In a statement released by representatives at Target, the company confirmed to outlets that it plans to fully stop accepting personal checks as a form of payment in stores starting on July 15.
The nationwide retailer cited “extremely low volumes” as a reason for the move according to one statement released by the Minnesota-based company. Target didn’t appear to have made a statement publicly on its website by Sunday, just days before the change was set to be enacted. Scripps News reached out to the company for further clarification, but did not immediately receive a response.
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Social media users appeared unsure about the move, including in responses to a post to Reddit where one user went to the site to ask other users if there was a larger reason why their elderly mother wasn’t able to use a check at a Target store as she had for decades, according to the author of the post.
The message was posted months before the July 15 date Target confirmed to some media outlets.
In a study from the Federal Reserve on the use of payment methods by 2022, the central bank noted that ACH transfers had surpassed the use of checks, becoming the highest-value non-cash payment method in 2009 — but, that grew to at least 72% of the “core non-cash payments value” by 2021, the Fed said in a report.
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Target has promoted other methods that customers can use to pay at stores and online, including the company’s Target Circle Cards — which were formerly called the Target RedCard — and the use of cash or SNAP/EBT cards, or the company’s buy now, pay later services. Customers can also use their debit or credit cards the company said.
By Sunday, Target still had “personal checks” as an accepted form of payment allowed by the company, listed on its website.
