Halifax...refused me paying money into my account

kaka72

Has anyone else had this problem?

I had £350 in 20p's, 50p's and £2 coins.
Lugged them up town (balanced on baby pushchair!!)and wanted to pay them into my account( for holiday spending money) Girl on the counter said she would only accept 5 bags, I was absolutely gobsmacked.
Because a. it's a bank and deals in money
b. I was paying it into my own account
she told me to try somewhere else who might accept them.
I said I bank here and want them in my account but she said the only exceptions were if I wanted to pay them into a childs account.
I tried HSBC and they changed them even though I don't bank there.
I really begrudged paying it into the Halifax then but I had no choice, it was closed by then and I had to pay deposit via the machines.

Think I will phone head office........what do you all think?
Am I unreasonable?

ckerrd

Can't remember off the top of my head but there are legal limits to what can be used in coinage so they were technically correct I suspect.

kaka72

I didn't realise, thanks. Can't have been over the limit though because HSBC changed it easy enough.
She said she would take them if a childs account.

Noozan

In our local Halfax, they also only take 5 bags of change at the counters. But if you go the business banking counter they will happily accept as many bags as I can heave to the shops in one trip!

gt94sss2

Several people have posted about this issue before.

Some banks (mainly ex building societies) and current building societies don't like dealing with lots of small change or coin deposits and impose limits on the amount you can deposit each day and if it has to be bagged etc.

This is because dealing with these kinds of 'low value' transactions takes up a 'relatively' long time and there is nothing in it for the bank - also if the branch is busy the staff could be serving other customers (with potentially more profitable transactions etc)

As such, if you want to deposit coins etc., you are better off sticking to the likes of the big 4 (HSBC etc - as you have found, despite not being a customer!) rather than the likes of Halifax or Abbey National.. - Halifax will no doubt tell you its a national policy if you complain.

Some branches of HSBC (who I also use) have even fitted coin counting machines (like you sometimes find in supermarkets) where you just put all your coins in and the machine will automatically count them and produce a deposit receipt for you - which is even better/quicker and also enables you to pay in 'odd amounts' (i.e. not full bags)

If you don't like the Halifax policy, the answer is change to a 'proper' bank and tell Halifax why..

Have to say though, collecting £350 in coins to pay in at once is quite an achievement! Can only imagine how heavy that would have been..

Regards
Sunil

debbie42

Nationwide have exactly the same policy regarding 5 bags except for children's accounts.

RayWolfe

I have come across a pub that would not accept any copper coins as payment. Not sure of the legality but they won't get my repeat business.
(When I say repeat, I don't mean repe..., well you know what I mean!) ;-)

someone

RayWolfe wrote: »

I have come across a pub that would not accept any copper coins as payment. Not sure of the legality but they won't get my repeat business.
(When I say repeat, I don't mean repe..., well you know what I mean!) ;-)

Legal Tender is for settling debts.

You go into a restaurant and you order your food and have to pay before it arrives (i.e. brewers fair) then they can put what ever restrictions on how you pay, they can say you have to pay in US$ if they wanted to.

But if you go into a restaurant and you order your food, eat it then pay THEY MUST TAKE legal tender as its a debt.

Legal Tender in England & Wales
All Current English Bank Notes
£2 Coins
£1 Coins
50p Coins - Up to £10 worth
20p Coins - Up to £10 worth
10p Coins - Up to £5 worth
5p Coins - Up to £5 worth
2p Coins - Up to 20p worth
1p Coins - Up to 20p worth

jonesMUFCforever

Open an account with a real bank.

For all other posters who suggested there is a legal limit about coinage this only applies to payment of debts not paying into a so called bank.

3plus1

someone wrote: »

Legal Tender is for settling debts.

You go into a restaurant and you order your food and have to pay before it arrives (i.e. brewers fair) then they can put what ever restrictions on how you pay, they can say you have to pay in US$ if they wanted to.

But if you go into a restaurant and you order your food, eat it then pay THEY MUST TAKE legal tender as its a debt.

Legal Tender in England & Wales
All Current English Bank Notes
£2 Coins
£1 Coins
50p Coins - Up to £10 worth
20p Coins - Up to £10 worth
10p Coins - Up to £5 worth
5p Coins - Up to £5 worth
2p Coins - Up to 20p worth
1p Coins - Up to 20p worth

This is really interesting. Anyone know if the same applies in Scotland?

YorkshireBoy

3plus1 wrote: »

Anyone know if the same applies in Scotland?

According to this google search result...

http://www.siliconglen.com/Scotland/1_7.html

...it's the same for coins.

Interesting bit towards the bottom of the article re the Skye road bridge toll protests, where users were paying with the greatest number of small denomination coins which constituted legal tender.