Lidl to extend deposit-refund voucher validity to 100 days from October

Lidl Poland is more than tripling the time customers have to use vouchers issued for returned bottles and cans. From October, the vouchers will remain valid for 100 days instead of the current 30.

The retailer says the decision does not follow customer complaints. Most people, it says, use their vouchers on the same day they return their packaging. Lidl describes the longer period as a way to give consumers greater convenience.

The chain reported that customers have already returned more than 990 million deposit-marked containers. The total includes 660 million plastic bottles and 330 million metal cans.

Voucher rules currently vary across Poland's retail chains. Biedronka and Aldi issue vouchers valid for 30 days, while Carrefour allows 60 days. Stokrotka and Netto set a 90-day period. Kaufland also gives customers 100 days, while vouchers from Auchan and Dino are reportedly valid without an expiry date. The Ministry of Climate and Environment is working on uniform rules. Earlier proposals suggested a minimum validity period of three months, or possibly six months, with the analysis expected to finish in September.

Customers do not have to accept a voucher at Lidl. They can present the receipt from the bottle-return machine at the checkout area and receive the deposit in cash. Until Sept. 30, the chain will also accept plastic bottles and cans without a deposit mark, offering 10 groszy toward purchases.