Use up your stamps reminder

It's not as urgent as the headlines are making it seem. I'd been worrying about this for the last few days until I got the full details!  From March 31st, the Royal Mail will offer a freepost exchange service.  Simply download the form from their website.  Send that, along with your old style stamps, and they will exchange them like for like for free.

On this subject though, the old paper £20 and £50 notes go out of circulation later this year, September 30th.  There is no simple postal exchange service for those of us unable to access banks in person.  So for anyone else in this situation, either use your notes before that date, or ask a well-trusted friend or relative to exchange them at a bank on your behalf.

I hadn't heard of this either so thanks @MarkM88 not that I have a stash of stamps 

66Mustang said:

@OverlyAnxious I didn’t even know they had plastic £50 notes out yet lol

Shows how often I get a £50 note!!!

It was only when I read that both 20's and 50's are going out of circulation on the same day that I realised there must be plastic 50's myself!  Looks like they've only been out for 9 months though, whereas the plastic 20s have been out for 2 years now so I have seen a few of those.

I have a feeling I might still have one of the previous generation £50 notes.  I was given it for my 18th birthday and kept it for some reason (not entirely sure why, had never seen one before I suppose!).  The Bank of England site says the current paper 50 came out in 2011 though, I would have received it before that date and I don't remember changing it!  Will have to see if I can find it to check! 

66Mustang said:

@OverlyAnxious

I think you can exchange notes by post

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/exchanging-old-banknotes

Sadly I found 13 (unlucky 13 I know) old pound coins in a money box recently and they don’t do coins. Apparently some banks have said they will accept them but it’s not certain. I will have to try next time I am able to get to the bank.

Thanks Mustang.  I've already read that page though.  It looks good initially...but goes on to say they'll only return up to £50's worth of notes.  They'd have to be paid into a bank account and I can't currently get to an ATM to draw them out again, which is exactly the reason I've kept some cash at home!

We can pay your money into a bank account (normally within ten working days), by cheque or, if you live in the UK and your exchange is worth less than £50, in new banknotes. We do not send banknotes overseas.


Regarding your coins, I suspect an unscrupulous person would give those old coins away in cash (at a market or boot sale for example), I doubt many people would check! 

THANK YOU FOR HEADS-UP