ibdublin

Here in Ireland external machines are stocked with either all €50s or a combination of 20s and 50s. The machines hold 4 cassettes and there's a minimum of 2 stocking 50s. In high traffic areas it'll be all 50's - to prevent having to restock more than twice weekly. The €50 cassettes hold approx €120k each and the 20's hold approx €40k.
Internal machines (inside bank branches) often stock 2x50, 1x20 and 1x10 cassettes to give customers more choice...and as these are only operational from 10am to 4pm they don't get quite the usage and don't need to be refilled so regularly.
The default cash withdrawal daily limit on cards is €700 (approx $1000) and can be increased to €1000 if requested.
We've a reputation of being a high cash usage society and most people would prefer to have cash in their wallet than a card. In fact some people complain that the machines don't stock 100's!

ajnz

NZ - Generally just $20s, some banks (National I think) stock $10s as well.
AU - Generally $20s and $50s, but I recall one bank (NAB?) stocks $10s too.
SG - Generally $10s, $50s, $100s although I really only have experience with Citi ATMs. The $10s seem to run out fast though.

Coming from NZ, where carrying cash is exceptionally rare, I find AU and SG's approach to carrying cash annoying... and particularly annoying that ATMs tend to give out $50s, but my average cash transaction is <$10 - which annoys the merchant. I had one coffee cart person get rather irate with me in Melbourne because of this, and I've had many taxis in SG which just don't have change for a $50.

IMOA

If you know you're going to be making small transactions then withdraw $40,$60,$80 etc rather than $50 or $100. While I hardly ever use cash I also hardly ever use an atm so I'll tend to take 2-300 out at a time and all 20's for that is annoying

FTraveler

At St. Pancras, on the way to Paris via Eurostar in June, I withdrew €600 from the ATM located on the sterile side and received a €200 note, 2 €100 notes and the remainder in €20 notes.

choster

Huh, I thought this was going to be a thread to rant about the invariably huge and thus difficult to spend denominations that ATMs offer.

In Thailand it was almost a sport to take one's just-dispensed 1000 THB note next door to a 7-11 and buy an 8 THB bottle of water and watch the clerk struggle to find enough change, enabling one to buy dinner for 20 THB from the food stall down the block.

Contrast that with the glares I got from the cashiers at Chedraui in Cozumel trying to use a 500 MXN note to buy about 150 MXN of groceries. This wasn't a mom-and-pop stall in the square, but a huge supermarket in a major tourist destination during peak tourist season, and there was plenty of change in the drawer. W.T.F.?

ajnz

What do you do if the ATM only has $50s and nothing smaller? I often find myself making repeated transactions for $40 at ATMs that do have $10s, so I can keep a reasonable number of $10s in my wallet.

Nb. I usually carry $200 or so with me in SG, generally all in $10s because the $50 is such an inflexible note for my spending profile.

IMOA

I've never noticed an atm that only carries 50's but they're not _that_ difficult to change, not in aus anyway. Dunno why you'd want to keep 10's though, I've never had a problem with anyone accepting a 20.

ajnz

Singapore does not have $20s.

I always found $50s awkward when I lived in Melbourne, lots of coffee stores/cafes would get annoyed at a $2-10 payment with a $50.

stupidhead

If the merchant gets irate over my means of payment, I walk away from the transaction entirely. For every store that's pissed off over having to accept a credit card, there are three across the street willing to do it-with a smile. I'm not going to get pissed on for spending money at their place of business.

Oh, and cabs in NYC are required by law to accept credit cards now

Mabuk dan gila

What's ironic is that for years I have been deliberately selecting "other amount" and choosing an odd amount in order to get some small change at foreign ATM's all over the world, since inevitably taxi drivers and street vendors in many countries don't have or don't want to make change for larger notes. But at the same time, in all my years, I have always just taken it for granted that US ATM's gave out $20's, never questioned it, or even thought about it. Now I will have to go today and see if my local ATM will give me $135.

MKEbound

My bank offers 5's and 20's.

I've seen 50's and 100's as well.

However, how much cash do you really need when you use your mileage earning cc for everything?

Gregory Nelson

In the US, the $50 bill is an odd bird. It's not as completely unfamiliar to most people as the $2 bill is. Still, there's no place for it in the cash drawer, you can't get rid of it to the next customer unless he's paying with a C-note, and it's considered bad luck by gamblers and superstitious people, who will often refuse to accept it.

jpatokal

Actually, it does exist... but only in such limited quantities that I've never seen one. I'm still kicking myself for not picking up a few at the bank when they were available.

Sjoerd

With the on-going financial meltdown in the US and the unsustainable levels of public and private debt accumulation, I wouldn't be surprised if soon you would need hard cash for everything.

Sjoerd

In my numerous trips to the US, I have never had a problem spending my US$100 and US$50 bills.