At some point, we’ve all had somebody tell us that stamps are classed as legal tender and that if you take them to a store, they’re legally obliged to accept them; but is this the truth, and are stamps legal tender in the UK?
To put it quite simply, stamps are not legal tender anywhere in the United Kingdom.
This does have its nuances though, and there is a lot to understand when it comes to the myth of using stamps as payment in the UK.
What Does Legal Tender Actually Mean?
The majority of people believe that legal tender refers to a form of payment that a shop is required to accept by law. It may come as a surprise however to hear that this is simply not the case.
In fact, the term ‘legal tender’ has a very narrow technical meaning that is not used in everyday life. It can only be used in reference to the repayment of debts and means that if someone offers to pay a debt in full using legal tender, they can not be sued for failing to repay.
The term actually has no meaning when it comes to the purchasing of goods or services. It’s not uncommon for us to hear stories of people having their £50 notes turned away at stores and trying to argue that it’s ‘legal tender’, but the reality is that shops in the UK have no obligation to accept any particular form of currency.
It is perfectly within a shop owner’s rights to determine the form of payment they wish to receive. This means that if they decided to stop accepting British banknotes and coins, there would be no legal action that could be taken against them (although it is likely they would lose customers!).
Can You Pay With Stamps?
The chances are you’ve heard that stamps are legal tender at some point in your life. Now that we’ve cleared up that this simply isn’t the case, we can take a look at where this common misconception comes from.
As we mentioned earlier, it is perfectly within a shop owner’s rights to turn away any form of currency that’s offered to them. This also means that they can accept any form of currency that they so choose.
If a shop were to decide tomorrow that they only accepted payments in Monopoly money, they would be acting within their rights and nobody would be able to take legal action against them.
In the same way, you may find that some independent shops will accept your stamps as a form of payment without any problems, although we understand that they are few and far between.
Whilst it is technically possible to pay for goods and services in the UK using stamps, you should not go to a shop expecting them to accept stamps as payment.
No retailer is obliged to accept them (even if they advertise that they do) and you should always bring an alternate form of payment if you ever do plan on trying.
What Is Classified As Legal Tender In The UK?
You might be wondering by now what does count as legal tender in the UK but the answer isn’t as simple as you may think.
Firstly, what classifies as legal tender varies depending on which country you’re in within the UK. For England and Wales, legal tender consists of coins minted by the Royal Mint and banknotes produced by the Bank of England.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the only legal tender is Royal Mint coins. Their own banknotes are not considered to be legal tender and are only classified as legal currency, an entirely different thing.
If that isn’t confusing enough, there are restrictions when it comes to using coins.
For example, if you’re planning to repay a debt entirely in 50p coins, then that debt can not be any greater than £10. Similar rules apply for copper 1p and 2p coins which are classified as legal tender up to value of 20p.
Does this really have any effect on you? Probably not, but it’s good general knowledge to have to correct your friends with the next time it comes up at the pub.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, stamps are not legal tender within the UK although in reality, the term ‘legal tender’ is unlikely to ever have an actual impact on your life.
Whilst stamps can technically be used to purchase goods and services, you shouldn’t expect a shop owner to accept them and we wouldn’t recommend trying it!
