McDonald's customers angry as fast food chain confirms new coin policy after Trump penny decision

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

McDonald’s is adjusting its change policy to combat a current penny shortage, and some customers aren’t happy.

A memo from the fast food chain went viral on Reddit, notifying customers it would be rounding change to the nearest five cents. This comes after President Donald Trump made a controversial decision about the production of pennies earlier this year.

McDonald’s confirmed to the Mirror US that in locations experiencing a penny shortage, the restaurant will round up or down to the nearest 5 cents if a patron doesn’t have exact change. For customers using card, the order totals will remain the same. It comes after we revealed the best and worst McDonald's in the country- with an unexpected result.

Menu prices will stay the same, but the entire order total will be rounded depending on the change. The sign on Reddit explained how the rounding will work:

If the order price ends in 1 or 2 cents, it will be rounded down to 0 cents.
If the order price ends in 3 or 4 cents, it will be rounded up to 5 cents.
If the order price ends in 5 or 0 cents, exact change will be given.
If the order price ends in 6 or 7 cents, it will be rounded down to 5 cents.
If the order price ends in 8 or 9 cents, it will be rounded up to 10 cents.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/mcdonald-s-customers-angry-as-fast-food-chain-confirms-new-coin-policy-after-trump-penny-decision/ar-AA1PJkYf

[Blues Heron]

1. That should even out right?

[JT45242]

3. It should and how other countries eliminated the penny (or its equivalent) and left something equivalent to a nickel

Pretty simple solution...has been proposed for many years ever since it became more expensive to make a penny than it is worth.

[Blues Heron]

4. Nickels cost 14 cents to make, but they last a long time.

[ITAL]

13. Don't pennies too?

I have plenty of pennies that were made decades ago.

[Blues Heron]

16. Yes, but we're not making any of them anymore

[ITAL]

23. I know that

Last edited Tue Nov 4, 2025, 07:33 PM - Edit history (1)

But I guess what I was getting at is that if producing nickels at a loss is okay because they last a long time, I'm not sure why producing pennies at a loss was such a deal breaker.

[Blues Heron]

30. I don't think it is. Inflation has rendered the penny level of pricing granularity obsolete.

After all, a penny in 1977 had the buying power of todays nickel and people were fine with it.

[Deminpenn]

20. The Mints sell coins to the federal government

at face value. They make a "profit" when the cost of making a coin is less than it's face value.

[Blues Heron]

21. Remind me not to open a minting business anytime soon!

[hlthe2b]

14. Umm. Not for those who buy the same thing each time until the core price changes.

I know this is no biggie for most of us, but I put myself in the shoes of homeless people, which I do see frequently trying to purchase with whatever meager donations they have received that day. It does impact, even though so many on DU have poo-pooed the idea it makes any difference whatsoever. I find that sad for those who profess to care about the poor.

[meadowlander]

29. They set the prices, so I'm sure they can jig them to always get round ups instead of round downs.

[themaguffin]

2. God forbid stores bake tax into the price so that there are less instances of the use of pennies

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. You know they will fix it so everything gets rounded up.

[ProfessorGAC]

28. How Would That Work?

In Illinois, the sakes tax on groceries is 1%.
If something costs $5.99, the tax brings it up to $6.0599, or six dollars and six cents.
So if they charge $6.06, it doesn't eliminate pennies.
To make it even out grocers would have to either charge $6, cutting 1% of already thin margins or $6.05, still cutting margins.
Simple rounding seems the simplest solution, and that's been established for a few hundred years.

[themaguffin]

31. It works by not making things .99. They would be a few cents cheaper so that the tax makes it .99 or whatever

[ProfessorGAC]

33. I See

So you want supermarkets running on 3% margins to lower their prices by 1 to 3%.
I don't think you thought this through.

[themaguffin]

34. that's not what I said

[SeattleVet]

5. When I was stationed in Germany they stopped shipping pennies to us.

Everything got rounded to the nearest nickel. One guy in my shop (now, inexplicably a huge tRump supporter) claimed that it would cost more in the long run, so we made a bet.

We kept close track of everything we spent on base for a month. At the end we were within a couple of cents up or down, so in the long run it really does even out.

His thinking was that since most prices either ended on .95 (no rounding), .98 or .99 (both rounded up) he'd lose on most transactions. What he didn't consider was multiple item purchases which made the final digit much more randomized.

(And that was without having a sales tax put into the mix. Back here in the US going from one town to the next can have a big change in the tax rate - city, state, and other local taxes - so changing the prices on everything to make it come out to an even 5 cents is probably not an option.)

[Buns_of_Fire]

6. People are getting angry about THIS???

I detect a group of people who clearly don't have enough stress in their lives already.

[Greg_In_SF]

8. Don't like it?

Don't eat there

[Enter stage left]

9. Canada has been doing this for a long time. Pennies are a waste of time.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

10. Yes

For about 25 years now

[canetoad]

25. Australia did away

With 1 and 2c coins in the early 90s. $1 and $2 have been coins for coupla decades.

[Aussie105]

32. Got a big plastic bottle here full of 1 and 2 cent AU coins.

Basically, they are no longer coin of the realm.

Coins are: 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1, $2.

The 'silver' ones go into a big jar of their own, the 50c and above stay in my pocket.

The local bank hates it when I turn up with a heavy jar of silver coins.

[Fiendish Thingy]

11. That's how Canada does it.

No big whup.

[bluestarone]

12. Wonder if states that charge sells tax would settle

for like 5% vs 7% Just give that 2% back to consumer?

[Buckeyeblue]

15. If McDonald's priced everything in whole dollars wouldn't that end the problem?

[Deminpenn]

17. No because state sales taxes are odf

percents, like 6 or 7% here in Pennsylvania.

[CrispyQ]

26. No. You still have taxes. And not just state taxes.

Years ago I worked at a chain store in the Denver area & they had just over 60 stores & almost 60 different tax algorithms due to various combos of state, county, & city taxes.

[Wounded Bear]

18. Meh, this was inevitable. Pennies cost several cents to make and ship around...

[Deminpenn]

19. Walmart is doing this also

The other day, my order came to $ xx.04. when I put in my bills, rather than get 96 or even 95 cents change, got $1.00 back.

However, the local Giant Eagle offered to pay $1 in store credit for every roll of pennies, they received over 1M pennies!

[mopinko]

22. the 1 and only good thing he has done. i HATE pennies.

i dont care what anyone says, they arent money any more.

[Xavier Breath]

24. They're really more of a nuisance at this point.

I tend to be a nostalgic person, and even I'm over them.

[Mike Nelson]

27. Eventually, all their...

...prices will add up to combinations that are rounded up. I have a good suggestion on how we can protest - DON'T EAT THERE!