Taco Bell PR Stunt Could Revive $2 Bill

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The only thing you'll be able to buy at Taco Bell with 2 bucks is ONE menu item, a bag of chips, and a drink. It may be enough for the elderly, younger kids, and people on a not-so-loose diet, but not for the rest of us.
A lot of their other meals are kinda lacking, too..............stick with the combos if you want any meals at all.
At least it tastes pretty decent, though, IMO.

Steven of TX 4:47PM August 21, 2010

Does the Taco Bell promotions department think we are all so stupid as to think a petition to bring the two back is even viable. Or are they simply THAT ignorant themselves. Two's are still on the list of denominations printed when demand calls for them. The only issue is that the demand is low. For example few businesses use them as regular change. There are millions of two's sitting in the reserve when those are exhausted or get low the BEP will print more just like any other denomination. It is not uncommon for say fifty dollar bills to go 9, 10 or 18 months between print runs and those are by no means considered rare. But yet the two is by some. Why? Because it is just not used much. That is all it comes down to. If taco bell really wanted to bring the two back all they would have to do is use it as regular change in ALL their stores. There are plenty available.

matt of WI 9:48AM June 17, 2010

Does the Taco Bell promotions department think we are all so stupid as to think a petition to bring the two back is even viable. Or are they simply THAT ignorant themselves. Two's are still on the list of denominations printed when demand calls for them. The only issue is that the demand is low. For example few businesses use them as regular change. There are millions of two's sitting in the reserve when those are exhausted or get low the BEP will print more just like any other denomination. It is not uncommon for say fifty dollar bills to go 9, 10 or 18 months between print runs and those are by no means considered rare. But yet the two is by some. Why? Because it is just not used much. That is all it comes down to. If taco bell really wanted to bring the two back all they would have to do is use it as regular change in ALL their stores. There are plenty available.

matt of WI 9:46AM June 17, 2010

As has been stated, most $2 bills are worth - $2. There are actually plenty in the Federal Reserve, but banks do not order them often because consumers do not request them often.
The mint did not "waste money" on state quarters - they made money, because of the number being held by collectors - if I give the Feds, say, five nickels for a quarter, they have that .25, pluse the value of the .25 that I am not spending (i.e., redeeming for value).
From Wikiepdia:
Seigniorage is the profit gained by a government when it issues currency. The U.S. government discovered at the launch of the State Quarters series that a large number of people were collecting each new quarter as it rolled out of the U.S. Mint, taking the pieces out of circulation. Since it costs the Mint less than five cents for each 25-cent piece it produces, the government made a profit whenever someone bought a coin and chose not to spend it. The U.S. Treasury estimates that it has earned about $4.6 billion in seigniorage revenue from the quarters so far.

Alix of AL 12:47AM June 12, 2010

"Collectible currency only has the value someone is willing to put on it."
You could replace 'Collectible currency' with absolutely anything and your statement would still be true.

stupidnewbiewhatdoesn'tgetjokes of KY 8:43AM June 11, 2010

Anyone who says to collect and store a particular currency as an investment is not giving good advice. If you store an absolutely un-circulated bill for 20 years and keep it in pristine condition, it will be worth less than the same amount of money left in a savings account with compound interest over the same period.
This is the case for most of the bills out there. There are some exceptions, but for the most part that is the case. Collectible currency only has the value someone is willing to put on it. A fancy or special serial number may fetch more to a collector of that special arrangement. For the most part $2 bills are just not in that category unless they are over 50 years old. and even then they have to be in really good condition to bring any type of premium.
I find it amusing that Taco Bell is promoting this print more two's campaign when at this time there are at least 230 million two dollar bills in circulation from the 2003A series print run. (http://www.uspapermoney.info/serials/all___b.html) maybe if you find one of the 320,000 Star notes it may be worth hanging on to them, but not if everyone does. Just like those collectible state quarters the mint wasted money on.

IGadget of NY 4:03AM June 11, 2010

Sell your gold. Sell your silver. Sell your stocks and bonds. Buy $2 Federal Reserve Notes! It's the only smart investment.

W5WMW of OK 7:09PM June 10, 2010

Continue to give away your Toms if you want. Just because you are adamant in your practicing of bad business decisions doesn't make it smart, or a good idea for others with more fiscal sense. The only proper place for a two dollar bill is your sock drawer. If you keep them there long enough, 20-30 years on the outside, it is a given that they will be worth between $50-$100 each. If instead of realizing that amazing profit you'd rather run around like some Johnny-Tomseed and hand over a fortune to the cashiers of this nation, be my guest. But trying to convince other people to follow your path of financial self-destruction is just unfathomable. You'd might as well be peddling heroin to five year olds. Shame on you.

Kasiliin of PA 5:51PM June 10, 2010

listen people, i'm involved in a hobby that deals a great deal with money and i can assure you that Toms, that's what we call $2 at the site, are NOT collectibles in any way shape or form. wait, i take that back. there are some older ones with a red seal on them that are worth more than face value. the last series was 2003A but just 2 weeks ago i got some 1976 Toms from the bank that were in near uncirculated condition. the site is www.wheresgeorge.com and it assists in traveling where the money you spend ends up. at this site you learn a great deal about the money we spend.
some people make it a point to spend more Toms than any other bill. i myself only get $10 worth each paycheck and i usually use them as tips. if i have a couple left over when my next pay date is near i'll just take them to the bar and spend them as normal.
each and every one of you can go to the bank right now and ask for some $2 bills and you can get them at face value. at my bank they are usually kept with the commercial teller. i hear a lot of strip clubs like to give them out so their dancers, and hence themselves, can make more money.
some people think they are bad luck, some like them. sometimes when i pull them out someone will ask if i have anymore and i'll gladly exchange them with no fees on top because i know they're not collectible items. only the aforementioned red seal bills are collectibles.

the prufessa of MI 3:06PM June 10, 2010

Matt, please let me know how many $2 bills you'd like to buy from me at $2.25 each. Kasiliin, this offer is available to you too at your $5 price. Frankly, the more you want the better. I'll then go down to my bank, withdraw them all at face value, and sell them to you at the 12.5% and 150% premiums, respectively. If you want more, I'll tell my bank to order some more and they'll have them for me next week.
Do you folks really believe Yum! Brands has a business model that allows them to try to accumulate $2 bills from their customers so they can sit on them for decades in an idiotic belief they'll appreciate in value or flipped on a massive scale for some fake numismatic value? Really? And if that was their business model, why wouldn't they just go to their bank and order them rather than go through this publicity exercise to acquire them?

GK of MI 11:30AM June 10, 2010