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Comment by ghaff | Hacker News Reader

I like to have a few $100s for traveling internationally--although in general it's hard to predict if they'll be accepted in the US. At some point, the US got incredibly conservative about changing currency denominations. It's also been my experience that the average bank branch doesn't keep a bunch of hundreds laying around--though I imagine a downtown branch is probably better.

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>I like to have a few $100s for traveling internationally--although in general it's hard to predict if they'll be accepted in the US.

22 years ago upon coming to US with in particular several thousands in cash of new smelling $100s i was trying to pay $2 bus fare by pulling one of those fresh $100s from a small stack and trying to give it to the bus driver - the bus driver was actively refusing it - "no change", etc. - and i was perplexed to say the least and thought that the driver uses the "no change" excuse for some unclear to me reason "I don't understand, I mean this is US, the dollars are used here not something else, this is a good genuine bill, fresh from the bank, look it has sequential numbers with the others in the stack, how is it "no change" when even back in Russia i usually had no issues with change even from a $100 bill" :)

Huh, I recently read a comic with almost exactly this scenario. It took place in Britain, though.

Actually in Europe back then i didn't have such issues, though that may be because i visited places frequented by tourists including Russians (and in 1990s in Russia dollar was de-facto currency for almost everything other than the grocery store)

Though even there I remember another interface mismatch situation - a group of Russians in our hotel wanted to rent some very expensive car, and the rent agency required a credit card where is the guys naturally had no cards, only cash in the amount almost sufficient to buy the car :)

In general through the 1990s the behavior of the post-USSR people, Russians in particular, coming to civilized West out of the woodwork of the post-Iron-Curtain chaos was in many situations comic-worthy.

A lot of city buses won't give change period. It doesn't have much to do with it being a $100 bill other than that making it an especially terrible deal for you.

22 years later, even a lot of places that do give change won't accept a >$20 bill in the US.

One of the credit unions I use has predominately cashless branches. They've got ATMs, but the people can't do any work with cash. Kind of ugh, but they were open during 2020 when I needed a cashier's check, so there you go. I've only asked for a large number of bills twice, I had to do a currency order to get 100x $2s, but for 100x $5s, a non-cashless credit union near by had that in the vault, no advance notice required.

> One of the credit unions I use has predominately cashless branches.

That sounds a lot like Boeing Employees Credit Union and is one of the dozen or so reasons I can't understand why they are so popular around where I live.

I use Seattle Credit Union (formerly Seattle Metropolitan) and not only do they handle cash in branches, they were open the whole pandemic though some branches needed an appointment to make sure someone would be there.

It just amazes me that a credit union can get so popular while effectively outsourcing (for example, when someone like you would go to "a non-cashless credit union") a basic function of banking. I know of a couple of credit unions in the Puget Sound region who have dropped out of the co-op credit union network in response to BECU only doing shared member activities via their ATM. BECU's customers would turn around and come to those other credit unions, increasing their load.

Yeah, BECU. I mostly use StarOne, formerly Lockheed Martin Credit Union, but they're in the Bay Area and now I live in Kitsap. BECU seems well liked, and seemed to be more open than the other credit unions over here.

You just reminded me that I was in London, I think, and for some reason I was really glad I had an emergency $100 in my wallet. Debit card didn't work, or something. It's been a while now.

> the average bank branch doesn't keep a bunch of hundreds laying around

Is that what you've found? I think asking for 10 or 20 would usually work. If you wanted $200,000 worth, you might get asked a few questions :)

$20s are OK. That's the usual thing that ATMs spit out. But I've had various problems over the years where I've wanted a few hundred dollars because of some issue. I have more card redundancy these days--because you have to given anti-fraud systems. In the past I've have carried traveler's checks but that doesn't really make sense any longer. I do like having a good $500 of cash with me for foreign travel and probably more for more remote locations. $100 bills aren't essential but a few can be useful as an emergency reserve.

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