When does the new £20 note come into circulation and can I still use the old one?

Tom Herbert20 February 2020

A new £20 banknote featuring the artist JMW Turner is set to enter circulation this week .

The new note will be made of polymer and features sophisticated security features with the Bank of England hailing it as the "most secure banknote yet".

It will also contain a tactile feature to help vision-impaired people identify it, similar to the polymer £10 which features Jane Austen on it.

Here's all you need to know about the new £20 banknote:

The old £20 note will still be in circulation for at least six months

Alamy Stock Photo

When does the new £20 note enter circulation?

The new polymer note will be issued for the first time on February 20, 2020, as the notes leave cash centres and enter general circulation.

The old note will not be withdrawn from circulation for at least six months, with the Bank of England announcing the date once the new note has been issued.

Can I still use the old paper £20 note?

People can carry on spending the current paper £20 notes, featuring the economist Adam Smith, for now and the Bank said that notice will be given six months ahead of legal tender status of the paper £20 being withdrawn.

Most bank will accept withdrawn banknotes once the date has been announced.

What is new about the polymer banknote?

Along with a tactile feature to help vision-impaired people identify the denomination, the new £20 note incorporates two windows and a two-colour foil to thwart counterfeiters.

There is also a large see-through window with a blue and gold foil on the front depicting the Margate lighthouse and Turner Contemporary on the note.

The foil is silver on the back and the shape of the large window is based on the shape of the fountains in Trafalgar Square.

A smaller see-through window inspired by the Tintern Abbey is in the bottom corner of the note along with Turner's self-portrait.

A metallic hologram which changes between the word 'Twenty' and 'Pounds' when the note is tilted also features, as does the Queen's portrait in the see-through window with "£20 Bank of England" printed twice around the edge.

There is also silver foil patch with a 3D image of the coronation crown and a purple foil patch containing the letter 'T' and based on the staircase at the Tate Britain.