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Old round pound coins will cease to be legal tender next week but some shops will continue to accept them after the deadline while another is rejecting them due to a “technical glitch”.
And adding to the confusion, some retailers are still yet to prep their trolleys for the changeover.
From midnight on Sunday October 15, the round pound will lose its legal tender status, meaning stores cannot give them as change and can refuse to accept them as payment.
People have been urged to rummage through their wallets, coat pockets, piggy banks and sofas so that they can spend, bank or give them to charity before this date.
However, discount retailer Poundland has said more than 850 of its stores across the country will continue accepting the coins until October 31, reports the Press Association.
And a trade association representing small shops has advised its members to continue accepting the round coins to provide a “useful community service” to customers.
A spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses told the Telegraph: “Shopkeepers will be aware that the Royal Mint has this deadline but at the same time they will not want to let their loyal customers down by saying they cannot pay with a round pound if they do not have any other change.
“It would help if small firms knew they were allowed a short transition period to collect the old coins if they wish to and are willing to bank them, but not give out to customers.
“This would provide a useful community service, allowing customers a few weeks to get rid of the final few pound coins in circulation.”
A BRIEF GUIDE TO THE NEW POUND COIN ROLLOUT
Officially, the old round pound will cease to become legal tender on 15th October
PLACES THAT WILL ACCEPT THEM AFTER THIS DATE
Poundland will accept round pounds until 31st October
Smaller shops are being encouraged to allow payment with old coins for a transitional period of “a few weeks”
Some Sainsbury’s Locals and Tesco Expresses have yet to update their trolleys for the new coins due to “internal logistic problems” so old ones will still work - for now
Some ticket machines on TfL’s Overground and tram services will not be ready until the end of the year
PLACES YOU CAN EXCHANGE THEM AFTER THIS DATE
Major banks will accept deposits of old coins after 15th October although no definite cutoff date has been set
Post offices may also exchange coins after this date - check with your local branch
PLACES YOU ALREADY CAN’T USE OLD COINS
Self-checkout tills in some Lidl stores are unable to accept old coins already due to a “technical glitch”
IF YOU HAVE TOO MANY OLD COINS TO SPEND
Whilst this is incredibly unlikely for most of us, you can do some good by donating yours to charity
But anyone using a self-service checkout at Lidl this week may have to ensure they use a new shiny coin as a “technical glitch” forced shoppers in some stores to queue for manned tills.
One told the Daily Mail: “It was chaotic. There was no one serving at the one manned till so everyone was queuing for eight or ten self-service tills, some people did not notice the signs and even scanned all their items before realising they couldn’t use their [coins].
“Then they got someone on the manned till and people had to queue all over again. They were a few shoppers who got very irate and frustrated.”
Major banks have said that while they encourage customers to allow enough time to hand in their old coins, they will continue to accept deposits of round pounds from their customers after October 15.
People may also find they can still hand in the old £1 coins at the Post Office after this date.
With just a week to go, around 500 million old round pounds are still in circulation.
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Jones said people have returned more than 1.2 billion of the old coins in the past six months.
He said: “The hard work of the British public has paid off and I am delighted that more than 1.2 billion round pound coins have been returned.”
And if you’re felling generous there are a number of charities accepting the old versions as donations such as the the Norfolk Hospice.
Chief executive and deputy master of the Royal Mint Adam Lawrence said: “The round pound has been in circulation for over 30 years but, as the deadline approaches, we are keen to encourage everyone to track down their final coins and use them.
“As the deadline is triggered, we are proud that the security features on the 12-sided £1 coin will help to safeguard our currency for years to come.”
The new 12-sided pound coin, which resembles the old threepenny bit, entered circulation in March and boasts new high-tech security features to thwart counterfeiters.
The production of the new coins follows concerns about round pounds being vulnerable to sophisticated counterfeiters. Around one in every 30 old-style pound coins in people’s change in recent years has been fake.
One pound coins were first launched on 21 April 1983 to replace £1 notes. The Royal Mint has produced more than two billion round pound coins since that time.
The Post Office said customers can continue to deposit their old round pounds into any of their usual high street bank accounts through any post office – even after October 15 – “until further notice”.
The Post Office is also taking part in “Pudsey’s round pound countdown” – collecting old round £1 coins for BBC Children in Need.
Barclays said its own customers can continue to deposit their old round pounds into their accounts with it after October 15, but added: “We would recommend that customers allow sufficient time to return old coins rather than leave it until legal tender status is withdrawn.”
RBS/NatWest, Santander, Nationwide Building Society and Lloyds Banking Group, which includes Halifax, also said they will continue to accept round pounds as deposits from their own customers after they cease to be legal tender.
RBS/NatWest also said it would encourage customers to try to hand in their old coins as soon as possible.