When is £50 worthless?

How closely do you observe the cash you hold in your wallet or purse? The Bank of England has announced that the £50 banknote carrying the portrait of Sir John Houblon, the first Governor of the Bank of England, will be withdrawn from circulation on 30th April. From that time, only the £50 note featuring Matthew Boulton and James Watt, which was introduced in November 2011, will hold legal tender status.

Don’t confuse your Boulton with your Houblon

If you have any Houblon £50 notes can continue to use them up to and including 30 April, but technically they will not be legal tender. After 30 April, general retailers are unlikely to accept the Houblon notes as payment. However, most banks and building societies will continue to accept them for deposit to customer accounts. Agreeing to exchange the notes after 30 April is at the discretion of individual institutions. Barclays, NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank and the Post Office have all agreed to exchange Houblon £50 notes for members of the public – up to the value of £200 – until 30 October 2014.

The Bank of England will continue to exchange Houblon £50 notes after 30 April, as it would for any other Bank of England note which no longer has legal tender status.

Dominic Thomas: Solomons IFA