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Visual of withdrawn £5, £10, £20 & £50 banknote specimens

Banknotes you can exchange with us

You can exchange any of these paper banknotes at no cost in participating branches, up to a maximum of £300 in any two-year period.

  • £5 note – ceased to be legal tender, 5 May 2017
  • £20 note – ceased to be legal tender, 30 September 2022
  • £10 note – ceased to be legal tender, March 2018
  • £50 note – ceased to be legal tender, 30 September 2022

How it works

We’ve made it easy for you to swap your withdrawn banknotes.

  1. Find a participating branch

    Bring your banknotes and photo ID to a participating branch. Find your nearest participating branches.

  2. We’ll record the exchange

    We’ll capture a few details and will need to check your photo ID to record the exchange. See valid forms of ID we’ll accept below.

  3. We’ll give you new notes for old

    Hand us your withdrawn banknotes. We’ll give you the same value in current, valid polymer notes. Done.

Female Post Office worker at a counter serving a young female customer

Valid forms of photo ID

Please bring one of these acceptable forms of photo ID into branch to use this service:

  • A valid passport
  • A valid photocard driving licence
  • A national identity card from any EU country

Find a participating branch

Use our branch finder tool to locate a Post Office that offers this service nearest to you.

Common questions

  • Yes. You can exchange up to £300 of paper banknotes in any £5, £10, £20 and £50 denominations of the last series at participating branches within any two-year period.

    Our system will let you know if you’ve reached the £300 limit. If that happens, the transaction that would take you over the limit will be declined and we’ll refer you to the Bank of England website for details on how to exchange your remaining paper banknotes.

  • There are no age restrictions for this service. You just need to show us a valid photo ID.

  • The Post Office branches offering this banknote exchange service have been selected by the Bank of England to offer coverage in popular tourist locations across the UK.

    If you’re unable to reach any of the participating branches for any reason, please check the Bank of England website to find out how to exchange your expired banknotes.

  • It helps us and the Bank of England keep track of how much each individual has exchanged at our branches over a two-year period.

    There’s a £300 limit to how much each person can exchange in branches. Recording a few details when you make an exchange helps us see when you’ve reached that limit. We can then let you know and direct you to the Bank of England site for exchanging banknotes if we are unable to complete the transaction.

  • No. You’ll need to produce valid photo ID of yourself to exchange banknotes so can’t do it for someone else.

  • All exchanges will be registered against the individual presenting the banknotes using appropriate, valid photo ID. It’s recommended that business deposit banknotes in a business bank account.

  • If you have any banknotes that aren’t included in those we’ve listed, visit the Bank of England website for guidance on what to do with them.