I realize this post might come off a bit obnoxious, but here it goes anyway. I have saved about 30£ worth of the old withdrawn "round" 1£ coins from previous visits to the UK. It is my understanding that these coins can still be deposited into UK bank accounts; however, they are not accepted when purchasing items from a retail business. So, would it be considered "rude" to use them as tipping money for things like cab rides, walking tours, etc...? Thank you for your advice!
Posted by
Stratford upon Avon
470 posts
How did you manage to accumulate 30 pound coins?
Posted by
Lake District, England
5834 posts
Yes it would be rude in my opinion. In my view worse than giving no tip.
They have not been legal tender since 2017.
The recipient can't even directly exchange the coins at a bank. They have to deposit them in their bank account, then make a separate withdrawl to get the money back out as a new coin.
Bear in mind also the pace of bank closures in the UK, making it increasingly difficult to access in person banking.
If the US dollar notes had changed to plastic, would you appreciate it if I gave you an old paper one as a tip, if you worked in the service industry over there?
Unless you can get a UK friend to exchange them for you by exchanging through their account, then you are stuck with them.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5330 posts
My advice is to keep them yourself as souvenirs or donate them to charity.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5330 posts
Coins are not exchanged by the Bank of England but by the Royal Mint which do not deal directly with the public, hence the need to go through an intermediary. Not all banks take old coins as deposits into accounts either.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7377 posts
Are they collectible, I wonder? Is there a dealer in the UK who’d buy them from you - maybe for more than £1 apiece, maybe less just to take them off your hands?
Apparently they still have some monetary value, to someone with the means to redeem them!
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thank you for all the quick replies! I’d rather look a fool now, than seem like another totally clueless American tourist. Unfortunately, it looks like the BoE won’t exchange coins. Maybe for the best! Will drop some in the donation bins when I visit various museums.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4574 posts
Another way to use them may be at the donation bins at airports. You can see a lot of different currencies and coins in those bins, so they most likely have a solid way to manage a variety of currency. Airlines sometimes offer to take donations including coins, on aircrafts.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7377 posts
Right, MariaF. British Airways had their UNICEF “Change for Good” campaign for many years, and now run “Flying Start” with Comic Relief. They don’t leave a donation envelope in every seat pocket anymore, but the flight attendants will come around before landing and collect donations.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6569 posts
Not paying attention at a store in Scotland last September, I was given an old £1 coin in change. The parking meter in Stirling wouldn’t even accept it. I just gave it to our B&B owner to deposit to his account.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
1857 posts
I was given two of the old round coins just before Christmas. I took them into Nat West Bank and they exchanged them for me without batting an eyelid. I wasn't even asked if I had a bank account.
Bring them with you and go into a bank and ask. At the very worst they can only say no.