Sterling from NI to Sco to Eng?

corblimey

Next month, I'm going on a little 2 week journey around the British Isles, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales in that order. I was planning on just taking enough sterling to get through the first couple of days and then relying on my bank card, but it seems fairly common knowledge that NI sterling =/= Scottish sterling =/= English sterling.

I appear to have 2 choices. Get as much sterling here before I leave to last me until I at least get to England - that's a lot of money to be carrying around and I can't really judge exactly how much I'll need. Or I can stick to my original plan and maybe keep to taking money out every couple of days, in an attempt to arrive in England with less than a tenner of each sitting in my pocket.

Am I worrying over nothing though? This is honestly the first I've heard of different sterlings and most tales of shopkeeps refusing to accept non English sterling appear to be anecdotal at best.

BuffyBot

Not anecdotal, I'm afraid - very real. Try to run down what you have before moving on to the next part of the country "English" Sterling, however, will be accepted all over

brian ireland

If you take money out of the bank hole in the wall you will be charged for every transaction. €4+ for £100 out (PTSB) So its very expensive carrying money in the first place. If you have a laser/maestro card you can use it in millions of places. You will be charged the exchange rate on the day and you wont have any other charges (if you have free banking). Don't carry cash in the first place.
Have a nice trip.

corblimey

That's a good point, brian. 3.5% of the charge plus presumably some sort of conversion fee. I think I'm better off taking enough Sterling with me to cover to getting to England and then do 1 hole in the wall when I get there. This is just for incidentals, I'll be using my cc for anything over a tenner.

Tabnabs

I've only ever had problems with NI sterling on 'the mainland' (;)) Scottish they'll look twice at and and grumble but I've never had it refused. But to make life simple Bank of England is the safest bet.

okidoki987

with NI sterling on 'the mainland' () Scottish they'll look twice at and and grumble but I've never had it refused. But to make life simple Bank of England is the safest bet

.

+1

NI notes are not great in GB but you could go into a Bank and ask them to change them for English or Scottish notes.
If you take money from a Banklink machine etc, it will give you back the notes of the country you are in, so withdraw in NI, you get NI notes back.
Large Shops like Boots, Tesco etc will take all notes, smaller shops will only take the notes of the country you in.
If you go into the Bank, you can ask for English notes (just tell them you're going there next, shouldn't be a problem).
In terms of acceptability these are the rankings
1 Bank of England
2 Scottish
3 NI notes.

Fratton Fred

If you bank with Ulsterbank and use a Natwest, RBS or Ulsterbank hole in the wall, you don't pay charges. Technically all Sterling is legal tender all over the UK, it is just that people in England might not recognise NI notes and might not take it. coins are the same all over i believe.

Banks are obliged to accept anything.

spurious

Just ask a shopkeeper to change the local notes for 'proper' ones before you go on to the next place. I've never had any problem asking them to do this. I have had lots of problems trying to use NI money in England.

corblimey

Fratton Fred wrote: »

If you bank with Ulsterbank and use a Natwest, RBS or Ulsterbank hole in the wall, you don't pay charges. Technically all Sterling is legal tender all over the UK, it is just that people in England might not recognise NI notes and might not take it. coins are the same all over i believe.

Banks are obliged to accept anything.

From what I've read online, most banks seem to only offer this service to its customers.

Fratton Fred

corblimey wrote: »

From what I've read online, most banks seem to only offer this service to its customers.

aah yeah, that's a point.

I wouldn't worry about it though, just try and keep the amount of notes you have down to a relative minimum and you should be ok. As i say, I'm pretty sure coins are standard, so you could change any notes into coins if you are worried.