The rate on the board is the rate for a sound banknote. If a bill is old, torn or marked with a pen, the cashier will quote less. This is not a trick of one particular exchange office: neither the bank nor the cash carrier will take such a note further down the chain, and someone has to cover the gap.
Which banknote is taken at the full rate
In short: clean, intact, series 2013 or newer. Those dollars carry a wide blue ribbon on the face side — visible even in poor light, and it shifts colour when you tilt the note.
What costs you money
Old series. Dollars issued before 2006 — the so-called “small head”, without the blue ribbon. They are perfectly legal and still spend in the US, but Ukrainian banks handle them separately and send them on a longer route, so exchange offices take them less willingly.
Writing and stamps. Any pen mark, office stamp or trace of ink. The note is technically intact, yet the cash desk can no longer hand it to the next customer.
Physical damage. Tears, glued splits, tape, a missing corner. Here the discount depends on how serious the damage is.
Wear. Rubbed folds, soft cloth-like paper, water stains. One such note changes nothing; a whole stack is noticeable.
How much it costs
There is no single figure: the cashier names the discount after inspecting the specific banknote. The scale runs roughly like this — an old series in decent condition loses little, a torn or written-on note loses noticeably more, and heavily damaged paper may not be accepted at all.
So ask about the notes before you bring the money. It is a normal question, and any cashier will answer it.
What to do with such dollars
Check at home. Sort your notes and set aside the ones with writing, tears or of the old series. That way the discount is not a surprise at the counter.
Bring two stacks. Sound notes separately, problem notes separately. You then get the full rate for most of the sum, and only the remainder is up for discussion.
Do not tape tears. A taped banknote is worth less than a merely torn one: tape cannot be removed without damaging the paper.
Do not wash or iron them. Washing strips the security features, and a clean note turns into a suspicious one.
Where to exchange
MoneyWay works in Kharkiv and Chernivtsi. The cashier assesses the condition on the spot and quotes the price before you hand over the money. For sums from 500 dollars the rate can be locked in advance through the booking form on this site: it holds for 50 minutes while you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hand in 1996 dollars? Yes, they are accepted, but at a discount: this is the old series without the blue ribbon.
A note is torn by a centimetre — will you take it?
Usually yes, at a discount. The cashier decides after inspecting it.
Why do exchange offices quote different discounts? Because they have different outlets for such notes. Some hand them to a bank, some move them on themselves — hence the difference in price.
Can I swap old dollars for new ones?
Yes, this is an ordinary dollar-for-dollar operation with a small rate spread.