Canada’s plastic cash

Transitioning from paper to polymer currency, Canadian banks began issuing plastic 100-dollar bills in November 2011. In March 2012, plastic 50-dollar bills were issued, followed by 20-dollar bills in November; these are available through ATMs. The remaining denominations should become available in 2013. The partly transparent bills have holographic features difficult to counterfeit.

This summer, an urban legend spread, wrongly claiming that the plastic bills would melt in the heat of a parked car. They actually have a melting point of 266°F and in one test were boiled in water for an hour with no damage.