Low Production & Demand
$2 bills are the least-produced denomination of US currency. Since they are printed based on demand, there are often gaps of several years between printings. That's why they've only been printed 25 times in the 153 years since 1862 when they were introduced. It makes them the least common of all US bills. Which, of course, leads to...
Lack of Circulation & Use
How many $1 bills do you have in your wallet? How about $5s? But, do you have any $2 bills on hand? Yeah, most people don't. When was the last time you were given a $2 bill for change? And you can't even get any from the ATM. There are so few out there, that coming across one is rare; it would seem odd to find a two dollar bill in a business place. Cash registers normally have 5 bill slots, and I don't think any are used for twos. It is partly because of the low amount of production; but still, there are still over 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) in circulation, and they make up (depending on the source) 1 to 3 percent of all bills in circulation. But, like I said, people think they are rare, so they keep whatever two dollar bills they come across. This can be for good luck, or just because they think they're cool, or because they believe in the common misconception that $2 bills are no longer made. But because it keeps them out of circulation, unnecessarily collecting $2 bills just hurts them even more. The saddening lack of use leads to...
Fear that They're Not Accepted
You may think that stores won't take $2 bills, or that machines don't except them. Well, that's not true.
$2 bills are legal tender under the US government, and you can use them in any establishment that... takes money. Which is everywhere. Two dollar bills are just as valid as ones or fives, though they are unfairly perceived as inferior. There have been many stories about people getting turned away or even arrested by the less currency-educated for trying to use $2 bills, which shows that this lack of public awareness can cause actual problems; but don't worry, that's unlikely to happen.
About machines, they may be more two-friendly than they seem. In fact, most gaming and many vending machines that take $1 and $5 bills take $2s as well, even though they are rarely marked for it. Granted, there are also some that don't. The only way to know is to test them out, which I will doing and documenting here to help everyone out. Machines that don't accept twos are both a cause and effect of the uncommonness of the $2 bill, as they're one of the main things small bills are used for. However, the 2-accepting machines that aren't marked aren't helping either.
In addition to the lack a faith, there's...
$2 bills are legal tender under the US government, and you can use them in any establishment that... takes money. Which is everywhere. Two dollar bills are just as valid as ones or fives, though they are unfairly perceived as inferior. There have been many stories about people getting turned away or even arrested by the less currency-educated for trying to use $2 bills, which shows that this lack of public awareness can cause actual problems; but don't worry, that's unlikely to happen.
About machines, they may be more two-friendly than they seem. In fact, most gaming and many vending machines that take $1 and $5 bills take $2s as well, even though they are rarely marked for it. Granted, there are also some that don't. The only way to know is to test them out, which I will doing and documenting here to help everyone out. Machines that don't accept twos are both a cause and effect of the uncommonness of the $2 bill, as they're one of the main things small bills are used for. However, the 2-accepting machines that aren't marked aren't helping either.
In addition to the lack a faith, there's...
Under-understood Usefulness
Many people say "Why would you need a two dollar bill?" Well, check out our list of pros and cons here.
Lack of Knowledge & Public Education
When you learned about money values in elementary school, were you ever taught about the $2 bill? When you played with fake money toys, was there ever a $2 bill in those sets? No. There is no education about the $2 bill. This directly affects public awareness, and unlike everything else stated before, this can be directly affected too. To help, sign this petition I've created that would require public schools to educate kids about the $2 bill just like all other bills.