[holistio]

I've lived in London for a while, and I'm still fascinated how uncommon £50 notes were. You try to pay with one and they look at you as if you were some kind of drug lord.

Hop over to Switzerland, and you can buy a coffee with a 1000 franc (GBP780) note without any issues.

[nly]

I know you're exaggerating slightly, but how would a coffee vendor make change for that many francs?

[Robin_Message]

I'm exaggerating slightly, but after going on holiday to Switzerland, the coffee vendor doesn't need to give any change for a thousand francs.

(Serious price comparison: I walked over the St Bernard's pass from Switzerland to Italy. In Switzerland, we paid €6.50 for mediocre commercial ice cream. Over the border in Italy, €2 for the most incredible gelato. Although it may be that walking down a mountain to get it improves your perception of an ice-cream.)

[holistio]

Oh the coffee vendor would just give you the "so... no tips?" look.

[als0]

If you're a local and you try to pay with a £50 note then you get the 'you must be a drug lord' look. But if you're in a touristy area then this it's fairly normal to see them since foreign exchanges stock a lot of those notes.

[ksec]

I still dont quite understand the psychology behind it. £50 notes isn't even that much money in modern day. And there are no £100 notes either.

I guess everyone is so used to Digital Payment and do not want to deal with the hassle of cash.

Personally I love cash.

[JohnTHaller]

On a related note, 50 and 100 dollar bills in New York City are generally not accepted in most stores due to counterfeiting. Many places also refuse them due to not having enough change.

[Hedepig]

My understanding is that dollar bills are generally easier to counterfeit compared to UK notes.

[JohnTHaller]

This is a correct understanding, though the US bills have gotten harder to counterfeit in recent years with the addition of color shifting inks and 3-D security ribbons. I'm comfortable taking larger bills for craigslist stuff when I have a mini UV light and anti-counterfeit marker with me. Though I prefer to meet at the bank and immediately deposit in the ATM.

[bananapear]

There are certain cash machines in the Square Mile which reliably dispense £50s