Pennies Are Officially Being Phased Out of Great Falls

Most of us can recall a time we found a penny or ten in our car that we had long forgot about. Sometimes, we don't even think twice when scooping up those loose pennis covered in who knows what.

One could even argue that we took the penny for granted.

Kiss The U.S. Penny Goodbye!

In case you missed the announcement, the U.S. government announced back in 2025 that the penny would be discontinued with the final pennies being minted in November 2025.

"The U.S. Mint projects an immediate annual savings of $56 million in reduced material costs by stopping penny production," the Department of Treasury said in a statement back in December 2025.

ALSO READ: Highly Contagious Bacterial Infection Reported in Cascade County

"Given the increasing number of non-cash transactions and the very low purchasing power of a single penny, the Department of the Treasury does not believe continued production is fiscally responsible or necessary to meet the needs of commerce in the United States."

Great Falls Businesses Gear Up for the End of the Penny

Currently, there is no definitive timetable for when the penny will be completely out of circulation, but it could take a while. According to the Department of the Treasury, there is an estimated 114 billion pennies in circulation... so, yeah... they're not going to be completely gone.

That said, businesses around the Great Falls area are already implementing changes to transition away from accepting pennies.

Get our free mobile app

One business for example is a popular one that my wife and I frequent regularly: 2Js. They shared a "Rounding Notice" on their Facebook page:

"Due to the Retirement of the Penny, All Cash Transactions will be Rounded Down to the nearest 5 [cents]," the post said. 2Js made it clear that they will always round down and not up.

"Always down, Never Up. Thanks for helping us keep checkout smooth."

I can't imagine someone making a huge deal out of a 1 to 4-cent difference, up or down, but you have to appreciate the fact 2Js goes out of their way to let you know they're thinking of the customer during this process.

What do you think of the penny disappearing? Does it.... make "cents"?

Share your thoughts with us HERE.