
New Cash Policy at Iowa Big Box Stores Now Being Enforced
In recent years, several retail locations have become cashless. It's not just businesses, it's sporting events. Locally, some events in and around Cedar Rapids have stopped taking cash.
Read More: Sporting Events Around Cedar Rapids Have Gone Cashless
Lollapalooza experimented with cashless transactions, and as of 2025, the famous Coachella Festival is 100% cashless.
Where Do They Take Cash in Iowa These Days?
A majority of stores in Iowa still take greenbacks. MSN says some of the big box stores, like Target and Wal-Mart, are beginning to curtail what cash they will take. They're still taking all denominations, but they will not take those bills if they are presented in a certain way.
The bills will be inspected, and if they meet any of these criteria, they will most likely be rejected. Mutilated bills, bills with torn, cut, or separated corners, and bills that are frayed or have burn marks will not be accepted. Also, any bills that are discolored, faded, or stained, and bills that are flimsy or fall apart will most likely not be allowed as payment.
Why Are These Stores Scrutinizing Cash This Way?
The push is in conjunction with the The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) to remove old and worn-out bills and to help curb counterfeiting.
Cedar Rapids has had a little bit of a problem with counterfeit currency popping up in and around the city. Here are just a few of the stories of the many that you'll find if you search Cedar Rapids and counterfeit. Wow, that's a lot of stories!
Counterfeit $100 Bills Circulating Across Cedar Rapids (KGAN Feb 2023)
Counterfeit $50 Bills Being Presented at Area Businesses (Cedar Rapids Police Facebook July 2020)
Where to Buy Counterfeit Detection Pens in Cedar Rapids?
If you’ve ever been in a bank or many other retail locations and pulled out cash, they have a tool: a marker. They run it across the bills, and if the money is real, it looks one way; if it’s counterfeit, the marker will let you know.
These pens, according to Wikipedia, contain an iodine-based solution that reacts with the starch in wood-based paper and produces a blue or black mark. It remains unchanged if the paper contains no starch.
This is not 100% effective, because the chemical properties of bills printed before 1960, says Wikipedia, render the pen useless. Having the pen would make a consumer safer when accepting cash for a transaction.

When buying or selling anything on the marketplace or doing transactions where you're accepting cash, it could save some heartache for about $10. If you're in Cedar Rapids, you can buy them at one of these locations (they're also available online abundantly):
Some of the pens also have UV light that helps detect counterfeit bills. Remember, all pens are not created equal, and it would be best to do a quick bit of looking to find the best one.
Can You Tell if a Bill is Counterfeit by Looking at it?
The United States Secret Service was originally tasked with combatting counterfeiters following the Civil War, before being transitioned to presidential protection. They have put together a collection of bills that shows what to look for if you think the bill you possess might be counterfeit. Look for these indicators, according to the USSS, for each of the bills.
What if an Iowan's Money is Worn Out?
If your money is not accepted at Target, Wal-Mart, or one of the other stores that may follow suit because it's not up to snuff, you can have that money replaced by the Bureau of Engraving & Printing with mutilated currency redemption, as long as it meets the requirements.
There are few reasons the cash will not be redeemed or returned, and that is basically fraud or scheme, not enough of the bill, or an unidentifiable bill.
Let's transition from counterfeiting to something more real. These are places Iowans love to go and have told us so. Maybe you've been, or will check these places out:
The Most Beloved Dives Bars in Eastern Iowa
Gallery Credit: Courtlin
Palisades-Kepler State Park December 30, 2024
Gallery Credit: Sloppy Joe
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