Having recently returned from a holiday in Northern Ireland I have three Northern Irish banknotes. I honestly didn't expect any trouble spending them here in England as I have only ever once had a Scottish note not accepted (in a bar in Newcastle under Lyme a good number of years ago) out of many times I have paid with them. In addition at the shop where I work I was told in no uncertain terms we do indeed accept both Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes and have even seen a few go through the till. I also had no problem on my last trip over there putting one through the self service machines in Morrisons.
However, with the Northern Irish banknotes in and around Thirsk I've had nothing but trouble:
As an on topic aside, what would the position be if one encountered a TVM at an unstaffed penalty fares station, which wasn't programmed to accept Northern Irish notes? Are cash accepting TVMs in England programmed to accept these notes? It's in NRCoT that they're accepted so the answer I would hope would be yes.
What have any of your experiences been like?
However, with the Northern Irish banknotes in and around Thirsk I've had nothing but trouble:
- In Lidl, I was told it 'must be an old one' as it was made of paper (Bank of Ireland £5) 'but you can probably still pay it into your bank'
- In Wetherspoons, I was told 'I'm sorry, we don' accept Irish notes' (same note)
- In Wine Rack (same company as Bargain Booze) the cashier seemed unsure so asked if I had an alternative means of payment. I paid by card. £10 Bank of Ireland note and £5 Ulster Bank note.
As an on topic aside, what would the position be if one encountered a TVM at an unstaffed penalty fares station, which wasn't programmed to accept Northern Irish notes? Are cash accepting TVMs in England programmed to accept these notes? It's in NRCoT that they're accepted so the answer I would hope would be yes.
What have any of your experiences been like?