# Have you ever gotten back a $2 bill, $1 coin or 50¢ coin in change? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 2, 2026, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569 "2026-06-02T19:27:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/101 "2026-06-18T14:13:45Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Lately I’ve been on a kick of getting ten-dollar bills from my bank for use when I pay cash. They’re so rare now thanks to ATMs ubiquitously dispensing twenties that you’re more likely to get two five-dollar bills back as change rather than a ten. If you’re lucky it dispenses 20s. Lots of them dispense 50s by default. We’ll often try to figure out a withdrawal amount that will give us the maximum number of 20s. e.g. 180 dollars will give us two 50s and 4 20s. I actually like to go inside the credit union if we’re there when they are open, and cash a check (our primary account is with another CU but we have an account at the nearby one), and they’ll let me specify the denominations. I don’t mind a few 50s but 20s are by and large more useful. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/102 "2026-06-18T14:19:27Z")
The ATM that I use gives out 5s, 20s and 50s. It allows you to specify exactly how you want it to be divided. Next time you’re there, take a look to see if you can do the same at yours. They probably have some kind of limitation like you can’t get $600 (max amount) worth of 5s but anything reasonable should work. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/103 "2026-06-18T14:32:19Z")
The ATM at the credit union where I work, dispenses various denominations. I’ve only used it once, and took out five twenties. Anyway, I’ve always thought most ATMs deal only in twenties. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/104 "2026-06-18T16:17:03Z")
Yeah. Been 10-15 _years_ since I’ve used a (US) ATM machine that doesn’t allow me to specify the payout mix of 5s, 20s, and 100s. I’m wondering where or which bank’s ATMs @Mama_Zappa is using. Interestingly, just a few days ago I used a machine to get 250 Euros. First time in a long time I’ve withdrawn Euros from anywhere. Which came as 4 50s, 2 20s, and a 10. The machine was programmed to give at least some smaller bills even though that wasn’t made necessary by the amount. I was expecting I’d be stuck with 5 50s when what I’d really have prefered is about 20 5s and 3 50s. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/105 "2026-06-18T16:28:39Z")
I got an old silver certificate dollar bill as change this week. Which is unusual because they stopped printing those in 1964. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/106 "2026-06-18T19:10:13Z")
How common are machines that dispense multiple currencies, i.e., dollars and Euros, where you are? Presumably there is a fixed number of bins inside the machine, so having two currencies would limit the denominations available for each. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/107 "2026-06-18T20:29:35Z")
I’m sorry. I didn’t say that well at all, and have managed to be misleading. The ATMs for my brand of major national bank where I live, SoFL, dispense only USD. But all of them, around home, around the entire local metroblob, and elsewhere throughout the USA seem to be be able to dispense 5s, 20s, and 100s as I choose. As a separate matter, I am touristing in Europe now. And upon arrival, snagged a bunch of Euros from the random bank’s ATM machine at the airport. That machine didn’t offer any currency but Euros. And did not offer any choice of which bills my withdrawal would be given in. But nevertheless, it did not simply dispense the max number of the largest possible bills. Instead it automatically broke my withdrawal into both large and small bills even though it could have been all large bills and still matched the amount I requested. Both of which stories contrasted with @Mama_Zappa’s experience with her ATMs and how she had to use oddball withdrawals to game the system of an ATM that didn’t like to dispense small bills when larger ones would work. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/108 "2026-06-18T21:58:01Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But all of them, around home, around the entire local metroblob, and elsewhere throughout the USA seem to be be able to dispense 5s, 20s, and 100s as I choose. Last time I pulled cash from my local ATM, it was only $20s. Mind you, that may have changed in the last couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/109 "2026-06-18T22:50:12Z")
I live in New York City. The MuniMeter devices take $1 coins as well as quarters and credit cards. The dollar coins are everywhere. I keep a pouch made of black velvet in the car filled with those two coins. ( Yeah, I do also use the ParkNYC app, but… I like real coinage. ) A Kennedy half-dollar? Yep, as a kid I got some as change now and then. I was born in 1962. $2 bill? REALLY rarely. Usually I’d see one in the cash drawer and ask if I could get it back as change. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/110 "2026-06-19T00:45:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Last time I pulled cash from my local ATM, it was only $20s. Mind you, that may have changed in the last couple of years. I think they’re still only 20’s around here; because that’s what people show up at the farmers’ market with first thing in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2026, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569/111 "2026-06-19T03:01:48Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yeah. Been 10-15 _years_ since I’ve used a (US) ATM machine that doesn’t allow me to specify the payout mix of 5s, 20s, and 100s. I’m wondering where or which bank’s ATMs @Mama_Zappa is using. For me it’s been years since I get anything but 20s. Any withdrawl you make has to be a multiple of $20. The ATMs are Wells Fargo. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-gotten-back-a-2-bill-1-coin-or-50-coin-in-change/1030569.md?page=5)