Currency

The British currency is the pound sterling. It is denoted £.
Banknotes in the UK come in denominations of 50, 20, 10, 5 pounds.
Coins in the UK come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 pence and 1 pound.
The government is constantly intervening in money circulation. New coins repeatedly changed both their size and value (usually they became smaller).
Try to avoid £50 worth of money. The British are very suspicious of them. Most of the places you want to spend it will assume that you are laundering dirty money. You will be treated accordingly.
In general, the British prefer cash to credit cards.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own banknotes. They are legal tender anywhere in the UK. But the British are as distrustful of ‘foreign’ money as they are of fifty-pound notes, and may well refuse to accept them. The best option would be to change Scottish banknotes to English ones.

Banks

Bank hours do not always coincide, but in large cities, banks located on the main street are open from 9.30 to 16.30.
In small towns, banks may close at 15.00, as well as on odd days of the week and on Saturday.
Banks are closed on holidays.
You can exchange currency and traveler’s checks at the bank, and the usual fee is less than at the Exchange Bureau. Banks расположены на всех главных улицах. In England, the largest are ‘Barclays’, ‘Lloyds’, ‘Midland’, and ‘National Westminster’. In Scotland, these are the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of Scotland.

ATMs

There are two ways to receive money from credit cards in the United Kingdom. The first is ATMs, which are here referred to as ‘holes in the wall’ of Britain. The second is ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) at banks.
With a reputable bank account in your home country, you can withdraw money from an ATM day and night.
ATMs находятся за пределами банков, а также около станций метро и в больших супермаркетах.

Credit cards

The main cards used in Britain are ‘Visa’ and ‘MasterCard’ (which are still often referred to as Access).
‘American Express’ and ‘Diners’ are more difficult to use. They have to pay a large commission to retailers, so they are not so widely used. common.

Traveler’s checks

The British are not prepared to accept even £100,000 traveler’s checks as payment for a normal retail purchase – in other words, checks do not play the role of cash everywhere.
Hotels generally accept travelers checks.
Checks can be exchanged at the bank. If they are in pounds sterling, you will not be charged extra for converting them into cash.
If you have traveler’s checks in another currency (like US dollars), don’t be surprised if no one outside the banking system even touches them. Exchange them at the bank before you are going to spend.

VAT (VAT)

There are ways to recover VAT on goods that you export outside the European Union. If you have purchased goods that are very expensive in the UK, then ask the supplier how you can get a VAT refund. If you’re dealing with a ‘Wedgwood dinner service’ or a ‘Rolls Royce’ car, then perhaps the effort will pay off. If the purchase price exceeds 100 pounds, then from the moment of crossing the border within three months after the purchase, you can claim a refund of VAT in the amount of 11% of the price of the goods (applies only to tourists from countries outside the EU). To do this, you need to ask the store for the appropriate certificate.

Tips

The tradition of tipping is slowly dying out in the UK.
Taxis are probably the only place where you can expect trouble if you don’t tip at least 10% of the amount.
Hotel prices usually include service.
Delivery of luggage to your room is usually subject to an additional charge, especially in large London hotels.
Waiters, if there is no ‘Service Charge’ mark on the bill, and hairdressers are usually given 10-15% of the amount indicated on the bill. In pubs, when paying immediately with the bartender at the counter, they do not give a tip