Originally Posted by Dragonbelle

From what I've read, rivaling chip-and-PIN as a travel challenge is having exact change in cash. As majuki experienced in Germany, if you request, say, 100 euros from an ATM, you're likely as not to get a single 100-euro note. Which nobody wants to change or accept as payment.

The 500-euro note is even more unpopular. I understand that when the euro was introduced, the 500 was included to accommodate participating nations who do everything cash-and-carry. But everybody else hates it, and a traveler who winds up with one has a heckuva time unloading it.