Banking in Northern Ireland
In the UK, thus in Northern Ireland which is part of the UK, the currency is Sterling.
Many shops in Northern Ireland, especially those near the border, accept Euro. You will however need some sterling if you are planning to go north, especially small denomination notes and coins for car-parks [parking lots], bus fares, tips and the like.
Northern Ireland's Unusual Banknotes!
Northern Ireland is one of the few places where private banks are still allowed to issue banknotes. While standard sterling banknotes, issued by the Bank of England and circulated throughout the UK, are common in Northern Ireland, more often the notes you see will be issued by individual banks in the province. This happens in Scotland also.
There are four banks allowed to issue their own notes in Northern Ireland, so potentially if you had 5 £10 notes, they could all be completely different in appearance. Yes, it is confusing.
These notes are not "legal tender" - but don't panic, that doesn't mean they are worthless! They are what is known as "commonly accepted" and can be used anywhere in Northern Ireland.
Either spend or exchange notes issued by Northern Irish backs before leaving Northern Ireland, since most shops in other parts of the UK will look at them suspiciously and may refuse to accept them, which they are allowed to do.
Alternatively you might take some of them home with you and sell them on eBay, where collectors will pay a little more than face value for them.
The unusual polymer note, on the left, issued by the Northern Bank to celebrate the millennium, had a print run of only about 2,000,000 notes and will not be reprinted, so has particular value. Don't say we suggested selling them though, I'm not sure it's legal!
Your Comments
Please note: To prevent spam all comments are moderated. Promotional or advertising comments will not be published. If you want to ask a question or start a discussion rather than post a comment, please so so in the forum. Thank you!
Enjoy this Article? Tell a Friend! | Bookmark This Article:
Home > Info > Money & Banking > Money & Banking
