Retailer Target will stop taking personal checks as payment starting Monday, after the end of the chain’s “Circle Week” which runs until Saturday.

Not enough people were using checks to justify the store still taking them, the company said.

“Due to extremely low volumes, we’ll no longer accept personal checks starting July 15. We have taken several measures to notify guests in advance to aid an easy and efficient checkout experience,” Target said in a statement.

Cash, credit, debit, digital wallets, SNAP/EBT and buy now, pay later services will all still be accepted after Monday.

The usage of checks has been declining for years, according to the Federal Reserve. In 2023, checks only made up 3% of all payments, per the Federal Reserve.

In 2000, there were 42.6 billion payments made by check, 58.7% of all non-cash payments made in America that year. 

Checks stopped being the largest form of non-cash payment in 2009, when they were outstripped by non-prepaid debit cards. In 2009, there were 25.8 billion payments made by check, 26% of all non-cash payments made that year.

In the most recent year for which the Federal Reserve has data, 2021, there were only 11.2 billion payments made by check, a mere 5.4% of all non-cash payments. 

Checks also became the least-used non-cash payment option for the first time in 2021, having been eclipsed by the second-least used method, automated clearinghouse account-to-account credit transfers.

Other stores that no longer accept checks include grocers Whole Foods and Aldi, according to the Chicago Tribune.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.