Kwik Trip penny and cash rounding policy

Kwik Trip, including its Kwik Star stores, rounds cash purchases down to the nearest five cents. Card and digital payments are charged the exact price.

Updated October 31, 2026 · Based on official sources listed below · How we research

Rounds down

What happens to cash totals

Exact

Card, app and other electronic payments

Oct. 2025

When the policy was first reported

Company statement

What the policy is based on

What Kwik Trip does with cash totals

Kwik Trip announced in early October 2025 that, because the government had not provided guidance after penny production ended, all cash purchases at Kwik Trip and Kwik Star locations will be rounded down to the nearest five cents. Stores switch over as their penny supplies run out, and registers apply the rounding automatically.

Example: a $1.04 cash purchase costs $1.00, while the same item by card costs $1.04. The company said the policy stays in place until a permanent legislative solution is enacted. Kwik Trip vice president John McHugh acknowledged it would cost the company a lot but called it the right thing to do for customers.

What you pay in cash

How Kwik Trip cash totals round when rounding favors the customer
Exact total	You pay in cash	Difference	Card / app
$7.81	$7.80	−1¢	$7.81
$7.82	$7.80	−2¢	$7.82
$7.83	$7.80	−3¢	$7.83
$7.84	$7.80	−4¢	$7.84
$7.85	$7.85	same	$7.85
$7.86	$7.85	−1¢	$7.86
$7.87	$7.85	−2¢	$7.87
$7.88	$7.85	−3¢	$7.88
$7.89	$7.85	−4¢	$7.89

Does it vary by state?

Kwik Trip operates in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota and Michigan. None of those states has a law requiring a specific method for retail cash sales as of October 31, 2026: Minnesota’s statute covers state agencies only, and Wisconsin and Michigan have agency guidance. Rounding down is a discount to the customer. If the federal Common Cents Act becomes law, it expressly allows customer-favorable rounding.

Card vs cash

Credit card and digital transactions stay the same: you are charged the exact price.

Tips for customers

Cash is now the cheapest way to pay at Kwik Trip, by up to 4¢.
Stores switch over as they run out of pennies, so one location may still give exact change while another rounds.
Nexstar reported that customers can still pay with pennies if they have them.

What the company has said

“This change reflects our ongoing focus on guest experience.” (Scott Zietlow, Kwik Trip president and CEO)
“all cash purchases at Kwik Trip and Kwik Star locations will be rounded down to the nearest five cents” (Kwik Trip statement, Oct. 2025)

Checked against the sources below as of October 31, 2026. Store policies change; if your store does something different, the sign at the register and your receipt are the best guide. Compare other chains on the store policies page, or check a total with the calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Does Kwik Trip round up or down?

Down. Kwik Trip rounds all cash purchases down to the nearest five cents.

Does Kwik Trip round card purchases?

No. Credit card and digital transactions are charged the exact price.

How long will Kwik Trip round down?

Kwik Trip said the policy stays until a permanent legislative solution is enacted.

Is Kwik Trip the same as QuikTrip?

No. Kwik Trip is a Wisconsin-based chain; QuikTrip is based in Oklahoma and has its own policy.