Target joins Aldi, Whole Foods and other stores no longer taking popular payment form

Target has joined a stream of other major stores in the US in not accepting checks. Soon, customers will not be able to cu a cheque to pay for everything in their basket from groceries and essentials to clothing and electronics.

The Minneapolis retailer confirmed it will stop accepting personal checks in stores in late July. The payment method has fallen dramatically in popularity among consumers as more people switch to credit and debit cards.

A growing segment of digital-exchange platforms has also spurned a downturn in the use of checks, which is now deemed something of an old-school method of payment , or only mainly used for business transactions .

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“ Target is committed to creating an easy and convenient checkout experience, and that includes providing our guests with numerous ways to pay," said Brian Harper-Tibaldo, a Target company spokesperson.

"This includes our new Target Circle Cards (formerly known as Target RedCard); cash; digital wallets; SNAP/EBT; buy now, pay later services; and credit and debit cards.

“Due to extremely low volumes, we’ll no longer accept personal checks staring July 15. We have taken several measures to notify guests in advance to aid an easy and efficient checkout experience .”

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Rest assured, though, customers who are keen to keep using checks in some way, shape or form can send them through the mail to pay their Target Circle Card credit balance.

The use of checks - which was the main form of payment in the 80s and 90s - has lessened significantly in the last few years. In 2003, checks made up half of noncash payments in the US.

In 2012, that number dropped to 15 per cent, according to data from the Federal Reserve. In fact, out of the average 46 monthly payments consumers made in 2023, one a month was by check.

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The pandemic also saw a drop in check payments as contactless payments became the preferred - and most germ-free - way of paying through apps like Zelle, Venmo and PayPal.

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