It’s not often that a bank refuses to take money, but when they do, it can be frustrating.

So, what would you do if a bank turned you away for trying to exchange perfectly legal cash just because it was a little damaged? Would you go through the hassle of mailing it to the treasury? Or would you find a simpler solution?

In the following story, one customer finds themselves in this exact scenario and outsmarts the bank. Here’s what happened.

Bank wouldn’t take my damaged money.

One time, about fifteen years ago, I bought a cup of coffee and received two one-dollar bills as change, which had some slight fire damage.

It didn’t bother me any since the bills were mostly intact, but no stores would take them due to the damage.

So I went to my bank to exchange them for fresh ones.

Well the bank wouldn’t take them either, they said I would have to send them along with a SASE and a particular form to the treasury department to get them replaced.

With a bit of thinking, she found the perfect way to get rid of the cash.

This was obviously a lot of hassle for two dollars and there had to be a better way.

So I leave the bank, and as I’m thinking about what to do, I look over and see the ATM.

It took my two-dollar deposit without issue (this was back when ATMs still used deposit envelopes).

Problem solved.

Eek! It would be interesting to know what happened next.

Let’s check out how the folks over at Reddit feel about what she did.

This could happen, but not sure they can just keep the money and not reimburse the customer.

Good to know.

Great question.

What a perfect way to solve the problem!

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.