance the date on which we will withdraw a note.
All Bank of Scotland banknotes feature a portrait of Sir Walter Scott on the obverse to commemorate his Malachi Malagrowther campaign of 1826 to retain Scottish banks the right to issue their own notes. [8] The Bank of Scotland banknote series of 2007 is known as the Bridges of Scotland series. These banknotes were introduced on 17 September 2007 and depict Scotland`s most famous bridges on the back. From 2016, the Bridges of Scotland series will be renewed with the issuance of new polymer notes whose designs follow the same basic theme of bridges. The tercentennial and 2007 notes will be withdrawn from circulation and replaced by the polymer series when they are issued, but older notes will continue to be accepted by banks. In this context, the Scottish Bankers Committee encouraged the public to issue or exchange non-polymeric five- and ten-pound notes by 1 March 2018. [6] There are also some limitations to the use of small parts. For example, coins 1p and 2p only count as legal tender for an amount of up to 20p. In Scotland, national commercial banks produced and used their own banknotes for over 200 years, until 1914. However, Scottish banknotes were legal tender only in their lifetime. When creditors and merchants refused to pay their debts other than in legal tender or gold coins, the British government granted legal tender to Scottish banknotes during the war « provided that the banks in their headquarters were always required to pay in gold or treasury notes ». This ensured that Scots could continue to shop with their national currency without fear of legal rejection by traders.
