# Canada to move to plastic banknotes **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 4, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344 "2010-03-04T23:21:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/241 "2012-11-13T18:12:23Z")
I have two of them. And yes, there are boobies. The twenties are not as bland as the hundreds, but the details on the back, especially the flowers, are surprisingly coarse. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/242 "2012-11-20T18:03:51Z")
Yay! I got my first polymer $20 last night. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/243 "2012-11-20T19:03:56Z")
Yeah, the TD ATM gave me my first mittful last week. I think it’s part of a nefarious plot to have our hard-earned cash so slippery that we’ll have a hard time keeping hold of it. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/244 "2012-11-20T20:22:58Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > I think it’s part of a nefarious plot to have our hard-earned cash so slippery that we’ll have a hard time keeping hold of it. There’s something to that. Last week a client had a cash spill on my office floor of new 50s and new 100s. This morning a fellow at the auto garage I was visiting had a cash spill of new 20s. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/245 "2012-11-20T22:00:37Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > Yeah, the TD ATM gave me my first mittful last week. > > I think it’s part of a nefarious plot to have our hard-earned cash so slippery that we’ll have a hard time keeping hold of it. Did you remember to count them? There was a news item in the past few days that some people had ATMs miscount them. Odd that only people getting too few seemed to be complaining. :D:D ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/246 "2013-03-31T03:10:57Z")
_bump_ There’s an entry in the Bank of Canada’s listing of [upcoming events](http://www.bankofcanada.ca/media-room/upcoming-events/) that the polymer tens and fives will be ‘unveiled’ on Tuesday, 30 April 2013. No more details or word of when they will be issued. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/247 "2013-03-31T07:28:27Z")
A friend reported that slot machines in the local casino would not accept his plastic $20 bill. I’m sure this will be addressed by the slot manufacturer soon, but for now, all my friend could do was sit at the bar and drink beer. I think he won on the night. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/248 "2013-03-31T12:21:12Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > A friend reported that slot machines in the local casino would not accept his plastic $20 bill. > > I’m sure this will be addressed by the slot manufacturer soon, but for now, all my friend could do was sit at the bar and drink beer. I think he won on the night. Odd. I don’t gamble, but I would have thought slot machines would have been the first type of machine fixed! Gotta squeeze all the available money out of the [del]chumps[/del] players! It took several weeks for my local Safeway to fix their self-serve checkouts to take the plastic 20s. Things could get interesting if they take that long to fix them to take the plastic 5s and 10s! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/249 "2013-03-31T13:09:16Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > Odd. I don’t gamble, but I would have thought slot machines would have been the first type of machine fixed! Gotta squeeze all the available money out of the [del]chumps[/del] players! It can take several updates to get it right. Bill acceptors are upated by software updates, not a mechanical change, when new currency comes out. Like any other software it can take a few versions to ensure a bug-free product. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/250 "2013-03-31T15:21:44Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > A friend reported that slot machines in the local casino would not accept his plastic $20 bill. _Safeway_ doesn’t accept the plastic $20 bills. I found that both surprising and appalling. (Edit: in their self-checkout machines. Obviously, they accept them via cashiers in the regular lines.) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/251 "2013-03-31T18:52:35Z")
I’m not in love with the plastic bank notes for a pretty picayune reason - they just don’t fold right, and I keep my bills folded in my wallet. Other than that, I got no beefs. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/252 "2013-03-31T19:31:36Z")
My only beef is that I don’t have more of them – or the old ones for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/253 "2013-03-31T19:39:25Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > _Safeway_ doesn’t accept the plastic $20 bills. I found that both surprising and appalling. (Edit: in their self-checkout machines. Obviously, they accept them via cashiers in the regular lines.) The one closest to me does now and has for a month or so. Like I said in a previous message, it took them several weeks to get around to fixing them. It may depend on the store. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/254 "2013-04-26T14:38:51Z")
[More details](http://www.bankofcanada.ca/2013/04/media-advisories/bank-canada-unveil-5-and-10-bank-notes/) on the unveiling of the new fives and tens. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/255 "2013-04-30T21:45:27Z")
The official [press release](http://www.bankofcanada.ca/2013/04/press-releases/bank-canada-unveils-new-5-and-10-polymer-bank-notes/). [Mark Carney’s remarks](http://www.bankofcanada.ca/2013/04/speeches/bank-note-unveiling/). [Pics of all of the notes](http://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/bank-note-series/polymer/). [Toronto Star link](http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/04/30/canadian_frontiers_honoured_on_new_5_and_10_bills.html). Apparently Chris Hadfield showed off the new five from the International Space Station… 🙂 The new fives and tens don’t look a lot different than the other ones ion the series. Except for the tens being purple and the fives being blue, of course. They come out in November. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/256 "2013-05-01T00:28:20Z")
I’m not fond of this series in general, but I _really_ like the $10s. Roll on November. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/257 "2013-05-01T07:22:02Z")
I like that they’ve used younger images of both Macdonald and Laurier. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/258 "2013-10-05T02:58:21Z")
_bump_ The plastic fives and tens will be issued on November 7th. There’s now an event for the issuing listed on the Bank of Canada’s [upcoming events](http://www.bankofcanada.ca/media-room/upcoming-events/) page. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/259 "2013-11-04T23:47:44Z")
[More details.](http://www.bankofcanada.ca/2013/11/media-advisories/bank-canada-circulating-new-5-and-10-polymer-bank-notes/) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344/260 "2013-12-18T04:50:13Z")
And now they’re all out in circulation. From now on, the paper bills will become rarer, just the way the penny did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-to-move-to-plastic-banknotes/531344.md?page=14)