dddc

Maybe not her income, but isn't there a maximum number of days a whole home can be rented out on AirBnB at around 90 days? By not going through the booking site, not only do you both avoid the fees, she possibly avoids taxation since you are paying in cash and she gets round any occupancy nights limit.

TominLazybrook

I just got back from London and had some recalled coins and notes. The airport currency xchange charged me 1.5 pounds to exchange all my notes. They wouldnt take the old pound coins. I had 3 of them. I used them as an extra tip to the hotel staff (who presumably have access to a bank)

TribalistMeathead

My desire to pay a currency exchange to do what a Post Office would do for free is less than zero, but it's good to know that that's an option if we absolutely need to exchange our old coins immediately upon arrival.

emma69

To assuage your fears, no one in the UK thinks £20 notes are low class.

antichef

^
A random data point, in my pocket right now I have 3 x £20 and 3 x £10. If I had a few hundred in £20's it would not be at all unusual to anybody in the country.

TribalistMeathead

But it'd create an unsightly bulge in your wallet that wouldn't be there if £100 notes were common!

antichef

One problem I can live with

Scots_Al

TribalistMeathead

Yes, we have done the original question to death. My plan for any future posters is (1) get cash on arrival unless the pound drops significantly between now and early May, in which case, I'll buy currency before I leave; and (2) exchange the old pound coins for new ones at the local Post Office.

"Love" is a strong word for the US - only when the recipient is 100% sure it's not counterfeit, and small businesses that don't keep a great deal of cash on hand are generally unhappy when they have to give change for a small purchase made with a $100 bill.

I forgot that there was a period of a year or so when I would pay my rent in cash (when I lived in NYC), and I can't remember if I gave my landlord $20s or $100s, or if he cared.

I think what it ultimately comes down to is that I'm not comfortable carrying around large amounts of cash, but marginally more comfortable when it's in bills of large denominations.

TomMM

Here's my oddball currency question. Last year I went to Edinburgh and got cash from an ATM. A few months later I am in London and tried to use a 5 pound note from Edinburgh at a street vendor but they wouldn't accept it. Got to the hotel and asked the people at the front desk who looked at the note and said it was okay. Few hours later I used it at Tesco. Anything special about these notes?

ajGoes

You had a Scottish banknote. They often aren't accepted in England.

It's a little hard for an American to wrap their head around, but England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each have their own versions of the pound Sterling. Several Scottish and Northern Irish banks issue currency, with additional versions used in the Channel Islands. It's as if different dollar bills circulated in Hawaii, New York, and Puerto Rico. They all have the same value, and Bank of England notes are (I believe) accepted everywhere; the smaller jurisdictions' notes are not.

krispy84

antichef

... with the additional restriction that you do not have to accept any of those variously issued notes in any of the other areas!

stut

Scottish notes generally get accepted, sometimes with a little encouragement ("it's that or nothing, pal"), although the new Clydesdale notes are a lot harder to spend.

The rather more confusing NI Danske Bank notes (I'd love to see if someone tries to pass off DKK notes as Sterling) are somewhat harder to spend.

I've found that in the Channel Islands, most people ask you if you want English notes in change if you're a non-islander.

antichef

For those not used to UK notes, I spend time in NI, Scotland and England during each month and usually have a varied mix of notes in my pocket at any time. Right now I have:
£20 Northern Bank (which became Danske Bank in 2012)
£20 Clydesdale Bank
£20 The Royal Bank of Scotland
£10 The Royal Bank of Scotland (polymer)
£10 Danske Bank (polymer)
£10 Ulster Bank (polymer)

As I will be in England on Friday for a week I will get some English notes at an ATM at some time over the weekend, for those moments when I am not paying contactless and need cash!