Why is there nothing bigger than a $20?

Ermita_Nights
Michigan
I'm strictly a cash kind of guy, especially in the club. With inflation these days, I don't even like to leave the house with less than $500 in my pocket. As this is a pretty big wad of twenties, I prefer to carry fifties and hundreds.

But anything bigger than a twenty is hard to find around here. The ATM doesn't dispense them, and banks for some reason don't want to give them out unless you're a customer and have ID.

This makes no sense. In Europe the ATMs give out 50 euro notes, and spending a 100 euro note is no problem. Even in Mexico, the ATMs give out 500 and 1000 peso notes, which is $40 or $80. And they are accepted everywhere. Here in the US, it can be hard to get change for a hundred anywhere except a strip club.

So what's going on? If I were a paranoid cynic I might suspect the government wants us to only use credit cards, so they can track our financial transactions. Thank God I live in the US, where the government isn't allowed to spy on its citizens.

27 comments

  • Dougster
    •
    12 years ago
    And how come they don't make bills larger than $100's anymore while we are it? Even $10,000 worth of those is mighty thick wad.
  • shadowcat
    •
    12 years ago
    I have seen a lot of businesses, particularly convenience stores that don't accept bills larger than $20's. I suspect that this is to reduce the chances of getting forgeries.

    As for the clubs, I never carry anything larger than a $20 and the buldge from $500 worth of 20's is not that uncomfortable.
  • Alucard
    •
    12 years ago
    You have no checking account or savings account? How do you deal with your pay from work?

    I NEVER have a problem getting $50 or $100 bills from a bank that I have an account with.
  • jester214
    •
    12 years ago
    Wells Fargo gives me 100's without asking for ID. I think I've gotten them from BofA before too. The only placed that asked if I had an account was the SECU (state employees credit union). The only time I ever had an issue was on a Sunday and had to go to a couple of check cashing places to avoid carrying a wad of 20's and 50's. They were happy to oblige, but would only give me so many hundreds.

    We're just not a cash society anymore. The banks and CC companies prefer the money is sitting with them and not in your pocket. Also cuts down on employee theft (at the lower levels) and makes keeping track of money a whole lot easier.

    Additionally in the past American currency was ridiculously easy to counterfeit and we are really still behind the rest of the West in fixing that problem.
  • SuperDude
    •
    12 years ago
    While I did not share his political philosophy, I believe the US Treasury should issue a $40.00 bill with a picture of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president. I did see an online item today that Chase and PNC ATMs will soon dispense $1s and $5s.
  • farmerart
    •
    12 years ago
    Money laundering is the reason that nothing larger than a Benji is now printed. Canada was pressured to withdraw its $1000 by the US government. The Pink (nickname of C$1000 bill) had become the bill of choice for drug dealers to move around large amounts of cash. Any C$1000 bill that now shows up at a bank is returned to the Bank of Canada to be destroyed. I miss the 'pinks'. I put a few of them in my safety deposit box in 2000 when the withdrawal was announced. I think I have just three remaining. They are nice gifts for goddaughters or nieces on important birthdays.

    I don't know the current largest denomination note circulating in a respected currency. ChF500? 500Euro? Is there a ChF1000?.....I have never seen one, just the 500.
  • jester214
    •
    12 years ago
    I believe I've seen a Swiss 1000 farmer.
  • jackslash
    •
    12 years ago
    I also saw that some ATMs will dispense denominations other than 20's, which will be helpful.

    It's easier to design European ATMs to give out the different Euro bills because the bills are different sizes. The 100 > 50 > 20 > 10 > 5. You don't have to worry that the service man will accidentally put 100 Euro bills in the 5 Euro slot.
  • Doc_Holliday
    •
    12 years ago
    My bank has an ATM convienently located in Strip Town which can dispense $50's
  • Clubber
    •
    12 years ago
    Many Wells Fargo ATM's will dispense $50 notes.
  • farmerart
    •
    12 years ago
    @jester214,

    I think you are right about the ChF1000. I have heard talk of them, just never seen one.


    At Royal or TD machines in Canada you will receive 50s if you withdraw more than $200. Remember that the red C$50 is worth MORE than a Grant.
  • Estafador
    •
    12 years ago
    Who doesn't go to their own bank for money? I thought every person who has real money (not that chump change shit) uses their own bank (or a random street ATM) to withdraw and deposit money. Did I miss something in life?
  • Estafador
    •
    12 years ago
    Ufortuntely che, it comes down to the basics (at least for the young and up in coming), you need good credit to do a lot of things, like get mortgage, lease a car (good thing us black folk straight up buy cars), perhaps get condos. Those big things in life. Good thing, you don't need credit to rent an apartment. I wonder if my credit gets to a certain good level, I can do away with using them altogether
  • DandyDan
    •
    12 years ago
    The ATM at one of the Council Bluffs, Iowa casinos will dispense $100 bills, so I imagine that's true for all casinos. I can also vouch for Wells Fargo dispensing $50 bills, although they're not my bank. I just wish the ATM at the convenience store I regularly visit didn't dispense only $10 bills.
  • Electronman
    •
    12 years ago
    I'm not a heavy drinker so most of my spending in a strip club is for dances. As a result, I usually carry a combination of 20s and 50s, but no 100s. For some reason, I prefer to give the strippers exact change for a VIP session rather than wait for them to provide change for a 100. By the way, larger denomination banknotes (500 and up) were discontinued in 1969.
  • JuiceBox69
    •
    12 years ago
    Hand your $500 in $20 to me and I will hand you my $500 in $50 and $100 k dawg....welcome to the "First Bank Of Da' Juice"
  • gatorfan
    •
    12 years ago
    Why are there still pennies?
  • dalex
    •
    12 years ago
    I love spending 100s, it makes me feel like a baller.

  • farmerart
    •
    12 years ago
    Yeah....there is something to that, isn't there, dalex?

    I once hit the Pick 6 at Stampede Park in Calgary and walked out of the track carrying $45K in thousand dollar bills burning a hole in my pocket. I felt much more of a 'player' that day than I did when I carried a nine figure cheque to the bank upon the sale of my company.

    Another thing that makes me feel even more of a 'player' is to hit my stash of gold coins periodically and feel the erotic power of five 9 pure gold coins trickle through my fingers.
  • Ermita_Nights
    •
    12 years ago
    Maybe I'm living in the wrong place, or use the wrong bank. One time I tried to take out $8000 cash (staying under the $10K limit) for a trip and my bank acted like I was trying to rob them. Had to order the cash ahead of time and wait three days.
  • JuiceBox69
    •
    12 years ago
    I once wiped my ass with a fidy....I felt like a baller then......I also.smacked a man....but I only felt like a pimp...not as fun :(
  • rickdugan
    •
    12 years ago
    I have no problem getting 100s from my bank. But I'll also have to say that, if I have to hit the ATM on my way to a club, I don't really find it all that inconvenient to carry 5$5-600 in 20s.
  • sharkhunter
    •
    12 years ago
    Banks in my area will want to give you larger bills if you ask for a lot of cash. I have to ask for all twenties if I or others don't want larger bills. The ATM used to dispense 10's years ago as well as twenties. I miss that. I do not feel comfortable taking a hundred dollar bill to a strip club and asking for change. One club will only give it back in two dollar bills. With another club, I would want to count the change carefully to make sure whomever wasn't shorting me. If they did, would I want to file a police report if it went that far with my name and the club on the report? Depends on how angry I was. I know some would not if it was only a little bit short. They just might leave the club angry and cause the club to lose out.
  • Dougster
    •
    12 years ago
    Just use Chase. They'll give out $100's without a second glance.
  • Clubber
    •
    12 years ago
    shark,

    You'd like GA some years ago. I stopped at an ATM early in the AM to get some cash before I arrived at a hotel in FL. Their ATM gave out cash in increments of $1.
  • Dougster
    •
    12 years ago
    art: "I don't know the current largest denomination note circulating in a respected currency... 500Euro? "

    Euro is a respected currency? :-)
  • sandyman
    •
    12 years ago
    Back in 2001 I visited Turkey and the exchange rate at that time ( it has since been revalued) was like 1.2 MILLION Turkish Lira per US dollar. I still have a picture of me holding a 100 million lira note. Think that would have impressed a dancer?
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