Does Walmart, Costco, Kohls, CVS, Target, Kroger, Walgreens Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

$100 bill shopping trolley

Shops That Accept $50 and $100 Bills: Explored

One of the most inconvenient things that can happen whilst shopping is that you get to the cash register only to find that you can’t pay.

It might be because you’ve forgotten your wallet/purse, your credit card is playing up or the cashier doesn’t have the means to split the cash you have on you.

One of the most frustrating occurrences is when a shop won’t accept a $50 or $100 bill.

We have had this happen to us a few times, mostly due to the store not having the correct amount of loose change to split our notes.

The problem is that while larger notes like $50 and $100 bills are legal tender, according to the US Treasury, stores are free to construct their own policies as to whether they accept cash unless there is a state law that specifically prohibits it.

With that in mind, we reached out to seven of the most popular stores in the US to make inquiries as to whether they will accept $100 and $50 bills.

We did some independent research on this question by asking staff from 3 separate branches of each store to get more consistent results.

Read on to find out what we were told…

(We’ve also looked at whether Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowes Take $50 and $100 bills).


Does Walmart Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

Out of the three Walmart stores we contacted, all of them said that they do accept $50 and $100 bills, and only in rare circumstances would they not. For example, if they didn’t have the loose change to split your note, they may not.

Do Walmart Self-Checkouts Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

We can confirm that Walmart self-checkouts do accept $50 and $100 bills.

This is also a great way to split bigger bills like $50 and $100. Simply buy a small cost item like a stick of gum and you can split your bills for smaller denominations.

If you encounter any problems at Walmart then you can use:

  • Smaller amounts of cash
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Samsung Pay
  • EBT vouchers
  • Walmart gift cards

You should note that, with a risk of being rather obvious, the Walmart website doesn’t accept cash so obviously that excludes $50 and $100 bills.


Does Costco Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

We contacted three Costco stores and they all said that they do accept $50 and $100 bills. One store said that they don’t if they don’t have enough cash in the register.

Another said that they do but they keep a lookout for counterfeit $100 bills as they stated there’s quite a lot in circulation.

Do Costco Self-Checkouts Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

Where available, Costco self-checkouts do accept $50 and $100 bills.

Do Costco Gas Stations Accept $50 and $100 bills

According to Costco’s website, Costco gas stations don’t accept cash so that clearly excludes $50 and $100 bills.

Costco gas stations only accept Visa, most other majors credit/debit cards, and also Costco shop cards.

Costco also accepts:

  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Samsung Pay
  • EBT
  • Traveler’s checks
  • Personal checks from members

Does Kohl’s Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

cash check out

Out of the 3 stores we spoke to, we got a uniform answer that they do accept $50 and $100 bills.

None of them said that they wouldn’t accept them in certain circumstances but like anywhere they would probably reject $50 and $100 bills if they couldn’t split them.

If you have any problems paying cash at Kohls then try the following instead:

  • Apple Pay
  • Samsung Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Kohls Cash
  • Debit or Credit Card
  • Smaller amounts of cash

Do Kohls Self-Checkouts Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

Kohl’s Self-Checkouts do accept $50 and $100 bills according to our research.


Does Target Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

We reached out to three target stores and they all confirmed that they take $50 and $100 bills routinely and will only not do so if they suspect counterfeit bills or if they don’t have enough cash to split the bill, which we were told is a rare occurrence.

If you are struggling to pay with $50 or $100 bills at Target then try:

  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Samsung Pay
  • Credit/Debit cards
  • Target gift vouchers
  • EBT

Do Target Self-Checkouts Accept $50 and $100 Bills

Target self-checkouts do take $50 and $100 bills as well as credit/debit cards, smaller amounts of cash, and electronic wallets like Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Apple Pay.

Related Article: Can You Buy a Gift Card with a Gift Card at Target?


Does Kroger Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

We spoke to staff at three Kroger stores and they all confirmed that you can use $50 and $100 bills in their stores subject to them being able to split these bills.

If you have any problems paying at Kroger then they accept the following as alternatives:

  • Credit and debit cards
  • Smaller amounts of cash
  • Personl checks
  • EBT
  • WIC cards

Unfortunately, Kroger doesn’t accept Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or Apple Pay but instead has its own type of electronic wallet called “Kroger Pay”.


Does Walgreens Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

checkout people

Out of the 3 Walgreens stores we spoke to, they all confirmed they accept $50 and $100 bills, albeit they said they don’t have a specific policy on this.

One store said that there could be a delay if they don’t have enough change to split a $100 bill but this would be rare.

If you have any issues paying with a $50 or $100 bill at Walgreens, then try the following:

  • Smaller amounts of cash
  • Credit or Debit card
  • Apple Pay
  • Walgreen Gift Cards

Does Walgreens Self-Checkout Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

Unfortunately, Walgreens doesn’t have self-checkouts installed but hopefully, they will roll this out in the future.


Does CVS Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

Out of the three CVS stores we contacted, all of them stated that they accept $50 and $100 bills subject to having enough cash to split them.

If you encounter any problems paying with $50 or $100 bills at CVS, you can also use:

  • Credit and Debit cards
  • Samung Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Apple Pay
  • Smaller amounts of cash

Does CVS Self-Checkout Accept $50 and $100 Bills?

CVS self-checkouts do accept $50 and $100 bills according to the inquiries that we have made.


Name of StoreDoes it Accept $50 and $100 Bills?
Walmart✔ Yes subject to having enough change to split them
Costco✔ Yes subject to having enough change to split them
Kohls✔ Yes subject to having enough change to split them
Target✔ Yes subject to having enough change to split them
Kroger✔ Yes subject to having enough change to split them
Walgreens✔ Yes subject to having enough change to split them
CVS✔ Yes subject to having enough change to split them

Final Thoughts

As you will note, all of the stores answered that they would accept $50 and $100 bills subject to them being able to split them.

Even if the store is unable to split your note, and you are left to use another payment method, all of the stores we spoke to had a wide variety of payment options to choose from in the rare event you become unstuck.

However, you should note that most of these stores don’t have a written policy on whether they accept $50 or $100 bills so we cannot guarantee uniformity across the thousands of stores each of these companies have.


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About the author

Oliver graduated from law school in 2008 and has practiced exclusively in the field of civil litigation for the last 10 years. He has a wealth of experience and expertise in litigation involving large financial losses and a special interest in consumer law. He has achieved numerous 7 figure settlements and has been involved in multi-billion dollar class-action consumer lawsuits against companies such as the Volkswagen Group. Away from the law, he is a consumer information and personal finance writer, having been featured in key publications such as Yahoo Finance, GO Banking Rates, NewsBreak, MEL Magazine, and many more.



-Chief Editor and Founder

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