Round pound deadline: 5 shops that are still accepting old £1 coins

After a six-month phasing out period, the round pound is no longer legal tender. However, some shops are still accepting them for a limited time. Read on to find out more.

The deadline for spending the old £1 coin has officially passed.

However, if you still have a few round pounds, don’t despair: you can still spend, exchange, donate or deposit them.

Here’s what you need to know.

But before you do anything, check if you have one of these 25 rare pound coins that are worth more than face value.

Spend in store

A number of major retailers have decided to extend their own £1 deadline to make life easier on shoppers. Here are the main ones you should know about:

Aldi

You have until the end of October to spend your round pounds at Aldi. 

Iceland

Iceland is also accepting old £1 coins until the end of October.  

Poundland

Yup, you’ve guessed it: Poundland is taking old £1 coins until the end of October too.

“We are the official home of the pound, so it’s a no-brainer that we offer all Brits the opportunity to spend their hard-earned round pounds for longer,” said Poundland managing director, Barry Williams.

Tesco

Tesco shoppers need to be snappier if they want to spend their coins – its deadline is Sunday 22 October.

The Entertainer

Paying for stocking fillers needn’t be an issue this Christmas as toy shop The Entertainer has announced that it will be taking round pounds right up until 31 December.

Katie Gritt, spokesperson for The Entertainer, said: “We wanted to extend the time period for accepting old pound coins to help communities in the run-up to Christmas when every penny counts!

"There is plenty of time to dig them out and make use of them.”

Alternatives

If you don’t fancy spending your cash in a shop, there are other options.

Bank it

You can exchange your old coins for new £1 at most banks and building societies, although some might only do the swap if you have an account with them. 

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Give it away

Charities are asking people to donate their old pounds. Some have even launched campaigns to help people offload the coins.

BBC Children in Need is running a Round Pound Countdown before the charity’s appeal day on 17 November.

Epilepsy Action is asking people to ‘give their last pound to fight epilepsy’ as part of its Pound for Pound campaign.

In the spirit of saving endangered animals, wildlife charity Born Free is appealing for people to donate their pounds after they ‘go extinct’.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Trust Children's Charity is simply asking people for their ‘good old pounds’.

Take it to the Post Office

You can take round pounds to the Post Office and deposit them in any bank until further notice. Unfortunately, you can’t do a straight switch for new coins.

There's also the option of donating old coinage to Children in Need through the Post Office.

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More on the new £1 coin:

Round pound deadline: what you REALLY need to do

Rare pound coins: which are the most valuable old 'round pounds'?

The new £1 coin: how is it made?