EuroBillTracker: Follow your Euro notes in their tracks

If you’re a frequent European traveller with perhaps a tendency towards trainspotting then this might be a site where you can get some kicks.

It is all a bit of fun according to the website but I’ve been spending a while trying to think of a more sinister reason why anyone would want to track the movements of a banknote. There must be one surely?   

It’s been around a while and Euro notes to the value of over 1.8 billion have been successfully tracked with 168,000 users entering details. I’m still wondering why.

The mechanics are fairly simple but the resulting statistics are quite comprehensive. When you join up to the community you will select a username and provide a profile. You can then enter the serial numbers and other requested details on the euro notes in your wallet and then get on with spending them.

The exciting part for members is of course when a "hit" occurs. If the banknote in your wallet is given in change or finds its way by some other means into the wallet of another member who duly enters the details then it’s game on.

You’ll be notified and the note will join the others on the list of "hit" notes. By clicking on it people can see how old the note is, exactly where it was printed and how many miles it’s travelled. The route is also plotted on a map and I can imagine the excitement that creates.

The route can go on for ever and is updated each time a member enters the banknote details and another "hit" is made. Visitors to the site can also see who the top 10 users are and the volume of notes they’ve entered but I can only imagine this being of interest to other members perhaps?

OK I’ve done my thinking now and the best I can come up with for an alternative use involves Interpol and the tracking of stolen banknotes. But then I’ve always liked a good International heist story and I have a good imagination.

Of course if all of the scaremongers on their economic soapboxes are proved right the Euro note only has one short and final journey left to make, and that’s to the Central Banks incinerator facilities!

Conclusion
Harmless fun I think if you’re struggling to find something else to do with your time that is.