(NEXSTAR) — It’s been months since any new pennies were minted in the U.S., and more businesses are starting to see empty penny slots in their cash registers.
Pennies were designated for retirement last year after becoming some of the most expensive to make when compared to their actual value. There have been efforts to make the penny cheaper to produce, but using other materials was found to be ineffective.
The U.S. has had a one-cent coin since 1793, and essentially still does. New pennies will be minted in 2026, though they won’t be entering circulation, and the more than 300 billion pennies believed to be in circulation will continue to be accepted tender.
However, if you aren’t spending or depositing the pennies you’re stashing, businesses will likely be stuck altering how cash transactions are treated.
Several retailers, especially convenience stores, have warned consumers not to expect correct change, while others have offered gift cards and freebies in exchange for pennies.
More retailers have been following suit, at least with the former.
At grocery stores within the Kroger family, customers are being asked to provide exact change if paying with cash. The company is still accepting pennies, a spokesperson told Nexstar.
Among other retailers, including Target and Whole Foods, stores that run out of pennies have been rounding change to the nearest nickel in favor of a customer (if you’re owed $1.21, for example, you would receive $1.25). You’ll likely notice signage in a store if it’s affected.
Users on Reddit have shared images from Home Depot showing signs advising that change will also be rounded up in favor of the customer should no pennies be available. Home Depot did not respond to Nexstar’s request for comment.
Other companies that have confirmed penny policies include several gas station chains, PetSmart, Burger King, and McDonald’s.
Dylan Jeon, National Retail Federation senior director of government relations, previously told Nexstar that getting rid of the penny in the U.S. is more complicated than when Canada did it roughly 10 years ago, but mimicking their practice of rounding the transaction, post-sales tax, or the change is “the easiest, most standard practice here.”
You may also be asked instead to pay with a card or check, or via an online payment method.
The Federal Reserve earlier this month said it will again accept pennies from banks and credit unions “to better support the circulation of pennies for commercial activity.” The Fed had previously suspended this service at commercial coin distribution locations.
There’s little value in stockpiling pennies (unless it has these features), and since they are still legal tender, you’re probably better off spending them.