THE “deadline” to use paper £100 notes from Scottish banks is up later this month.
The warning on Monday came from the Committee of Scottish Bankers (CSCB), speaking on behalf of the note-issuing banks in Scotland – Royal Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale Bank, and Bank of Scotland.
The committee said that people would have until September 29, 2023 before the withdrawal of paper £100 notes from circulation.
After that date, retailers will be able to refuse to accept paper £100 notes at their discretion.
The move comes as part of the shift, since 2015, from paper and to polymer notes in Scottish currency.
The CSCB said it is encouraging everyone to spend or exchange any paper £100 notes in advance of September 29.
However, anyone who has a Scottish paper £100 note will be able to get its value from a bank or the Post Office even after the deadline.
A spokesperson for the CSCB confirmed: “Thanks to the work that the issuing banks have already undertaken to swap the older paper notes with the more secure, environmentally friendly polymer notes, all other denominations have already been replaced with polymer.
“We have set a deadline for using paper £100 notes as September 29, 2023.
“The Scottish note issuing banks will continue to accept old paper-based notes and there are currently no plans to change this.”
The note-issuing Royal Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale Bank and Bank of Scotland have all agreed to exchange paper £100 notes from customers – and from non-customers but only to a value of £200.
Any non-customers of the banks looking to trade in their old paper notes will also need to show photographic ID.
The CSCB said in guidance that Scottish notes will not cease to have value even after the deadline, saying that the issuing bank will “always” honour them at least in exchange.
