Please sign in to post.

Easiest method of breaking large notes in to smaller ones

One consistent problem we have had in European Travel is how to quickly break the large denomination bills that the ATMs give out, in to smaller more usable notes and coins. In London, can you choose the denomination of Pounds from an ATM? Will any Bank, exchange large bills for smaller bills and coins for free?

Posted by
5697 posts

I was able to ask a bank to change a €500 (!) bill in Austria -- and was VERY careful after that to request slightly smaller amounts from the ATM. No charge from the bank.

Posted by
8889 posts

I don't see a problem. Why do you need to exchange them? just pay for things and get change.

I have never had a problem paying for something with a €100 note, which is what most machines dispense. I would not consider €100 or €50 "large", just normal.
Here in Switzerland, the machines give out CHF 100 and CHF 200. I know one that gives out CHF 1000. Again I have had no problem. I paid for my lunch today (CHF 12.50) with a CHF 100.

The largest denomination that cash machines give out in the UK is £20 (most give a mixture of £10 and £20), and you would pay more than that in a restaurant etc, I would prefer it if they gave out £50 notes (which is the largest denomination, but small by European standards).

Posted by
6733 posts

I usually just go make a purchase at a shop. You may get the stinkeye if you try and use a very large note for something trivial (pack of gum, etc.). Bottle of water usually works.

Pro tip: hide any other (smaller) bills you may have in your wallet (temporarily stash them in your pocket). Then when you go to buy that bottle of water or piece of fruit, at the register you open your wallet with a flourish, remove that single, large note, as you hand it over make a "sorry about that" face and shrug, while holding your wallet open to show that's all you have. Otherwise, you may get some pushback from the cashier as they point to a small bill in your wallet and say they don't have enough change.

Posted by
11294 posts

What I do is make sure my first withdrawal ends in -30 or -80 (for example, £430 or £380). This way, I am sure to get at least one £10 and one £20 note.

On my last trip to London and Paris (April and May 2018), I didn't get notes bigger then £20 in London and €50 in Paris from the ATM's, and these were not hard to spend.

Posted by
1792 posts

I try to withdraw an odd amount. So instead of £150 I’ll ask for either £140 or £160.

Posted by
2483 posts

Will any Bank, exchange large bills for smaller bills and coins for free?

Yes

But I don't understand why this is a problem. Can you give an example? Just spend your bigger notes and unfortunately they soon become smaller.

The largest note you'll see is a £20 - you'll never see a £50.

And there are too many coins - 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p 20p, 50p, £1, £2.

Most of my spending is done via contactless cards these days.

Posted by
7595 posts

I remember some years ago we went down to the Paris METRO to catch to RER to CDG Airport. All I had was a 200 Franc notes, at that time worth about $40 US. The cashier at the METRO would not accept the bill, saying she had no change.
Eventually, after explaining I had a plane to catch, that let us on the METRO without paying.

Another reason, is if you take a taxi, you don't want to give the taxi driver a big bill and then have to argue with him about how much change to give back to you. I have had that happed a couple of times.

It is always good to have smaller bills.

Posted by
3514 posts

Last I was in Europe, I ran across several ATMs that let you select what notes you wanted (within reason). Don't recall if they were all the same bank or were different ones. Starting to see those randomly here in the US as well.

Had no issues changing larger bills for smaller ones inside a bank anywhere so far.

I do remember getting £50 notes from an ATM in London. Barclay's Bank when I requested £500. This was in 2007. Things might have changed since then.

Posted by
6113 posts

You cannot request the denomination of notes from a UK ATM - £20 is the largest note that they carry, so you don’t need to go into a bank to split these, but banks will exchange large notes and coins for free.

Posted by
16893 posts

Francis, maybe you've previously been traveling in Italy, where merchants are pretty notorious for not having change for larger bills. It's less of an issue in other countries.

Posted by
1321 posts

It’s never an issue in the UK. I’ve been there 5 times and only once have I seen a £50 note. One of my London friends worked at John Lewis for a while and he’d occasionally see them, but these were being used for a large purchase of at least £100 and often much more.

But, the average tourist isn’t going to have this issue as long as you get your cash from a bank machine in the UK. You only get £20 and £10 notes

I’ve used a £20 note to pay for a pint of beer with no problem.

Posted by
5311 posts

Are there ATMs that dispense £50? Yes there are but they are really scarce, so unless you are in parts of the City or Canary Wharf (eg Citibank has one) or in a casino you won't encounter one.

Posted by
3985 posts

I use Barclay Bank cash machines and my experience is getting £20 & £10 notes.

Posted by
6431 posts

If you're using a bank ATM and the bank is open, just step inside to break up the big bill. They can hardly refuse if it was their machine. Or, as someone else noted, request an "odd" amount from the machine to make sure you get some smaller bills.

Posted by
926 posts

Thank You Laura and others. Yes, most of our travels have been Italy and France. I like the odd amount withdraw strategy. :)

Posted by
6386 posts

Forgot to ask for smaller bills from an ATM in Belgium and got €100 notes. I used them at restaurants, museum entrances, or train fare to get smaller bills.

Posted by
2709 posts

A 20 pound note is only about $26US, this should not be any harder than breaking a$20 here (which is also standard ATM currency)

Posted by
1150 posts

ramblin'on: I don't like having the big bills, too, but I may worry about it based on experiences in the U.S. with merchants here that won't accept bills larger than $20.

Posted by
926 posts

The reason i asked was because we were once in Tivoli Italy at Hadrian's Villa and ran out of money and needed some for the last 8PM or so Bus back to Rome, and all the shops were closed. We had spent way too much time, after seeing the Site, drinking wine at the restaurant there on the corner to the road to the Villa. So I go to an ATM and ask - stupidly for 300 Euros - in which the ATM gave us 3, 100 Euro notes. We tried to scrape together the fair with what we had, and we were short and then i just tried to give the bus driver a 100 Euro note - it was late, we were very tired. He would not take it and just waved us in to the back of the bus - for free. I felt some what bad because I want to pay my way fairly, and didn't want this bus driver to get into trouble for being kind to us. Italian Bus Drivers RULE! by the way. They are best! And have helped us in so many ways! Thank you Alberto again!

Posted by
734 posts

£50 are an absolute pain for retailors and small attractions, especially in the morning when you can wipe them out of their change for the entire day. So please dont. Just go in to any bank and ask politely for them to break them down. The £50s i get offered tend to be from Americans who have got their Stirling in the States. In the mornings, i will say no if offered one for a purchase less than £30. Please be considerate.

Posted by
7453 posts

I always take advantage of opportunities to get change. You certainly do not want to pay for a 2 euro coffee with a 50 euro note, but at a restaurant, if my bill is 15 or 20 euro, I will always use a 50 euro note. Grocery stores are another good place to use a large note, even for a small purchase, as are other places that are used to tourists and high volumes of cash transactions...like museums and department stores.

Posted by
926 posts

Thank you Caro for telling your side of this problem. Its one that i understand doing my own small businesses over time. i don't want to be that ugly American and mess up your change kitty in the morning. I'm thinking i want to get everything, involving walking money, to 5 pound notes. A bank exchange to smaller bills seems the best bet just after any big ATM withdraw. :)

Posted by
13809 posts

Francis, if you do get some starter GBP at home before you leave you can specify small bills from your bank so you don’t wind up with 50’s. Otherwise, as others have indicated, you won’t get 50’s from an ATM/cashpoint.

I have been in some smaller towns in Scotland the last few days and have noticed a number of signs indicating no 50£ notes in smaller shops. 20’s are no problem at all so don’t bother with reducing to 5’s. You’ll also have a pocket of 1£ coins which you’ll regularly want to use because they are so heavy.

Posted by
5239 posts

You cannot request the denomination of notes from a UK ATM - £20 is the largest note that they carry, so you don’t need to go into a bank to split these, but banks will exchange large notes and coins for free.

My local Tesco Express ATM offers the option of choosing your denomination including £5 notes.

Posted by
9462 posts

I know that my Societe Generale machine that I regularly use asks me (if I'm getting a bigger amount) if I want "mostly 50s" or "a mix of 10s, 20s, and 50s." I wish they all did this!!!

Posted by
14482 posts

On my trips to England, the highest bill I see is the 20 GBP note, that's what you'll get from an ATM, a stack of 20s. The ATM does not allow you to choose which denomination you want.

When I want a bill to be changed into a small ones, say the 100 Euro bill, (I don't bother with a 50 Euro bill), I ask the Rezeption at the hotel, if they could break it into 20s and tens, or anything they are comfortable in changing, since the hotel is doing you a favour by breaking your bill, whatever the combination they give.

Posted by
92 posts

I visit the UK a number of times each year and always get cash out of an ATM after I get there. There are plenty of ATM's everywhere, including at the airport. I've never gotten a bill larger than a GBP 20 note from any machine. Normally they give our 20's and 10's. Enjoy your stay in the UK.

Penn

Posted by
4684 posts

Some businesses in my local area are refusing to accept £50 because they say they are frequently forged, although it might just be that they don't want to change them. But agree that you will not get £50 notes from a bank ATM.