Etsy: Aldi Solutions Quarter Keeper Keychain

Last Updated on September 24, 2019

EDITOR’S NOTES:

  • This product was given to us in exchange for an honest review. You can read our full disclosure policy here.
  • As of September 2019 this keychain is no longer available. We hope it comes back at some point, and for the reasons you’ll read about below.

This post contains affiliate links.


The quarter is a small but crucial part of Aldi shopping life. This 25-cent piece of metal is what allows shoppers to access shopping carts at Aldi, with the promise of getting the quarter back when the cart is returned.

To do all this, though, you need a quarter. That’s easy enough … as long as you have one on you. To accomplish that, you need to keep one on hand. Many people, for example, have a designated spot in their car for such a purpose. But there has also been a sharp rise in a cottage industry of keychain quarter holders that allow people to keep their quarters right with them for when they need one to get that cart. We’ve come to see quarter keychain holders as a borderline necessity for the serious Aldi shopper.

Aldi has sold its own take on a quarter holder, but we’re not big fans of the build quality or ease of use. And, thankfully, because of the different options available online, we don’t have to be stuck only with Aldi’s product. There are a number of quality options across a number of different vendors, but we think the ones available on Etsy, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, are some of the best.

Among the offerings is the Aldi Solutions Quarter Keeper Keychain.

Aldi Solutions Quarter Keychain Holder

The Aldi Solutions Quarter Keeper Keychain. (Click to enlarge.)

This keychain, which currently sells for $5.49 (shipping is free), which is competitive with many of the Etsy quarter holders out there. The seller, Aldi Solutions — which is not affiliated with Aldi — is based just outside of Champaign, Illinois, home of the University of Illinois.

The design and function are pretty simple. The keychain is shaped to hold a quarter, and when you insert the quarter, a clip on the inside of the keychain secures the quarter. To remove the coin, you simply pull the quarter out.

Admittedly, there are more artsy holders out there, and if you’re looking for something with hearts or sparkle, this may not do it for you. If function and ease of use are your goals, though, this one may be what you’re looking for. I carried the keychain around for a few weeks, using it at a few Aldi stores along the way … and I have to say that my initial impressions were promising. It holds the quarter securely while also making it pretty simple to remove the quarter when you need to. Better still, although it stays in, it doesn’t take a ton of force to remove. It’s a nice balance, and it’s far superior to the version Aldi sold.

Aldi Solutions Quarter Keychain Holder

The Aldi Solutions holder and the official Aldi quarter holder, side by side.

It’s also one of the more compact keychain holders I’ve seen. It’s smaller than Aldi’s holder and is smaller than most other holders out there. That’s a plus if you’re trying to cut down on keychain clutter.

From The Designer:

We asked the keychain designer, Clint McGraw, how he came up with the idea. He said,

“It’s kind of a funny story how I came up with the idea of the Quarter Keeper. My wife would always send me to Aldi to pick up some grocery items and upon arrival I was without a quarter and had to borrow one from a stranger. This brought my idea of some sort of keychain that would hold a quarter. Upon research I found that there are actually many quarter holder keychains on the market and most of them being from crafty people who design them out of leather or yarn. I tried these keychains but was unsatisfied. Most of them provided the difficult task of getting the quarter in and out and they all seemed to become dingy and dirty in a short amount of time. This is how the Quarter Keeper came to mind. I wanted something easy to slide in and out that lasted longer and looked clean. A month later the prototype was manufactured and here we are today!”

The Verdict:

The Aldi Solutions Quarter Keeper Keychain is a nice option for shoppers needing a place to store their quarters. While we don’t yet know how it will do long-term, our early tests look good. If you’re looking for a quarter holder with a functional, compact design, solid ease of use, and a modest price tag, it’s worth a look. (Plus, you’re supporting a small business.)

To learn more about the quarter holder, click here.

About Joshua

Joshua is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. He is also a writer and novelist. You can learn more about him at joshuaajohnston.com.

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