The joy of getting new foreign currency

[MMDown Under]

I have just gotten NZ cash for a pending cruise from Auckland on Friday.

 

I asked for the currency in $20 bills because it is more convenient to use. The notes are so beautiful, I feel they should come with a description. I recognise the Queen because she was our beloved Queen also.  I think I recognise the beehive Parliament.  But the birds and yellow flowers no. Just think how much work was done developing that beautiful note, with its special clear hole for security.  And people say paper money is going to be replaced.  My bills are in my purse just waiting to be spent!

 

 I'll not make the mistake of getting $100 bills, like I did for USA once.  Every shopkeeper held the bill up to the light and looked at the $100 suspiciously like I must have been a bank robber.  Dirty $1 bills they don't give a glance, but a new crisp $100 bill you must be up to no good.  

[Jean C]

Hahaha, I just fished one our of my wallet to look more closely. Here's the official site saying what's what on the note. It took me a couple of looks to locate the Maori pounamu, but I found it 🙂 Can't say I'd ever noticed it before 🤔

 

Yes, smaller denominations are the way to go. Gone are the days when people took only cash or travellers cheques on their travels, nowadays you can pay for a lot of things in advance and only need a modest amount of local cash for incidentals, the rest can go on credit cards, as long as you're not socked with bank charges 💰 

 

https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/money-and-cash/banknotes/banknotes-in-circulation/20-banknote

[Jean C]

PS, although the new notes were launched many years ago with great fanfare and the cost justification that the new notes were "safer" and less able to be fraudulently copied, we still have the old variety in circulation - polymer with a smaller clear window. I think you have the same dual style notes in Aus in circulation.

 

As an aside, I think I heard at the relevant time that NZ supplied Canada with their new fancy pants notes 😊

[lyndarra]

I can only name three NZ birds. The Kiwi, of course. Kea - an alpine parrot and very cute pest. And, my also cute favorite, the pukeko, which sadly seems to like throwing themselves under cars. Apart from the kiwi I can't remember if the other two are on notes.

Edited January 6 by lyndarra

[MicCanberra]

I didn't mind the previous queen but the new one is a horse's ass.

 

We rarely get any cash now, if we need any we just go to an attached to a bank or in the bank itself.

[Jean C]

3 hours ago, lyndarra said:

And, my also cute favorite, the pukeko, which sadly seems to like throwing themselves under cars. 

I used to go to the local park for a picnic in the summer. Many others did the same, some bringing fish and chips. It was fascinating to see the pukekos eating chips - they would pick them up with their huge, oversized feet and delicately eat them all the while holding them 🤣

[OzKiwiJJ]

We were on the West Coast once, having lunch at a cafe, and a blasted pukeko jumped up on the (outdoor) table and tried to steal our lunch! Cheeky bugger! 

[Jean C]

48 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

We were on the West Coast once, having lunch at a cafe, and a blasted pukeko jumped up on the (outdoor) table and tried to steal our lunch! Cheeky bugger! 

They're a bit of a pest in some areas 🙁 Their babies are very cute though 🙂

Edited January 7 by Jean C

[ceeceeDee]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

We were on the West Coast once, having lunch at a cafe, and a blasted pukeko jumped up on the (outdoor) table and tried to steal our lunch! Cheeky bugger! 

Obviously a relative of seagulls!🤣

[lyndarra]

1 hour ago, ceeceeDee said:

Obviously a relative of seagulls!🤣

Or bin chickens.🐦

[OzKiwiJJ]

5 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

Obviously a relative of seagulls!🤣

But much prettier!

[colourbird]

14 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

 I'll not make the mistake of getting $100 bills, like I did for USA once.  Every shopkeeper held the bill up to the light and looked at the $100 suspiciously like I must have been a bank robber.  Dirty $1 bills they don't give a glance, but a new crisp $100 bill you must be up to no good.  

 

We were in America in November and had 6 $100 notes. We used one in a fast food store and the guy at the counter looked at it as though he'd never seen one before and went out the back to get the manager who also had a close look at it. They asked us why we were trying to pay with it. We said we just arrived in the USA and didn't have any smaller change. They ended up accepting it.

 

We changed our other notes for smaller denominations back at the hotel. The woman at the desk drew a line across each one with a brown texta. We queried this and she said the marking changes colour if the note is fake. I had noticed a couple already had these lines on them and I had thought it was strange that two had been vandalised in this way, but it must be common.

 

When we were in New Zealand last month, I had some coins from a previous trip and tried to use a 20 cent piece. The shop assistant said they don't use them anymore and showed me a new smaller one. She got me to show her my change and said my 5 cent pieces were no longer valid either as 10 cents is the smallest accepted. The old 5s and 20s can only be used back in Australia as the New Zealand banks and stores won't accept them.

[aussielozzie18]

My daughter was delighted when she was about to go to the UK at the start of last year and her grandfather gave her a bunch of notes that he had found whilst doing a big clean out, Probably about 400 pounds worth.  Unfortunately, she soon discovered they were out of circulation and couldn’t be used.

[arxcards]

Getting cash for travel used to excite me, especially those crisp brand new notes. Then by the time you have stowed 3 or 4 currencies and have tried to budget the right amount for each day of your trip, it becomes a royal pain.

 

Now with being able to use plastic for just about everything, it is so much easier - and paid up to 55 days in arrears instead of weeks/months in advance. Now it will just be cash for tips in the US.

[Jean C]

6 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

My daughter was delighted when she was about to go to the UK at the start of last year and her grandfather gave her a bunch of notes that he had found whilst doing a big clean out, Probably about 400 pounds worth.  Unfortunately, she soon discovered they were out of circulation and couldn’t be used.

With respect, UK bank notes can always be exchanged, no matter how old they are. Notes from the previous issue can be deposited into accounts at Post Offices and banks, if she opens an account or knows someone with an account. Any older notes, no matter how far back they go, can be exchanged at the Bank of England in London, for face value. They do advise though that very very old notes may have a collector's value in excess of their current face value which is all you'd get from the Bank of England.  For clarification see:

 

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/faq/banknote

Edited January 7 by Jean C

[colourbird]

9 hours ago, arxcards said:

Now with being able to use plastic for just about everything, it is so much easier - and paid up to 55 days in arrears instead of weeks/months in advance. Now it will just be cash for tips in the US.

 

I didn't bother with cash tips in the USA.

 

I couldn't work out the amount the Americans were giving guides, drivers etc... as every note looked the same so I just walked past and said "seeya". I didn't want to give too much or too little. Anyway if 50 people were on our tour these guys were making a fortune.

[MMDown Under]

10 hours ago, Jean C said:

With respect, UK bank notes can always be exchanged, no matter how old they are. Notes from the previous issue can be deposited into accounts at Post Offices and banks, if she opens an account or knows someone with an account. Any older notes, no matter how far back they go, can be exchanged at the Bank of England in London, for face value. They do advise though that very very old notes may have a collector's value in excess of their current face value which is all you'd get from the Bank of England.  For clarification see:

 

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/faq/banknote

Yes, I've done that a branch office in London and I wasn't a customer.

[MMDown Under]

6 hours ago, colourbird said:

 

I didn't bother with cash tips in the USA.

 

I couldn't work out the amount the Americans were giving guides, drivers etc... as every note looked the same so I just walked past and said "seeya". I didn't want to give too much or too little. Anyway if 50 people were on our tour these guys were making a fortune.

Most Americans carry a heap of $1 notes and give a pile of notes, so it is difficult to see how much.  

[MMDown Under]

16 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

My daughter was delighted when she was about to go to the UK at the start of last year and her grandfather gave her a bunch of notes that he had found whilst doing a big clean out, Probably about 400 pounds worth.  Unfortunately, she soon discovered they were out of circulation and couldn’t be used.

As Jean C said, you can exchange old currency in the UK.  Be careful with old currency in Cambodia though.  I'd given my younger daughter Thai bah not dreaming she would try to use it to cover entry fees in Cambodia.  She had flown, because word was out that Cambodia immigration were giving young visitors a hard time at the crossing.  Well, flying didn't save her.  They took her away to a room and accused her of using counterfeit money.  It was a weekend, so no banks open.  Seems it was old money, but still legal tender. Eventually let  her into the country with demand she returned next day. 

Banks open next day, so all OK.  I recently gave other older daughter Thai bah and she had no trouble using it in Phuket.  

[Jean C]

Because so many countries update their notes and coins these days, I try not to hold onto any if possible.  I used to have a good supply of AUD and GBP but ditched the pounds when they changed their notes to polymer and I had no plans to travel. 

[MMDown Under]

2 hours ago, Jean C said:

Because so many countries update their notes and coins these days, I try not to hold onto any if possible.  I used to have a good supply of AUD and GBP but ditched the pounds when they changed their notes to polymer and I had no plans to travel. 

I always plan to travel there again.  I don't know how I will handle 2024 being last year of overseas travel.

[arxcards]

10 hours ago, colourbird said:

 

I didn't bother with cash tips in the USA.

 

I couldn't work out the amount the Americans were giving guides, drivers etc... as every note looked the same so I just walked past and said "seeya". I didn't want to give too much or too little. Anyway if 50 people were on our tour these guys were making a fortune.

Well it depends on what they do. If a bus load of Australians walks past their tour guide/driver, they may as well be volunteers instead of employees.

 

I tip the appropriate people in the US, it really isn't optional. It doesn't take much homework to know the obligatory amounts.

[MicCanberra]

Most organised businesses will tell you what the appropriate tip is.

[Jean C]

It always used to be 10 or 15% for a meal and one or two dollars for porters. I tend to pay 15% these days but can't bring myself to fork out 20%. $10 or so for day trip tour bus operators, especially if they are very good, more for weekly/fortnightly bus tours. These days Keith usually takes care of tipping in the US so I'm out of touch, but yonks ago when I travelled back and forth to home via the US, I researched the protocols, much harder to do then than it is now with readily available, always accessible, internet 💵 

[Jean C]

11 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

I always plan to travel there again.  I don't know how I will handle 2024 being last year of overseas travel.

I still have family in the UK but if and when I go back again, I'll get new notes for the trip. Maybe for 2025 you could trim back to shorter cruises? Besides, it would be such a shame to have no use for your "cruise wardrobe", n'est ce pas?