In Accra, Ghana, in August ’11, Quincy Crider of Bland, Missouri, wanted to exchange US currency for Ghanaian cedis, but his hotel’s bank would accept only the bills printed as of 2003/2004. It rejected older bills that had the smaller portraits on the front and fewer anticounterfeiting features (Nov. ’11, pg. 67). Quincy asked other ITN subscribers to tell us where they had older US bills rejected, and following are responses received.
While visiting Thailand, Sept. 8-Oct. 9, 2011, in Bangkok a US 100-dollar note was rejected at an exchange booth run by Siam Commercial Bank (Sukhumvit Rd. Soi 7). I was told they couldn’t change any US bills printed before 2006.
On shop windows in Pattaya, there were signs with copies of US 50- and 100-dollar bills saying, “Can not change before 2006.”
—Donald Eisler, Rockton, IL
Before going to Indonesia and Vietnam with Zegrahm Expeditions in early 2010, they said the Indonesia tourism office told them we had to have “new money.” I checked at our bank and found out that what was acceptable was clean, unmarked, untorn bills printed in 2006 or later, those with the Secretary of the Treasury signature of either Henry Paulson or Timothy Geithner. These bills have anticounterfeit markers in them.
It took a while to collect the bills before my trip, but Indonesian merchants and the bank at the airport accepted my money.
I used new bills again on a July ’11 trip to Uganda and none were rejected. On that trip, however, at the entrance to the Queen Elizabeth game park, one of our Zegrahm travelers had her “old” money rejected at a hut selling souvenirs made by AIDS orphans. The local banks will not take the old money, so the vendors don’t want it.
—Elizabeth Podol, Reston, VA
At the international airport in Bali, Indonesia, in October ’11, my husband and I were given a US 50-dollar bill as change at the exit-fee desk. When I tried to spend that same bill at a coffee shop in the airport, the money was rejected as “too old.” The bill had a 1990s date. I had to search through my money for bills dated 2002 or later.
—Paula Fraiser, McRae, GA
When we visited Russia in 2011, we were told to take new or almost-new notes and no notes that were worn, torn, creased or written on. The older currency would not be accepted by vendors, banks or currency-exchange machines in hotels.
So if you cannot get new currency, get out the iron, put it on low and start ironing your dollars.
—Maureen Patrick, Margate, FL
In St. Petersburg, Russia, in October ’11, some of our group exchanged currency at an exchange office. I had made sure that I had new or nearly new money when I left the US; still, one of my 20-dollar bills was rejected because of a small “crinkle” in the corner. The same thing happened to others in the group.
—Sandra Riccardi, Tustin, CA
I have had currency rejected due to its being dirty (with ink marks, etc.), badly worn, very wrinkled or not crisp. This happened in Ukraine and Turkey in 2008 and in China in 2009. The bills were rejected at markets and outdoor shops. I used Visa in all others.
Now I iron the money if it has only a fold or so. Do not fold it. For safety sake, use only singles or fives.
—Barbara Henderson, Simpsonville, CA
In regard to US currency being rejected, Latvia is one of the strictest places in Europe. Any bills which are not current, are slightly torn or contain even a slight marking are usually summarily and rudely rejected.
As a special “favor,” some currency-exchange places will accept such currency but at a discount, which can be three to five percent.
—Mark Segal
At a bank in Prague, Czech Republic, in July ’11, the 20s that were older and without security features were rejected, though it took another employee who spoke some English to explain to me why the bills were being rejected. They also rejected any bill that had just a very small black-marker line along the top.
What really took the cake was they said they could take a chance and give me a percentage of what the older bills were worth. I did not do this. Luckily, I was traveling with a friend, who loaned me money.
In 2010, I did not have a problem exchanging older bills in Turin, Italy.
—Meg Churchill, Jefferson City, MO
I have taken only new, unmarked bills when I travel (having been warned about this more than 15 years ago by ITN) and have never had US currency rejected.
However, knowing of this problem, on tours I always take extra cash and have traded my extra, good US bills for marked ones from other tour members in Russia, Armenia, Iran, Poland, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Turkey, Tibet, China, Thailand, Myanmar, Algeria, Mauritania, Mali, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Kenya, Tanzania, Peru, Guatemala, Venezuela, Argentina and a few more of the 97 countries I have visited.
I believe some of the problem comes from the pens that are used to check for counterfeit currency; they leave marks on the bills. This causes other people to mistake all marked bills for counterfeit currency.
Even in countries where marked US currency is accepted in the cities, establishments in the small towns often are afraid to accept it. As more countries adopt the sophisticated machines to check for counterfeit currency, this problem should decline at banks and currency exchanges.
In a number of countries, you can get a variety of currencies from the local ATMs, and this usually takes care of the problem of marked currency. For example, in October ’11, in Ukraine I could get US dollars, euros and Ukrainian hryvnia and, in Cyprus, euros, British pounds and Turkish liras. I have also seen machines in Spain that change money from US dollars to euros.
—Harriet Hughes, Alexandria, VA
At the gift shop of a resort in Kenya in March ’10, a 50-dollar bill was rejected, as it had been printed before 2004.
—Rosemary Stafford, Pleasant Hill, CA
While visiting Nairobi, Kenya, in February ’10, I exchanged US dollars at a large currency-exchange office accompanied by a local person who had suggested this was the best location.
I had no bills printed prior to 2003/2004, but they differentiated between the bills that were dated before 2008 (I cannot remember the exact year) and those printed after. Older bills were accepted but at a slightly lower exchange rate. They were sorted out very precisely.
—A.H., Lakeway, TX
We went to Kenya and Tanzania in 2006. Upon arrival in Kenya, we gave the Immigration official five 20-dollar bills to pay for our two visas. He said, through our interpreter (an airport wheelchair pusher), that he could not accept the old ones with the smaller portraits.
We had no other bills. It took our interpreter about 20 minutes to get him to accept the bills and give us our visas.
Later on, I saw signs saying that Barclays Bank did not accept these old bills as legal tender.
—Judith A. Siess, Champaign, IL
I was in Maputo, Mozambique, in January ’11 looking at batik wall hangings in an outdoor craft market. There weren’t many tourists around.
After choosing what I wanted and paying the man with a new 20-dollar bill, I wandered off to the other end of the market. Within minutes, the seller came running after me saying the serial number on the bill was too old and the bank would not accept it.
Even though the bill was the new style (with the larger face) and just very lightly creased, he said I needed to pay with more recently printed bills and he begged me to exchange the bill for another. He handed me back the 20-dollar bill and took the batiks out of my hand until I found better bills. He was nearly in tears because, clearly, he wanted to make a sale.
A crowd of other sellers gathered around while I looked through my money. They all told me the same story about the banks not accepting older money, and everyone seemed to know which serial numbers were okay. I found some newer bills, the seller was satisfied, and I left the market with my purchase.
Also in 2011, a relative of mine in the Philippines went to the bank to deposit a new 100-dollar bill. The bank in Manila would not accept it, saying the serial number was too old.
Now when I am planning to travel, I go to the bank and get crisp, new bills for tips and shopping.
—Diane Eaton, Gresham, OR
I never carry old US bills anymore because they have been refused at so many places or I was advised to take only newer bills.
For a trip to Jordan in July ’10, our tour company told us to take only newer currency for bill payment.
When I was in Mexico’s Chiapas state in 2010, this was beginning to be a problem.
In Ghana in 2009, a tour guide requested payment in currency printed later than 2004.
I was in Cape Town, South Africa, three times from 2005 to 2009. One hotel would not accept old bills.
In Palau in 2008, a hotel would not take bills printed before 2003.
—Ann Cabot, Austin, TX
Our first encounter with older US bills being rejected happened in 2008 when my husband and I revisited Chile. We were getting our visa at the Santiago airport, something recommended to us by Chilean Special Journeys, the in-country agency we used (thanks to their ad in ITN).
The visas cost $40 each, and we offered the agent 20-dollar bills. He inspected them closely and then returned them, saying they were not new and not perfect. We gave him different bills which looked newer to us. Also returned. One had a tear of less than half a centimeter along the bottom. Another had a pen mark on the top center. A third had a bent corner. We gave up and used a credit card instead.
Later that year, before our departure to visit our daughter and her family in Zimbabwe, which uses the US dollar as its currency, we went to the bank. A kind teller brought out wad upon wad of bills of various denominations and sorted through them all, trying to find the newest, crispest ones for us to take along.
When we arrived in Harare and did our first shopping, we were amused to find that Zimbabwe seemed to use only the dirtiest, nastiest, most limp US bills imaginable, probably ones rejected by US banks! Our bills were always remarked upon, and often other customers in the store or market were invited to view them. They were quite a hit! So you never know.
—Peggy Zeigler, San Francisco, CA
My husband and I traveled in South America in January ’11 on a customized tour put together by our travel agent, who told us we could purchase our Bolivian visas at the airport.
At the Sucre airport, however, we were told that they did not take credit cards and that they would reject any US bills with tears, folds or writing on them plus any that looked old. A sign stated that US bills in denominations larger than $50 would not be accepted.
We barely had enough new-looking bills to pay for the visas.
If you’re going to Bolivia, we recommend purchasing the visa before you leave on the trip, if possible. Take only crisp, new US bills in denominations of $20, $10 and $5. And pay the Bolivian departure tax in bolivianos; the Bolivian paper money can be in rags, but they have to accept it.
—Gail Wang, Troy, MI
In many parts of the world, I have often run into problems with US currency not being accepted. I travel with cash only, so this can be more than bothersome. I have had merchants chase me down because there was a crease or pinhole in a bill.
South America and Asia are particular trouble spots. I was in Myanmar in February ’11 and have been to South America many times, including Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and Venezuela, plus Central America and Mexico. In all of these countries, damaged US bills of any denomination were not accepted.
In the past, I would request new bills from the bank about a week ahead of time and there would be no problem, but, in the last few years, apparently, dollars have been staying in the system for much longer, so more are in poor condition. Banks now can guarantee new bills only around Christmastime.
For one trip, a cooperative teller counted through $3,000 before we came up with $1,000 worth of bills in good condition.
Another consideration — if travelers want to foist off damaged “ones” for tips, that is up to them, but it leaves the “tipees” with money they may not be able to spend.
—Ellen Jacobson, Centennial, CO
Everything that I read about Myanmar (Burma) suggested that US currency was accepted everywhere. It is, but only if the bills are new, crisp and have no dog-ears, tears or, especially, felt-tip marker ink. (Many US 20-dollar bills have marker ink because it is a way for clerks to check for counterfeit bills.)
On my December ’11 visit, I ended up not buying a lot of unique things because the stores and even the money changers would not take my dollars. Very frustrating!
—George Byam, East Grand Rapids, MI
I took a 6-day trip to Myanmar (Burma) in February ’12. In Yangon (Rangoon), there were no ATMs, there was no cashing of travelers’ checks, and credit cards weren’t accepted. (A few of the upscale hotels would let you pay by credit card with a hefty 12% surcharge.)
There were terrible exchange rates for euros and British pounds. Real greenbacks were the most acceptable, but they had to be of the newer series — spanking new, with no markings, stamps, black pen marks or folds.
I had several of my 100-dollar bills rejected because they had a fold line on the face of the president, due to the way they were transported in my wallet.
The exchange rate for bills smaller than $100 was generally 2% to 3% less favorable. The best rate of exchange I got was in the airport — at its currency exchange and at the duty-free shop.
A lovely country and even better people — a “must go” for an ITN traveler!
—Varun Agnihotri, Walnut, CA