Walmart has started the year with an announcement that lent itself to controversy. Since January 2025, the large supermarket chain bans the acceptance of dollar bills with visible damage. It is a strategy with which it seeks to put aside all those specimens with rips, moisture stains, cut edges or any other sign of significant deterioration.
Why will Walmart stop accepting these bills?
The measure is aimed at reinforcing monetary security and combating counterfeiting. According to the authorities, deteriorated bills complicate the verification of their authenticity, which generates risks for both consumers and retailers. Walmart proposed as a solution to apply this policy to these banknotes.
It should be noted that this strategy is also in line with the new banking guidelines, which seek to modernize the U.S. monetary system. Experts warn that the circulation of damaged banknotes not only represents a logistical challenge for banks, but also increases the vulnerability of the national financial system to possible economic losses in the millions of dollars.
The Government confirmed that it will update these dollars
In line with these measures, the U.S. Government plans to introduce redesigns of several denominations of dollar bills. With this, they intend to ensure security. These are the new specimens that will enter into circulation:
- USD 50 bill (2028): it will include advanced anti-counterfeiting systems.
- USD 20 banknote (2030) will have state-of-the-art technology to prevent duplication.
- Other banknotes, such as the USD 5 and USD 100, will have subsequent improvements.
Security features to be incorporated in these banknotes
Some of the security measures that these banknotes will have are shown below:
- Security threads with micro-printing.
- 3D bands that change color when tilted.
- Inks sensitive to ultraviolet light.
What should I do if I have damaged banknotes?
If you have damaged bills, you will have to exchange them in financial institutions before trying to use them in supermarkets, such as Walmart, or other stores where they will begin to apply these policies. It should be noted that banks do accept these bills, as long as their authenticity is not compromised.
In addition, the U. S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) offers an official process to exchange mutilated currency:
- Check out the procedure on their official website.
- Submit damaged bills for evaluation.
- Receive a check for the equivalent amount after validation.
Every year, this government office processes more than 22,000 requests for exchanges of banknotes with different types of damage. This is an amount worth more than USD 35 million. As you can see, this is an impressive figure, which could increase with the decision of Walmart and other retailers to stop accepting these bills.
Could this measure be considered illegal?
The decision made by Walmart for 2025 regarding these bills opened a debate in society. Many began to question the company, and doubts arose as to whether what it was doing was completely legal. About this, some questions need to be clarified: although dollar bills are legal tender, there is no federal law that forces businesses to accept them as a method of payment. Each business is free to set its own policies, unless the state in which it is located specifically prohibits it.
A new challenge for consumers
The change in the policies of supermarket chains represents a step toward modernizing the financial system. However, it could also be seen as anew challenge for consumers. Those who have bills in bad condition should make sure to exchange them as soon as possible to avoid inconveniences and be able to use them in these stores.
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