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You'll Never Need a Cart Quarter at Aldi Again, Here's Why

If you always forget your quarter, try these keychains.

By Cassandra Yorgey

Edited by Laura Ratliff

Updated Sept. 24, 2024

We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

Aldi changed the shopping cart game by requiring a quarter to unlock the cart, which is then returned when the cart is empty — but some shoppers have trouble remembering to keep a quarter on them. This is hardly surprising as society has shifted towards electronic purchases, and fewer people carry cash, let alone change.

As prices increase, very few things can be purchased for coin change. Quarters are still helpful for parking meters, and Aldi brought that concept over to shopping carts to encourage returns.

They require a 25-cent deposit to unlock the cart from the train, and when the cart is returned and re-locked, the coin is returned. Basically, Aldi decided to charge people for failing to return the cart to the corral.

This has left many scrambling to figure out how to get a cart when they don't carry quarters on them regularly anymore, and some are turning to keychains to solve the problem. See the Aldi hacks for keychains that some turn to instead of pocket change.

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Aldi Shopping Cart Quarter Tool

Price: $5.99 for three

Many have seen the 3D-printed quarter tools floating around social media, but they are now also available on Amazon. The key fobs are designed to fit into the quarter-slot on shopping carts but have a "handle" to remove it without returning the cart.

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Shopping Cart Quarter Version 2.0

Price: $4.99

This quarter-alternative utilizes the same concept but has a shorter "handle" and more aesthetic design — one that doesn't make its purpose immediately clear to casual viewers of your keys. It's also 3D-printed, but has many reviews supporting that it works.

Mini Aluminum Alloy Key Ring Shopping Trolley Tokens

Aluminum alloy shopping trolley key ring

Price: $6.99 for 2

This keychain features a long "handle" design but is made of metal rather than 3D-printed plastic. It's an upgrade to a more chic, streamlined keychain that won't be obvious amidst your keys. Reviews say this model does work, but it can require a lot of jiggling, which can be annoying.

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Aldi keychain

Price: $8.99

The idea behind the Aldi shopping carts is to have people return them to where they belong rather than abandon them in the parking lot where they are in the way of people and cars.

As such, Aldi introduced its own solution to the quarter problem. Aldi keychains have a pocket for a quarter, so you can reuse the same coin every time you shop. They can often be found in Aldi, but they are also available on Amazon.

Bottom line

Returning your shopping cart to where it belongs when you are done with it shouldn't be a controversial subject for the able-bodied, so if you're utilizing a key fob to unlock carts without a quarter, you should still return them when you're done.

It's not about the money; it's about being part of polite society — and 25 cents is such a tiny, nominal amount that it's less expensive than any of the keychain options - and it even gets returned!

Savvy shoppers will find the best deal is to use a quarter and get it back every time, and if you really want to stretch your Aldi budget you can shop with the best cash back credit cards to earn money back on your groceries at the same time.

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