Bank Offices in Scotland
Scottish Currency
The currency used in Scotland is pounds sterling.
The pound (£) is made up of 100 pence (p). The most common coins in circulation are of 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p and £1 and £2. Notes are issued in denominations of £5, £10, £20 and £50, and £100 in Scotland. All Scottish banks have the right to print their own notes. Three do so: The Bank of Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland and the Clydesdale Bank. The Royal Bank of Scotland is the only one to print one pound notes (£1). All the others print 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 notes.
You can spend Scottish notes in England and they have the same value as the English notes. Though technically you should not have a problem using Scottish notes in England occasionally English shop keepers will not accept a Scottish note. Bank of England and Northern Ireland bank notes are legal tender in Scotland.
Additional resources:
Bank of England
Royal Mint
Credit Cards
All major credit cards are accepted throughout Scotland. The most popular ones being VISA, MASTERCARD, American Express and to a lesser extent DINERS. You can also use payment cards within the networks Cirrus, JBC, Solo, Eurocard, Delta and Switch. Look for the signs displayed at the entrance to the store or near the pay point.
Money Change
You can exchange currency, travellers cheques, euro-cheques, personal cheques, obtain credit card cash advances and arrange money transfers from any branch of Scotland and the UK's major banks: Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Lloyds TSB, HSBC and NatWest.
Banks tend to give better rates for exchanging currency and travellers cheques. You can also use Bureaux de Change to change money. You will find Bureaux de Change at airports, major rail stations, travel agents, some larger hotels and Tourist Information Offices. Bureaux de Change often charge a handling fee and commission.
Banks
All of the banks listed below offer business banking services including currency exchange, money transmission, letters of credit, bills of exchange and foreign currency accounts. Such services are often provided by selected branches only. Contact the head office of the banks (details below) to find the location of the nearest branch that offers the services that interest you.
Scottish banks are open Monday to Friday between 09:00/10:00 and close 16:00/17:00. Some banks are open later on Thursdays.
Edinburgh
Royal Bank of Scotland
2 Saint Andrews Square
Edinburgh EH2 2AD
Tel: +44 0131 556 8555
Website: RoyalBankScot.co.uk
Bank of Scotland
38 St Andrews Square
Edinburgh EH2 2YR
Tel: +44 0131 465 3900
Website: Bankofscotland.co.uk
Barclays Bank PLC
1 St Andrew Square
Edinburgh EH2 2BD
Tel: +44 0845 600 0180
Website: Barclays.co.uk
Lloyds TSB Scotland PLC
28 Hanover Street
Edinburgh EH2 2DS
Tel: +44 0131 226 4021
Website: Lloydstsb.com
HSBC Bank PLC
Current Customers
76 Hanover Street
Edinburgh EH2 1EL
Tel: +44 0845 740 4404
Website: Hsbc.co.uk
NatWest
80 George Street
Edinburgh EH2 3DZ
Tel: +44 0870-240 3366
Website: Natwest.com
Bureaux de Change
Edinburgh
ESIC Bureau de Change
Edinburgh & Scotland Information Centre
3 Princes Street
Tel: + 44 0131 473 3800
Fax: + 44 0131473 3881
American Express
139 Princes Street
Tel: +44 0131 7180 2501
Website: Amex.com
Thomas Cook
52 Hanover Street
Tel: +44 0131 226 5500
Website: Thomascook.com
