Receipt error at Nottingham cafe prints 63 Quadrillion Gift Card balance
Sophie Downing saw a receipt that appeared to show a remaining balance of more than £63 quadrillion on her gift card after buying a matcha latte, an error that turned the 29-year-old business owner into a temporary, paper-only “richest woman in the world. ” The 63 quadrillion gift card figure has since prompted comparisons with global fortunes and national economies.
How Sophie Downing first noticed the mismatch at 200 Degrees in Nottingham
Downing visited a local 200 Degrees branch in Nottingham intending to use a £10 gift card for a matcha latte. When staff handed her the receipt, they appeared confused; one member of staff said, "I've never seen that before. " Downing sent the receipt to her partner because she thought it was "hilarious, " and quipped that she was "just enjoying being the richest woman in the world on paper while it lasts. " The 29-year-old business owner treated herself to a second drink with the same card after seeing the receipt.
What the 63 Quadrillion Gift Card receipt showed and why it happened
The receipt suggested a remaining balance of more than £63 quadrillion. A spokesperson for 200 Degrees said the discrepancy was the result of an administrative error: the gift card number, rather than the gift card value, had been entered into the wrong part of the till. The spokesperson said the customer was charged only what she should have been, her gift card had the correct amount on it after the purchase, and the barista gave the unusual receipt as a souvenir before issuing a correct receipt that showed the true value.
Size comparisons that followed: Elon Musk, national GDPs and an asteroid
Observers compared the apparent balance with major financial measures. One comparison used a net worth figure for Elon Musk of $843. 4 billion (£624 billion) and called the £63 quadrillion figure more than 100, 000 times larger. Other comparisons in circulation said the balance would be 22, 500 times the size of the UK economy at around £2. 8 trillion, 2, 700 times the United States GDP at $31 trillion (£23 trillion), and more than 670 times the total world economy. By contrast, the reported estimated value of the asteroid Psyche was cited at £8, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000.
Sophie’s reaction, business details and limits on spending the balance
Downing runs the Secret Sugar Club, a hair removal service, and said she did not plan to exploit the error. After using the card a second time and seeing the astronomical number again she vowed not to use it further. She said, "Maybe they have scanned the wrong thing. It looks as though they have scanned the barcode which has turned into the balance. " She added she could "go in and clear everything off the shelf but I don't want to take the mick, " and that she would have preferred to have a £63 quadrillion gift card to spend at a supermarket. The balance, even if it had been valid, could only be spent on coffee and croissants, so it could not be used to buy a car, a home or to end world hunger.
Retail response and outstanding questions
The 200 Degrees spokesperson described the incident as a technical administrative error and said the customer was given a correct receipt after purchase and that her card contained the correct value. Some commentary noted the coffee shop had not otherwise acknowledged the mistake, and the unusual souvenir receipt remains the visible trace of the error.
