We were in England in 2017. When we returned to the UK in 2022, we discovered that our 2017 bills were no longer accepted since they were replaced. We have some pounds from 2022. Are they accepted? Any clue what we can do with the 2017 bills? Put them in donation box?
Posted by
Freedonia
17297 posts
You can take the older bills down to the Bank of England and they will exchange them for newer ones.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7685 posts
That would be The Bank of England, Threadneedle St, London. That is the only place where the old bills can be exchanged, although some post offices will exchange small numbers of bills. It’s a quick process. Now, if you have any of the round pound coins, place them in a donation box or give them to someone with a UK bank account so they can be deposited. They cannot be exchanged for the new multi-sided coins.
As a side note, I was going through some items at home and came across a £1 paper note. They haven’t been legal tender since 1988.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8587 posts
It varies by denomination of the note. The easy way to determine what is still in circulation, is to check to see if it is a polymer (plastic) or paper note.. The changes over the last years have been to replace paper notes with polymer.
Otherwise, you can check here: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/withdrawn-banknotes
Any out of circulation notes can be exchanged at the Bank of England mentioned by a previous poster, we were able to exchange some at a Post Office location, but that may have been shortly after the expiration.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
567 posts
Here is the current exchange information I found. I mailed mine in and received payment by EFT into my US bank account b/c I had about 400 pounds and wasn't going to be in the UK any time soon. But it appears you can still exchange in person at certain post offices there if you go. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/exchanging-old-banknotes