In the United Kingdom, most banknotes are produced by the Bank of England. In Scotland and in Northern Ireland, the various banks produce their banknotes too. Each Crown Dependency government produces its own banknotes for local circulation.
In England and Wales, Bank of England notes are the only ones which commonly circulate, and a visitor is unlikely to see any other variety of banknotes. Scottish banknotes are almost universally accepted by large retailers and are generally by smaller ones too. Roughly speaking, the closer to Scotland, the more readily they are accepted, perhaps due to more familiarity with them. Scottish notes are extremely rarely given in change although it is not completely unknown for Scottish £5 notes to be offered and accepted as an alternative to coins as change due to a the shortage of bank of England £5 notes. Northern Ireland notes are generally accepted in large retailers but are even rarer to see than Scottish notes. Northern Irish, Scottish, and Crown Dependency notes can be exchanged for Bank of England notes for free in banks.
In Scotland, most circulating notes are produced by the local banks. Bank of England notes also circulate freely. Northern Ireland notes are generally accepted by most retailers. Northern Ireland notes can be exchanged for mainland notes for free in banks. Crown Dependency notes can be exchanged for local notes for free in banks.
In Northern Ireland, most circulating notes are produced by the local banks. Bank of England notes also circulate freely. Scottish notes are generally accepted by most retailers. Scottish notes can be exchanged for Northern Irish notes for free in banks. Crown Dependency notes can be exchanged for local notes for free in banks. Travellers should be aware, however that notes produced by Northern Irish banks are still Sterling and so are not valid for circulation in the Republic of Ireland, where the local currency is the Euro.
In the Crown Dependencies, notes generally circulate only in each dependency. Bank of England notes also circulate. Scottish and Northern Irish notes may be accepted.
An overseas traveller with non Bank of England Sterling bank notes would be well advised to change them for Bank of England notes before leaving the UK or Dependent territory since these notes may well be unfamiliar overseas. The obvious exception to that, Northern Ireland notes, will be familar in the republic and can be changed for Euro there: that may be worthwhile if a traveller does not intend to cross back to the UK.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Britain and Ireland
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Britain and Ireland - updated Apr 2024
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Britain and Ireland Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
