Tipping using $2 bills?

[MTJSR]

I had a stack in my drawer and since they have no collector value in my lifetime, I took them onboard and used as room service tips. They loved em! money is money and come on, these people are not dumb. They know what money looks like and feels like. Period!

[iheartbda]

This thread is just like the people who want to give trinkets in addition....hopefully...to their tip in money. No matter what anyone says about not doing it, those who want to, will. ;)

[Langley Cruisers]

Hmmm. I'm not sure what you consider "many" years, but as far as I know, our $2 bills are still being printed...

 

Sorry, "many" was perhaps not the best adjective to use. Sources online state the latest printing was 2008.

[Pearlbill]

According to wikipedia, the US $2 is still being printed. It is legal tender.

 

It seems goofy to me, that people won't use a certain bill denomination because of superstition or whatever. Break the cycle people, start using it! I'm sure a $2 tip is appreciated way more than a 1$ tip.

 

JMHO

 

Pearl

[LA_CA_GAL]

Hmmm, let me think about this, what would I rather receive?

 

A two dollar bill or a one dollar bill?

 

A five dollar bill or a ten dollar bill?

 

A fifty or a one hundred?

 

A two dollar bill is money, good ol' US of A greenback legal tender money.

 

I will be happy to take all that anyone would give to me.

[luddite]

Well, I'm trying to be polite . . . so I won't share my opinion of how I think it's silly posturing. Ooops.

 

 

Where is the LIKE button when ya need it?

[sail7seas]

I don't 'get it' to play cutesy games with cash.

Why present a possible impediment for the person you are supposedly thanking.

Stewards could have a hard time with $2 bills as they are not in common usage and some could doubt they are authentic.

 

The crews are adult, very hard working people trying to earn a living.

I would greatly hesitate to play games with their money.

 

JMO....

 

[snowman]

I use them all the time and have never had a problem. They loved them. I posted this about 2 years ago and Pam said they were not legal currency. How wrong she was. You have to remember that there is a Purser in the crew area and that is how they bank.

[bus man]

I put $2 bills in the same category as Sacagawea coins and Kennedy half-dollars: yeah, they're legal tender; but they're a pain to use. Some people don't think they're real, or don't want to accept them. Many (most?) stores don't have space in their cash registers for them. To me, they're more trouble than they're worth. Why, then, would I want to burden someone else with something that I'd rather not deal with myself?

[sail7seas]

I remember reading a very credible post from a respected poster on this board that crew can have a hard time depositing old, dirty wrinkled currency and $2 bills though both are legal tender. The crew bank is particular about the currency they accept.

 

Since reading that post, we have been careful to use bills in decent condition and never to play games with their money.

 

As has been pointed out, they are trained to keep the smile in place and we have no way to know what they are thinking when handed currency that could give them a headache trying to use.

 

Of course, none of have ever had a problem giving that at tips, the possible problem comes to the person receiving it.

 

[sail7seas]

I put $2 bills in the same category as Sacagawea coins and Kennedy half-dollars: yeah, they're legal tender; but they're a pain to use. Some people don't think they're real, or don't want to accept them. Many (most?) stores don't have space in their cash registers for them. To me, they're more trouble than they're worth. Why, then, would I want to burden someone else with something that I'd rather not deal with myself?

 

 

Yes, ^^ that.

 

[agabbymama]

Just another little story.

 

My daughter bought a ticket at the train station, the machine gave her change in $1 coins (not sure if they were Sacagawea or the new President coins), but she put them in her purse.

 

I picked her up and we went to Disneyland. Parked the car and went inside the park. Overstayed our free time, so had to come up with cash for the extra parking. I didn't have enough cash, so she pulled those coins out of her purse.

 

The parking attendant looked at it, and then looked at me. I told her it was a dollar coin. She then went to the next parking station and showed it to the guy working there. She wasn't sure whether she could accept it or not. They conferred for maybe 10 minutes before another attendant finally came over and said, of course, it was a dollar. She then raised the arm and let me leave.

 

So not everyone even here in the US is familiar with our currency!

 

Keep your $2 bills as your own souvenir, don't give them as tips to anyone in counrty or out of country.

[PennyAgain]

At one of our staff training meetings we had prizes and some were $2 bills. Most of the younger people thought it was fake money.

 

They thought it was a joke.

 

Some people threw them away.

 

I picked up the $2's and replaced them with $1's and all were happy although they were getting half as much money.

 

My boss never likes to give up on a good idea and tried $1 coins the next training session. A slightly better result.

 

We now use Starbuck's gift cards for prizes and people are much happier.

[mr green]

A quick question, slightly off topic. 'When and why did the American $2.00 bill fall out of favor?' To a Canadian like myself a $2.00 bill used normally, might have saved the U.S. treasury a great deal of money in printing over the past 100 years or so.

 

john

[bus man]

A quick question, slightly off topic. 'When and why did the American $2.00 bill fall out of favor?' To a Canadian like myself a $2.00 bill used normally, might have saved the U.S. treasury a great deal of money in printing over the past 100 years or so.

 

john

 

 

Honestly, I don't know why. It has been speculated that because the $2 bill is printed so infrequently, some people will hoard them (as a collector's item) instead of spend them. I'm guilty of this; I still have a $2 bill from its 1976 print run; I've never spent it, and probably never will. (I'm under no illusions that it's worth anything more than $2; I just don't want to get rid of it, as it seems like such a novelty.)

 

I would think that a $2 bill would make sense as a commonly used note, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't seem to happen.

[tip]

According to wikipedia, the US $2 is still being printed. It is legal tender.

 

It seems goofy to me, that people won't use a certain bill denomination because of superstition or whatever. Break the cycle people, start using it! I'm sure a $2 tip is appreciated way more than a 1$ tip.

 

JMHO

 

Pearl

 

Some folks just have trouble accepting change. The last time I checked, two dollar bills folded over quite nicely in my wallet along with ones, fives, tens, and twenties!

[Langley Cruisers]

According to wikipedia, the US $2 is still being printed. It is legal tender.

 

Hi Pearl,

 

Wikipedia is not an example of a trustworthy and accurate website to cite for anything. The information can be changed by absolutely anyone. I stopped reading wiki years ago and no longer cite them as an accurate source for information, just so you know. :)

 

And also, no one here ever said the U.S. $2 bill was not legal tender; we know it is. :)

[sail7seas]

Some folks just have trouble accepting change. The last time I checked, two dollar bills folded over quite nicely in my wallet along with ones, fives, tens, and twenties!

 

 

Change?

 

There have been $2 bills as U.S. currency as early as 1929 or maybe before that.

 

They are not widely used and therefore are 'suspect'.

Does anyone remember the last time they had one given to them as change or by any means other than by special request?

I don't think I ever was handed one from either bank or retail store as change.

 

 

 

[Pearlbill]

Hi Pearl,

 

Wikipedia is not an example of a trustworthy and accurate website to cite for anything. The information can be changed by absolutely anyone. I stopped reading wiki years ago and no longer cite them as an accurate source for information, just so you know. :)

 

And also, no one here ever said the U.S. $2 bill was not legal tender; we know it is. :)

 

I don't use Wiki as an end all to information either. I just used that reference since it is one that COULD be reliable. I often go onto Wiki and change or add information. If I really want information, I research it in depth. However, I THINK Wiki is accurate on this one!

 

Also, to the comment about the treasury saving money on printing 2$ bills, did you know that a government loves to print money and have its citizens hoard it away? Why do you think collector issue/special edition money is so popular? It is literally "printing money"!!!

Money that is printed and not circulated amounts to a "voluntary tax" on those that hang onto it.

 

 

 

 

 

Pearl

[notentirelynormal]

When we were in Sydney (Australia) we were taking a private bus from the terminal to the hotel. The driver asked me about the $2 bill. He said someone had given him one as a tip a few years before and he couldn't get rid of it. He couldn't spend it and the bank wouldn't take it. So that memorable tip someone thought they were giving him was a real pain. He had to spend time going to the bank to get rid of it and in the end... he had no money to show for it. So if your goal is to be remembered then yes, he remembers those people.

 

Like others have said, if you want to tip be kind and tip in a denomination you know is widely accepted and easy to spend. I remember when the new $20 bills came out and we were in the Caribbean. No one would take them. They thought they were fake. We had to change them on the ship to be able to spend them. If they wouldn't take the $20, how do you really think they feel about the $2 bill?

[cb at sea]

If you don't want to spend them, don't give them to others! Same with $1 coins....keep them for your grandchildren....don't give them to folks you're trying to 'reward" for good service!

[Doug R.]

I will be even more blunt -- It doesn't matter if they are legal tender or not. Given the unpopularity of the $2 bill, the only logical reason to give them out as tips is selfish and ego driven. :mad:

 

The only reason the staff smiles and thanks you is that is how they are trained. All the while you are being cursed at telepathically. :D

[YubaSutter]

Yes but the difference is that our Toonie is still being minted today. Although still in circulation, the U.S. $2 bill has not been printed for many years.

 

OP, you asked and I wouldn't do it.

 

Not true. The last batch of 2 dollar bills were printed in 2006. About 220 million of them.

[YubaSutter]

Change?

 

There have been $2 bills as U.S. currency as early as 1929 or maybe before that.

 

They are not widely used and therefore are 'suspect'.

Does anyone remember the last time they had one given to them as change or by any means other than by special request?

I don't think I ever was handed one from either bank or retail store as change.

 

 

 

 

Yes, I can remember. On my last Vegas trip, $2 bills were given out as change in every strip club I visited.

[thinfool]

A quick question, slightly off topic. 'When and why did the American $2.00 bill fall out of favor?' To a Canadian like myself a $2.00 bill used normally, might have saved the U.S. treasury a great deal of money in printing over the past 100 years or so.

 

john

 

I don't know why it fell out of favor, but politics has a lot to do with our money.

 

It is fiscally irresponsible to use short-lived dollar bills when coins or even $2. bills would last longer. However there would be a severe impact to the company that makes the special paper the Treasury uses.

 

If they continued to incinerate worn out $1. bills and only replaced them with coins, the bills would go away quickly. They would become collectors items, much like the $2 bill has.

 

As I remember, the British pound comes in 1 and 2 pound denominations...as does the euro. No paper money until you get to 5 and 10 denomination. (Is there a 5 gbp coin?)