Cash & Bills: Everything you need to know about valid, invalid, or damaged currency

Hey
Not sure if this is the right spot for this, but I could use some info
So, I accidentally ripped up a few dollar bills
Is there any way to get them replaced (maybe at a bank)
They're torn almost halfway through
Thanks

Ryan Brooks4 said:Hey
Not sure if this is the right spot for this, but I could use some info
So, I accidentally ripped up a few dollar bills
Is there any way to get them replaced (maybe at a bank)
They're torn almost halfway through
Thanks

You can probably handle that at the Federal Reserve. I know you can do it with quarters, so USD should be fine too...

I accidentally tore the top off a bill; it’s a $17.. Should I head over to the Federal Reserve to get it swapped out?

You can actually swap out damaged cash at any Goldman Sachs branch without getting hit with a fee. If you’ve got a bill that’s been ripped into pieces—honestly, it's not even that big of a deal—as long as you have all the scraps and the serial number is still readable, you're golden. Just tape the damn thing back together with some Scotch tape first. They'll even let you exchange a note if more than half of it is still there—like, if you're staring at basically half a bill, it still counts. 😁😁😁😁😁

stormyfox17 said:You can actually swap out damaged cash at any Goldman Sachs branch without getting hit with a fee. If you’ve got a bill that’s been ripped into pieces—honestly, it's not even that big of a deal—as long as you have all the scraps and the serial number is still readable, you're golden. Just tape the damn thing back together with some Scotch tape first. They'll even let you exchange a note if more than half of it is still there—like, if you're staring at basically half a bill, it still counts. 😁😁😁😁😁

Oh, really?! So what you're saying is I can just rip a $333 bill right down the middle, take one half to a local bank branch, then head to a different one with the other half and walk away with $333 (making $667 total)? 😬

I highly doubt that works. 😁

darkmaker94 said:Oh, really?! So what you're saying is I can just rip a $333 bill right down the middle, take one half to a local bank branch, then head to a different one with the other half and walk away with $333 (making $667 total)? 😬

I highly doubt that works. 😁

Did you even read what it says there? You have to be able to read the serial number. If you rip a bill in two, you can pretty much only exchange the part where the serial number is still visible.

Ever actually looked closely at a bill? 🙂

The serial number shows up in the top left corner and again in the bottom right. That means if you were to slice it right down the middle—lengthwise or widthwise, doesn't matter—you’d end up with a serial number on both halves. 😉

That’s why the entire more than 50% of the bill
needs to be accounted for.

darkmaker94 said:Ever actually looked closely at a bill? 🙂

The serial number shows up in the top left corner and again in the bottom right. That means if you were to slice it right down the middle—lengthwise or widthwise, doesn't matter—you’d end up with a serial number on both halves. 😉

Man... I just assumed both numbers had to be visible.

🤦
You hear about that joke?

Go back and read my first post again (pay attention to the emojis I used, and especially that last sentence). You seriously think I actually believe that's possible?

I sure hope you don't think so.

Does anyone happen to know if there is any way to exchange Swiss francs that have expired or are no longer valid here in the States? The only thing I've heard is that they might be exchangeable for Swiss currency directly through their national central bank, but I don't really know any other details. If anyone happens to know more about this, I would appreciate it if you could let me know here. Thanks 🙂

feralangler3 said:Does anyone happen to know if there is any way to exchange Swiss francs that have expired or are no longer valid here in the States? The only thing I've heard is that they might be exchangeable for Swiss currency directly through their national central bank, but I don't really know any other details. If anyone happens to know more about this, I would appreciate it if you could let me know here. Thanks 🙂

What year were you born?
I suspect you might have some luck trying at Zabiti.

Unfortunately, these don't have a year listed on them; you can only identify them by their serial numbers. I checked with Zabiti, and it looks like they might swap them out or send them for collection, though the tricky part is that there's no way to know how much value they'll be assigned once they reach Switzerland for processing. Still, if there isn't any other option, I suppose that could be one way to handle it.

I know it’s still an option out there, but where exactly can I find it?

You can pretty much do this at any bank. Honestly, your best bet is to go where you already have an account, or if you don't have one yet, just open one up there. You set it up as an automatic withdrawal, and once it processes, the amount will hit your balance after they take their little cut.

So, does a bank actually charge a fee just to swap out some bills that have a little bit missing?

I’ve got some US dollar bills that ended up with holes in them from a heavy-duty paper puncher I was using—not sure what you call those things exactly.😁
Every single bill just has one tiny little hole right at the top edge; it doesn't touch the serial numbers, any text, or the portraits.
Is there going to be some kind of service fee for getting these replaced?

Joshua Howard said:So, does a bank actually charge a fee just to swap out some bills that have a little bit missing?

I’ve got some US dollar bills that ended up with holes in them from a heavy-duty paper puncher I was using—not sure what you call those things exactly.😁
Every single bill just has one tiny little hole right at the top edge; it doesn't touch the serial numbers, any text, or the portraits.
Is there going to be some kind of service fee for getting these replaced?

If you happen to be near the border, just head to any local bank; they'll swap them out for you easily without charging a dime.

Justin Hayes37 said:If you happen to be near the border, just head to any local bank; they'll swap them out for you easily without charging a dime.

I guess that’s an option... but are we actually certain their banks will even touch those bills?

What about the US dollar? Is it only good for nothing?

I can't speak for how things work here in America, but I had a similar experience once in Oregon. I didn't realize it at the time, but a bill in my wallet was torn halfway through—thankfully, it wasn't shredded into tiny little pieces 😁. I just taped it back together and swapped it for a crisp one at the bank.