Can you use a ripped $20 dollar bill Canada?

As an avid gamer and gaming content creator, I‘m no stranger to late nights fueled by caffeine, determination to beat that next boss level, and of course – pizza deliveries paid for with whatever cash I have on hand. Which often contains some pretty battered looking bills after being shoved in my wallet and bounced around in the heat of travel and competition.

So I decided to dig into the official policies, regulations, and little-known tricks around whether damaged, ripped, or tape-repaired Canadian currency can still be used as valid legal tender. Keep reading for the fully breakdown!

The Short Answer

Yes – even badly ripped, taped, or partially missing $20 banknotes are considered officially usable currency in Canada as long as the following two criteria are met:

• Over 50% of the total bill is present
• The serial number must be intact on both halves

This means you can continue spending a damaged $20 bill with tears, holes, taping, or missing corners at convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations or anywhere else cash is accepted.

If the damage is more extreme (think charring, large portions gone, disintegration), you can mail in the fragments to the Bank of Canada‘s free restoration service and receive a fresh replacement bill provided enough remnants validate it matched a legitimate $20 note at some point.

Now let‘s get into the nitty gritty details, regulations, and insider tips!

Gamers Run on Caffeine and Cash

As someone who attends tournaments, streams late into the wee hours, and is constantly on the move hunting for content, I tend to pile up small scrapes, dents, and even outright rips or tears on my cash from general wear and tear tossing it in pockets while racing between events.

And paying the pizza guy or midnight snack run with battered folding money often gets some lifted eyebrows until the till accepts it without issue. Which got me wondering – when does damage actually invalidate or decrease the face value legally?

Criteria for Keeping Damaged Bills Whole Value

Digging into the Bank of Canada‘s official damaged currency policy and the Currency Act that governs money printing and distribution in Canada, the guidelines are surprisingly flexible. Here‘s what gives damaged paper bills their ongoing monetary value:

Over 50% Of The Note Must Be Present

This means tears, missing portions, burn sections, or other damage are all acceptable if the overall note still constitutes at least half of its original printed size.

Incredibly, even being precisely ripped fairness down the middle vertically is still 50% and within tolerances! However, if possible, it‘s obviously best to tape the two halves together to avoid losing one side.

Real-Life Example

Say a $20 bill suffers a 3cm by 2cm notch torn out of the lower left corner after going through the laundry. This would still represent over 96% of the total note‘s ~15.5cm x ~6.5cm area. Well above the 50% minimum, so its $20 value would remain fully usable!

Serial Number Must Be Visible Across All Pieces

The unique serial number printed on every banknote must remain intact with all digits clearly readable across however many fragments or halves exist from the original damaged bill.

This important security feature proves that all portions being presented or redeemed originate from the same legitimate $20 banknote first authorized for circulation by the Bank of Canada.

If any pieces large enough to show sections of serial number are missing or unaccounted for, the redemptive value may be denied. So be sure to safeguard all parts!

Insider Tips for Real-World Use

Through chatting with fellow gamers working retail jobs and monitoring community boards, I‘ve gathered some helpful real-world usage tips for passing damaged paper money day-to-day:

• Small corner tears, single holes less than 1cm, or light smearing/smudges usually go unnoticed and can be spent anywhere
• Heavily wrinkled or dirty bills may face rejection in vending machines, but usually pass over the counter/ATMs
• Taping is legal but can still increase scrutiny; only tape what‘s essential
• Politely point out to hesitant cashiers that damaged bills meeting above criteria are still valid
• For extensive damage, try your bank first for exchange before general retailers

And if despite the legal backing retailers still won‘t accept particularly ragged currency, you can always exchange it through any Canadian bank.

Exchanging Unusable Cash Through Official Channels

For truly mangled, shredded, or incinerated $20 bills that are no longer practically spendable through regular checkouts, the Bank of Canada has an established Mutilated Bank Note Redemption process in place.

Ideally meant as a last resort for unsalvageable cash, you can mail in any remnants, ashes, shredded particles or discoverable portions of destroyed legal Canadian tender and receive the nominal value back in a fresh, whole banknote.

The validation criteria is similar to day-to-day usage – 50%+ needs to be physically accounted for and enough key security features have to match Bank records to confirm it began life as a real $20 note.

Here are some key facts, requirements, and limitations around this little-used public service:

• Completely free to use for any Canadian citizen
• 50%+ of the original banknote must be physically submitted
• Fragments must add up to full value being claimed
• Any missing serial numbers invalidate redemption
• Processing time ranges from 6 months to 3 years

So if that $20 bill takes an ill-fated run through the paper shredder but you diligently tape together a majority of the puzzle pieces, you can mail it to the Bank of Canada Currency Redemption Program and eventually receive its $20 value back in a fresh, intact banknote through the mail.

Just be aware that major reconstruction and verification analysis of thousands of microscopic pieces means an extremely long turnaround. But with enough fragments submitted, the payout is guaranteed by law which is quite generous compared to most countries.

By The Numbers

In 2021, the Bank of Canada processed 3,405 mutilated banknote claims totalling $7.5 million CAD in refunded value to citizens and businesses around the country.

So while it may seem a largely unknown option, many Canadians make use of the Currency Redemption safety net each year if cash becomes truly unusable through damage or disaster.

The Upshot: Don‘t Fear the Rip or Tear!

As you can see, Canada has some of the most relaxed and favourable damaged currency allowances for continued spending power in the world.

Unlike the crisp, pristine bills pursuing high scores in game collect-a-thons, real life money gets folded, spindled, bent, and unfortunately mutilated as it exchanges many hands over years of circulation.

But as long as that battered $20 note still shows its proper face value and uniquely identifying serial code, it‘s still as good as gold to buy you a coffee, late night snack, or weekend gaming gear splurge here in Canada.

So next time you or a retailer has doubts about a slightly tattered bill passed across the counter, remember – small holes and repaired tears have no impact on usable value. And even extensively shredded cash can ultimately be redeemed through government channels.

Now if you‘ll excuse me, this long-winded deep dive has made me hungry. Time to order some pizza and put my own rough-and-tumble $20 bills to good use! Just means more immersive realism as I munch away and dive into my next epic virtual adventure.