A fan has spoken out after she was ’embarrassed’ in London for something she saw no issue with
People are being reminded about what qualifies as legal tender, as millions are ‘being turned away at the tills’. It comes as a Martin Lewis fan shared her experience of being turned down for attempting to pay for something with Scottish banknotes in England.
The MoneySavingExpert has slammed the practice of some English businesses refusing to accept the “perfectly acceptable currency”. One of Martin’s fans told him via social media that they were in London with their sisters when the “embarrassing” incidents kept happening.
They wrote on X: “Down in London last week with my two sisters. We were initially twice refused acceptance of Scottish pounds. [We were] asked ‘are they Euros!’ and ‘are they Counterfeit?’
“One place in Covent Garden, which was packed, must have thousands of Scots visiting. Completely humiliating! I’m amazed this still happens.” Martin Lewis replied: “Ridiculous. Scottish notes are perfectly acceptable currency across the UK. Sorry that happened.”
The response followed the popular ITV presenter’s mention of legal tender in an X post, reports the Daily Record. He wrote: “Legal tender only applies to what can’t be refused in settlement of a Court debt. And it’s a hodge-podge; neither Scottish nor English notes are legal tender in Scotland.”
Can businesses in England actually reject Scottish banknotes?
The UK Government has confirmed that retailers and businesses in England have no duty to accept Scottish banknotes as payment for goods or services. According to the Treasury, legal tender status “does not oblige businesses to accept a particular form of payment in everyday transactions”.
What makes something legal tender – legally?
The idea of “legal tender” in the UK has evolved over centuries, with crucial legislation including the Bank of England Act 1833, also referred to as the Bank Charter Act, and the Coinage Act 1971. Whilst the 1833 Act established Bank of England notes as legal tender, the 1971 Act revised the definition and scope to accommodate the modern decimal currency system that was implemented in 1971.
The Bank of England clarified that the phrase is frequently used without a complete understanding of its meaning. On its website, a spokesperson stated: “Legal tender has a narrow technical meaning that will rarely come up in everyday life.
“The law ensures that if you offer to fully pay off a debt to someone in a form that is considered legal tender – and there is no contract specifying another form of payment – that person cannot sue you for failing to repay. A shop owner can choose what to accept.
“If you want to pay for a pack of chewing gum with a £50 note, it is perfectly legal to turn you down. Likewise, for all other banknotes, it is a matter of discretion. If your nearest corner shop decided to only accept payments in Pokémon cards, they would be within their rights to do so – but they would probably lose customers.”
It also explains what qualifies as legal tender throughout the UK, as this is different across all some UK nations. In England and Wales, it accepts Royal Mint coins and Bank of England notes, while in Scotland and Northern Ireland, it consists solely of Royal Mint coins and excludes banknotes.
A spokesperson clarified that, based on the guidance: “English banknotes are not legal tender in Scotland. Scottish notes are not legal tender in England or Scotland. Debit cards, cheques and contactless payments are not legal tender anywhere.”