Lidl is already REJECTING old £1 coins at some stores a week before they go out of circulation
Shoppers have found they were unable to spend their old £1 coin in the budget supermarket's self-service check outs - even though it is still legal tender until this weekend
LIDL is already rejecting old £1 coins at some stores causing disruptions for shoppers.
From 16 October, the round old round pound coins will no longer be legal tender, having been replaced by a new 12-sided version earlier this year.
This means Brits have just one week left to spend or bank the estimated 500million round pound coins still in circulation before the looming deadline.
But some shops have made the change early.
Lidl customers have found they were unable to spend their old £1 coins in some of the budget supermarket’s self-service checkouts – even though it is still legal tender until midnight on Sunday.
A spokesperson for Lidl confirmed to the Sun Online that some tills have been updated early.
He said: “We are currently in the process of updating all of our self service checkouts, to ensure they only accept the new £1 coin in line with legal requirements by 15th October.
“Those self service checkouts that have updated early, and now only accept the new £1 coin, are clearly signposted in store to make our customers aware.”
He added that Lidl’s manned checkout will continue to accept both the new and the old coins.
But the move already caused disruption over the weekend.
WHERE your new £1 coin might still get rejected after October 15
HERE are the places that are still in the process of updating their machines
- Parking meters
The British Parking Association said “the majority of its parking machines” are now ready, meaning that a small number are still being updated and may reject your new £1 coin in the coming weeks.
Motorists are being advised to pay using their debit cards or phone payments
- Vending Machines
The Association of Vending Machines (AVA) admitted that it does not have information on about 70,000 (15 per cent) of its machines meaning they might still not be accepting the new coin.
On top of those a further, 110,000 machines are not covered by AVA members and might not be updated on time.
It confirmed that about 380,000 vending machines (85 per cent) are now accepting the new coin.
- Train ticket machines
TfL
A very small number – just 27 old machines spread across 22 stations on the London Overground network – are also still being updated.
But every single London Overground station now has one ticket machine which accepts the new £1 coin meaning there should be no disruption to customers.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern Rail and Thames Link
About 10 per cent of the rail operator machines are still being updated but should be ready by October 15
Chiltern Railways
Earlier this year the operator said that many older cash ticket vending machines “will not accept the new coin”.
It was planning to make the changes between July and October but it has not updated us on its progress.
According to shoppers lined up in queues in Lidl’s Tooting branch in south London, only to find out they couldn’t pay with their old £1 coins.
One shopper described the situation as chaotic and frustrating.
He told the Mail: “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 £1s.
“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.”
Businesses were given six months’ notice to prepare and while Lidl is early, some shops will not be ready in time for the deadline.
The Federation of Small Businesses – which represents about 170,000 small shops – has advised its members to continue accepting the old coins, to provide a “useful community service” to shoppers.
Meanwhile, Poundland confirmed that more than 850 of its stores in the UK would continue accepting the coins until October 31.
The Sun Online previously reported that a raft of machines will still not be ready to accept the new coins in time for the deadline.
These may include vending and train ticket machines as well as parking meters.
The British Parking Association for example advised operators to “ensure sufficient alternatives are available for motorists to pay”.
While John Hart from the Automatic Vending Association (AVA) admitted that out of the group’s 450,000 machines about 70,000 or 15 per cent might still reject your £1 coin.
The old £1 is being replaced for the first time in over 30 years amid fears it has become too vulnerable to counterfeiters.
COIN CHAOS Are you ready for when the round pound is removed from circulation? Here’s where your new £1 might get rejected
Despite being described as the “most secure in the world”, thousands of new £1 coins are said to carry major production flaws in a huge embarrassment for the Royal Mint.
And the Sun Online has also previously shown which error coins can bag you the most cash.
We also took a trip to the Royal Mint in Wales – where the £1 coins are being made – to find out how these errors happen and why they make your coins so valuable.
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