Need to change "old" money

No need to change at the present time:

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/current-banknotes

Perfect! Thanks for the reply.

OP you may not need to change bank notes but what you will find is that London has nearly gone cashless. More of a tap and go with a debit or credit card experience these days.

I’d use the bank notes for museum donations.

Hopefully helpful UK residents on this forum can offer intel.

The UK is primarily cashless, but that doesn't mean that the OP can't use cash to pay for his hotel rooms. No need to throw away several hundred pounds of cash. Some places are card only, but others will still accept cash if you ask.

There are "old" bank notes. Not because they have Queen Elizabeth on them, but because they have been removed from circulation. You can use the link in a previous post to check. If you have some of those, they can be exchanged at the Bank of England Main Branch.

What Carol said. There are pre King Charles notes, and pre new format notes. The latter need to be exchanged at a bank. The newer ones, even with Queen Elizabeth, are still accepted everywhere.

How old are the notes?

G*d save the Queen!

The notes are 2 years old and based on the link shared on this thread should be fine.

I thought you meant actually old money also -- some of it is now worth more than face value to the right shopkeepers.

Pre-1970 money was not decimal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/£sd

Two year old plastic notes are fine. If any are paper, you need to exchange for newer ones.

ERII notes are still more commonly seen in circulation than CRIII ones which only started to be issued a few months ago. The former are only taken out of circulation when worn out & polymer notes last quite a long time.

Echoing those who have noted that London is now mostly cashless… except that it is always worth asking at food trucks, market stalls, and in black cabs, because some folks still very much appreciate cash. Some vendors/drivers will even post a small sign noting that cash is appreciated.

That said, if your notes are large denominations, it would be prudent to break them so you have five pound notes, and 2 pound and 1 pound coins. That will be much more useful.

Also, bigger high street retailers and grocery stores still take cash, as do many pubs.

You don’t mention what denomination these notes are. Many retailers won’t accept £50 notes as it’s too big a loss if the note is counterfeit.

Some vendors/drivers will even post a small sign noting that cash is appreciated.

You've seen that in London? Not something I've seen.

Largely, I don't care if cash is "appreciated". Let's face it, with how easy it is to use electronic payment methods these days, the primary reason for a vendor to prefer cash is to fiddle their taxes. Judging by how many really small turnover businesses are able to take card payments these days, the fees argument seems a bit outdated to me these days.

My personal exception to this was that I'd always have cash for my mechanic when I was running a car. Because of the friendly relationship I had with him, I liked to offer him the freedom to do his accounting creatively with my bill. I never needed to asked for cash though. The motor trade is a big cash holdout because that's the way it's always run. It's why nail salons and barbers are traditionally the favoured businesses of those operating under the radar for various reasons. Easy to run with lots of cash in the books. Same goes for private hire taxis (minicabs) where I'm from.

I'm certainly not going to go out my way to give a black cab driver cash. TfL is supposed to insist drivers have a working card machine these days.

Also, bigger high street retailers and grocery stores still take cash, as do many pubs.

Pretty much everywhere will take cash still. Retailers big and small.

Just have to add a disclaimer here when I'm being a bit blunt; Volva, always appreciate your posts. Just this one seemed to be coming from different angle than me so I thought I'd go slightly OT in this thread and talk about it.

Re cash preferred signs, I saw one recently in a pub: "Credit accepted; currency of the realm preferred". ;)

the primary reason for a vendor to prefer cash is to fiddle their taxes

It may seem small and a minor matter to members of this forum but to small businesses the typical 1.5% to 1.75% card fees which the card companies levy makes a material difference to their profitability.

That can be the difference between survival or not, with things like rent and utility bills also on the inexorable rise. Business owners (unlike householders) do not have a cap on their utility bills.

Where I live there is an increasing trend towards asking for cash payments, in some cases requiring them.

but to small businesses the typical 1.5% to 1.75% card fees which the card companies levy makes a material difference to their profitability.

balanced by the not insignificant charges banks make from commercial customers for depositing cash and coin, combined with the running costs of the vehicle to get there and the queues and inconvenience (and parking charges) once at the bank with the takings. To say nothing of pilfering. - former small business owner here who always prefered card.

Personally, I always like to have cash on hand. And when doing business with people I know, like small mom & pop B&Bs (real B&Bs, not the "Air" Bs—usually no second "B" at those places), I like to give them cash if they prefer—and they often do. I don't care whether they want to reduce their tax bill or reduce their bank fees—both of which are legitimate goals in my opinion. If I know them and like them, I will accommodate them.

You don't need to change it just because it's got the Queen's face on it--but your cash may be rejected if it isn't a new bill. That is, there should be a transparent plastic spot on the bill. If you've got older ones in that sense, go to a bank and they'll trade them in for you

Our money is all plastic and none of the denominations are larger than 20 pound notes. Sounds like we're going to be fine. We plan to spend at markets and pubs.

Bills featuring William the Conqueror no longer accepted