Hi everybody! Who can tell me how the British currency system works? Is it true that there are three different types of pounds - English pounds, Scotish pounds and even Northern Irish pounds? How do they differ from each other and are they interchangeable? I mean, can I pay with English pounds in Scotland and vice versa? What about Northern Ireland, what currency do they use? I know that in the Repulic of Ireland they pay with Euros so I could imagine that in the border region shops and restaurants might accept both currencies - Euros and pounds. That true?
Hi,
I live in Edinburgh and it is true that some notes are issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland, but they have exactly the same value that the ones issued by the Bank of England, just the illustration is a bit bit different (never really paid attention). I am not 100% sure but I think in Scotland and in Wales you can encounter some ?1 notes as well (not the most convenient). Personally I’ve had many times different kind of notes in my wallet and I never paid attention if they are Scottish or English, since they have the same value.
Northen Ireland is part of the UK, so they use the Pound Sterling, like everywhere else in the UK. I’ve never been so I cannot tell you about the shops at the border.
Hope this helps.
Hi Nel, Thank you for your detailed response. What is a French person doing in Scotland 
?
So, are you saying that both Scotish and English pounds are interchangeable? That would be very likely because after all we are talking about one country.