Starting in 2016, pound sterling has been issued in polymer banknotes. They’re durable, more resistant to damage and, in my opinion, look pretty damn nice. I would really like to see the Euro get a similar treatment, particular given there are many more national symbols that could be used.
What are your thoughts on this? Is there any chance of polymer Euro notes in the next decade or so?
Comments
Whatever makes sense from a material and cost point of view, I guess.
There won’t be any national symbols on the Euro notes regardless of which material is used, mind you.
National symbols? Do you realise that none of the buildings on the euro notes exist in reality?
Australia has been using polymer notes since 1992 and were the first in the world to do so. It’s great!
Very durable, no tearing, can get it wet, choice of printing in vibrant colours to make distinguishing denominations easier, lots of possibility and unique ways to prevent fraud.
Australian notes have clear windows, embedded textures and holograms that are difficult to replicate so very hard to counterfeit.
I have absolutely no problems with the current notes. And I guess I won’t have any problems with polymer notes either.
So like 99.6% of the Eurozone population, I don’t care.
Banknotes? I haven’t hold in one for years. I can’t even quite tell how the newer Norwegian ones look like anymore.
We’ve had ours in polymer for 20 years, it’s baffling to me how other countries don’t do the same, they are superior in every way.
It‘s not just a question of technology, but politics. Unlike the British Pound, the Euro notes, which are actually made of cotton, not paperpulp, are printed in several mints throughout Europe, some of which are directly run by the national government and others under contract by private firms. It would be necessary to get all the concerned parties to agree to a change in technology, so not impossible, but more difficult than just one country deciding by itself.
Couldn’t care less.
I don’t use cash, and I definitely don’t use EUR
Nah I like the classic paper texture. Hardly anyone uses them now anyways.
Funny that the UK started issuing those in 2016. In Dec 2016 I was there and had a whole bunch of (old) bank notes left after my trip. Then when I went back in 2023: those were not valid anymore. An Oyster Card machine just confiscated them without topping up my balance. Almost lost £45 if I did not find some staff to retrieve them for me.
Whatever is the cheapest. Last time I vaguely remember paying with cash must have been in 2017-18, and then I never went to that place ever again.
No thoughts. I havent used physical money in almost a decade lol
To be clear, the main advantage with polymer, which was the primary incentive behind changing, was that it makes them far harder to counterfeit, thus reducing the influence and power of organised crime.
I hated them when I worked in the bank. Really hard to count by hand and wouldn’t go through the checking or counting machines. Hard pass imo
My only experience with polymer notes is with the CAD bank notes. They’re quite nice, so I wouldn’t mind if we changed to that.
I wished we wouldn’t have to put up with notes at all. They should have made €5 coins, and with all the inflation we could also do with €10 coins these days
I wouldn’t care either way.
I handle bank notes maybe two or three times a year, so I probably won’t even notice a difference.
I couldn’t care less. The only moments I pay in cash are in Germany and Austria because for some reason it’s ‘unable’ for them to have payment machines in some situations..
Apres ski? Cash only.. why? There’s no cable up the mountain..
So what?! I have 4G/5G reception here, so you could easily use a service like Sumup.
Even on flee markets there’s no need to have cash over here, or in the middle of nowhere there can be a food truck just using Sumup without having any power supply but a gas cylinder
What if we had a system similar to the one that they use in Scotland, where there are multiple versions of the same banknote in circulation?
Or, what if we introduced €1 and €2 banknotes (as we should have from the get-go) where each state could put a national symbol or person on the front side and the back side remains the same for all. All other bank notes will follow the riversbirdsbridgeswhatever theme front and back.
The first polymer UK notes were in 2000, in NI. 2015 in Scotland.
I think you mean England, when you said the UK.
Thoughts? Couldn’t care less. I have my reserve funds in cash, and maybe use cash twice a year if that. And for those that want famous persons in the notes, you are the reason it’s a bad idea.
25-ish countries using the Euro – six denominations (5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 € notes (the 500 will fade out).
Whose buildings, whose important persons or celebrities shall go on the notes and what will the other 19 say?
Yeah, I thought so.
I’ve none, literally.
The physical make up of fiat money is such a dry and boring topic I just can’t muster up the mental energy required to have an opinion on it.
They’re harder to make tactile for visually impaired people. It would also require a lot of new, very expensive equipment in mint offices. I think the notes we have now are fine but if they make the change and do it right I won’t complain
I preferred our paper notes. The plastic ones are durable but don’t feel as nice to hold or count out. Also I had one that got a tiny nick in the side – didn’t take long for that to slice entirely in half once it had started so they aren’t all that tough. I suppose the question is whether cash is on its way out anyway, or as they are a lot harder to counterfeit, they are future proof.
Well, we don’t have Euro, and I can’t recall the last time I held a banknote in my hands, so ¯_(ツ)_/¯
As someone who has used almost no cash over the last 15 years or so, it does not seem like an important question.
10 years ago it was still common that you’d need to use cash Euros when travelling to some other Eurozone countries, but this too has gone almost down to zero during the 2020’s.
I’ve been using polymer notes for over a decade now…
Why do you need banknotes at all? All payments should be digital.
If it doesn’t compromise the banknotes durability and is overall cheaper in terms of production, change it if you want i don’t care.