It's about convenience when having to deal with larger sums. Also if you want to stash some money for emergencies, you just hide your 500 euro bill and you're done. Or you can, of course, have a jar full of 1 euro coins. Also practical.
Why is it so many people here are concerned about stashing statist toilet paper scrip for emergencies? I'm from US, so no dog in this fight, but the last time I wished there were $500 bills was ...well, never.
I would be very happy to see a US $500 bill. I like paying with cash on occasion, and a $500 would be of use to me. Remember, they used to print $10,000 FRNs (1930s, IIRC), so a $500 is really nothing, especially at (dollar) deflated 2016 levels...
I do not see why .gov should prohibit anything that people find useful. A €500 banknote is a great way for tourists in Europe to carry around a lot of "value" without having to use their credit cards (and there ARE credit card scammers in Europe, we got taken once in Naples, Italy).
And if Bitcoin were to get big in Europe, whoa. Put me on the next flight!
Well see, I understand that pulling out a wad of $500s might excite you, but such bills are of little interest to the 99.9 percent of us hoi polloi. And while I would enjoy seeing a $3 bill, and a $2.37 bill, I'm willing not to whine about the U.S. Treasury, The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, to be more precise, not printing up any for me to enjoy.
As far as $500, those would be far more useful to criminals and people who wish to compensate for ...certain
lackings by pulling out gold money clips of large bills.
We don't wanna cater to those