There are many things missing from Aldi that American shoppers expect to find in grocery stores. They don’t have free plastic bags, for example, or candy at the checkout, or items containing added MSG or hydrogenated oils. Another familiar missing item was credit cards: cash, debit cards, SNAP, and EBT cards were accepted, but not credit cards with their higher fees. As of today, though, that changes nationwide.

Credit card transaction fees are higher than debit card interchange fees, which is why the discount grocery chain simply didn’t accept them. Changing consumer preferences and the company’s expansion into new markets may have meant that they had to catch up with most other retailers, though.

“We care about being able to make our customers’ shopping experiences simpler and better every time they come to see us,” the CEO of Aldi USA said in a statement, “and offering them the convenience of using their credit cards will help us do just that.”

The option of paying with a credit card was available to shoppers in some markets, and is now going nationwide. While they may not necessarily be connected, the change is just in time for the discount grocer’s planned expansion into southern California later this month.

They accept all four major credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. That means that you’re fine if you forget to grab cash on your way to the store, but you should probably still remember to bring your re-usable bags… and a quarter to unlock your cart.

(via Supermarket News)

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