Other than China (yuan, pataca, dollar) and Serbia & Montenegro (dinar, euro), are there any courtries with more than one currency that is legal tender?
In the Cayman Islands you can use either US dollars or Cayman Island dollars (worth $1.25 BTW). I’m not sure it’s legal tender though. I define legal tender as money the recipient is required to take from you.
Scotland has its own money although it is also called ‘Pounds’ and is legal tender in the rest of the UK (except for the Scottish One Pound). Only the design is different and the Scottish one pound is not accepted in the rest of the UK because it’s in paper currency while the rest of the UK uses 1 pound coins.
At least that’s what the London cab driver told me when I handed him a Scots One Pound note to pay the fare.
The pound sterling is one currency.
Some Scottish (and Irish) Banks are licensed to issue their own banknotes. These notes are not legal tender (i.e. there is no obligation to accept them) but they are routinely accepted in Scotland (for notes issued by Scottish banks) or Northern Ireland (for notes issued by Irish banks). They are not normally accepted in England and Wales, though you can exchange them in banks for Bank of England notes at no cost.
Bank of England notes are legal tender in England and Wales but not in Scotland or Northern Ireland, although they are commonly accepted there.
Pound coins are issued by the Royal Mint. There are distinctive English, Scottish and Welsh designs. All the coins, whatever their design, are legal tender throughout the UK and circulate freely.
Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man have their own currencies, although sterling is freely accepted in all three, according to some websites I looked at.
China basically has only the yuan or rmb. HK dollars and Macau paceta’s are not legal tender in China, only in their respective special administrative regions. China used to have the Foreign Exchange Currency known generally as “feces” but that disappeared on 1 Jan 2004.
UK Legal Tender
It has one purpose only. It defines what one is obliged to accept in repayment of a debt. It is Bank of England notes, and coins (up to a certain quantity).
It has nothing whatsoever to do with what a retailer is required to accept. They can decide they don’t want to accept anything above a five pound note - as bus drivers often do. They’re entitled to do this.
Scottish and N Irish banks are able to print their own notes, drawn against their own reserves, because the legal restriction of this to the Bank of England is in English and Welsh law only. The only place required to accept these notes is the issuing bank.
In Lebanon it is quite common to use US Dollars and Syrian Pounds. I once was in a small shop and paid in a combination of Lebanese Pounds and USD and received Syrian Pounds and a few pieces of gum in return.
It is not uncommon for many countries to have a second economy based in Euro or USD.
Luxemburg used Belgian Francs as an official currency, but also made a small amount oif its own currency, probably for revenue from collectors and national pride. The overwhelming majority of the currency in circulation was Belgian. I haven’t been there in several years, but I understand the Euro probably superceded this and other examples (or will in the very near future) in small European nations.
The West Bank uses a mixture of Israeli Shekels and Jordanian Dinars. No idea which is the more prominent.
Both the Bahamas and Bermuda have their own nominal dollar, each tied 1:1 with the US$. They have their own notes, and AFAIK both have their own coins, which are used interchangeably with US ones.
Before the most recent civil war, Liberia used both the American dollar and the Liberian dollar as legal currency. I’m not sure what the situation is now.
Panama uses the American dollar as its main currency, but they make their own coins to use alongside the American ones.
Cuba uses a complicated system involving American dollars and Cuban pesos.
As was pointed out before, lots of places use American dollars as unofficial currency.