It has been announced that the old £5 note will be withdrawn from circulation on May 5th, sooner than expected by some. Indications are that, while some businesses might accept the old notes from their own customers, others might not. So, the sooner you exchange them the better. While the notes will retain their face value, exchanging them after May 5th could necessitate a visit to the Bank of England in London ….. or you could post them.