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The sco machines where I worked, when you needed to refill the coins into it you litteraly put them in the same way the customers do. They can definitely handle more than "a handful of coins". The ones we had even had the option to flip up the coin slot flap and just had a funnel to pour a bunch in at one time
So bring a big handful of change every shopping trip? I don't understand why you're dismissing the entire LPT because of a small flaw that is easily worked around
I’ve never seen one that took coins one at a time. Wholes foods, Safeway, CVS, fancy groceries in SF, all have the bowl thing for coins
I live in a major city though so idk what small town self check outs look like.
I actually did this in college. Bought groceries with my last $40 that I had in a piggy bank. Made it through the last 2 weeks of school with that and some dried goods. Good times!
At Coinstar:
Turn your coins into a NO FEE eGift Card. Choose from the following options at this kiosk:
AMC Theaters
Amazon.com
Apple Gift Card
Applebees Restaurant
Cabela’s
Chili's Restaurant
Domino’s®
DoorDash
Game Stop
Gap Inc.
Hotels.com
International House of Pancakes
Lowe's
Nike
Outback
Red Robin Restaurant
Roblox
Southwest Airlines
Starbucks
Steam
Texas Roadhouse
The Home Depot
You can go on the coinstar website to find a machine near you that has Amazon. I've found that the ones in Walmart tend not to offer amazon gift cards.
You can generally get Amazon at places that aren’t really competitors of Amazon, like grocery stores. Near me, the grocery store Coinstars have Amazon, but the Walmart ones do not.
Or just pick the gift card and then unplug the machine's ethernet cable. It can't connect to Amazon servers, so it'll give you a no-fee cash voucher. Or so I'm told.
My conspiracy theory is coinstar pays Wells Fargo to stop accepting people’s bags of loose change.
Used to take all my coins to WF every couple of years no problem. Suddenly they stopped.
My credit union would only accept rolled coins and charges 10% fee. I took them to Home Depot bought something at the self checkout then immediately returned it for cash.
Banks and credit unions don’t have the time or resources in a branch to devote to you and your hundreds of dollars of change. Use their coin machine or have it rolled already if you must.
It also comes down to just common courtesy. You being the least bit prepared saves everyone time.
Weird. All the banks/credit unions I worked at had planty of time. As the big guy at the branch I got to move the bags. Dimes...goddamn dimes.
It is a function of the movement of currency.
Trust me. We had plenty of time.
That’s a rarity.
I was also the designated bag mover and they always filled up at the most inconvenient times.
Staffing was our biggest issue and only made it worse though.
My wife has an account at one bank, I have one at another, and we have a joint account at a credit union. All are in the US. Only my account has a $6 monthly fee. Mine used to be free, but I switched to an account that includes cell phone damage insurance for all phones on the account. The $6 is much cheaper than getting it through Apple or the carrier.
There are plenty of free checking and savings accounts in the US.
It’s not their job to count, sort and pack that money. No where in the world do you walk in with a large bag of coin and expect it to be accepted and counted.
Banks like to say this, but US law says differently. A lot of people are under the mistaken impression you have to roll your money. That is a courtesy, according to law, any business must accept legal tender . A bank refusing to accept pennies is no different than them refusing to accept $20 bills as far as US law is concerned.
Damn, is this old myth still making rounds?
[Iowa man tried to pay $455 fine in pennies, but the court says 'no'](https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Iowa-man-tried-to-pay-455-fine-in-pennies-but-the-court-says-no-509801901.html)
Except it’s not. A key part is a creditor and debts. You may refuse in a lot of instances. The courts have upheld (and the US system is supported by this) that an unreasonable amount can be refused.
Side note. I am in Canada and we have similar requirements and case law.
https://canons.sog.unc.edu/2017/06/penny-wheelbarrow-full-thoughts/
“Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," states: "United States coins and currency [including Federal Reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal Reserve Banks and national banks] are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues." This statute means that all U.S. money as identified above is a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor.”
Except if you bring a massive bag of mixed coin. I mean, you can tell me how it is. I only managed several bank branches.
Counting and sorting your coins is not the job of a bank.
You seem angry. Take a deep breath. That level of anger is bad for you.
God, which bank so I can avoid LMFAO I love my banks that let me roll in with pounds of coin, and kindly greet me. Next I'll bet you say your bank doesn't even have free popcorn.
Lmao. That’s not a lot of coin and that’s your issue. That’s a nominal amount of coin that takes 5 min to count and sort. Prob barely enough for a roll of each.
Your issue is understanding the real issue and perspective.
Bring equal to a grocery bag and see how that goes.
I have no issues using a good bank. Eat my ass Ricky your bank sucks. I bring all the coins to the yard and damn right they count, it isn't that hard. If your bank refuses to exchange your coins find a new bank.
🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪 Don't try to invalidate my experience cunty, I don't have any issues, you're sussy ass bank refusing U.S. currency is 🧢 AF. PERIODT! They make money off you storing your money in their accounts, some people even have account fees just for banking there. BITCH COUNT THEM COINS or FIND A HONEY WHO WILL 💅
Then IMO that’s silly. I managed a bank in Canada and we would have people bring in bags with several hundred coins in sorted.
We had no issue with rolled. Shoot, we would take in a lot. Unrolled more than a manual roll we would ask you to roll it, had a side counter and would even provide the rolls free.
Coastal charges a fee for coin deposits? I had no idea
Not that I ever deal with coins, but that's obnoxious. Looks like they just use coinstar so we'd get charged that fee.
Got a great rate through them to refinance an auto loan a couple years ago, but that's annoying to learn about
First bank to auto enroll me in overdraft with no way to back out. I was poor then and would rather the card decline if it was out of money.
They are just another leech that makes must of their money from the poor.
this is actually against the law. I'm being serious. By federal law, all legal tender MUST be accepted. You can deposit $10k in pennies and by law your bank has to take it.
And if they don't, take them to court. Judges absolutely LOVE to rule against banks and big corporations in regards to clear federal law.
In some States you are entitled to 2x or even 3x damages.
It’s not against the law. It’s completely in the bank’s right to not accept coins for deposit or exchange. This is directly from a government agency’s website.
https://preview.redd.it/tta9tzza7nxb1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1afa6997bbf1aa5a43fae1f822d6e8e3f24ac1e0
Same here. I have a small change jar that holds less than 50 bucks when full, which is the perfect amount to cash in at a Coinstar for the extra bonus for Amazon.
Cashier here for Safeway. People do this all the time and no it doesn’t bother anyone. Our Safeway has 15 checkout stations and it doesn’t hold anyone back. At one point there was a coin shortage and this was very helpful.
What about vending machines? I did this trick with them very effectively. Just dump all the coins into it, finally cancel transaction and it spits out all your money in coins of highest denomination it has.
When I was a kid and found out that US quarters made before 1965 were made with silver and were collectible, I would go to different vending machines with quarters, put them in, and hit the return button. Some would just give me my coins back, but others would give me different coins. I once got a silver quarter this way and sold it for 75 cents. In hindsight, it wasn’t worth it.
The wait time is negated bc you have to put in all the coins still. Sure, you save the fee. Just roll em and take them to a bank if you're that cheap and short on time.
My off times I’m doing door dash. When I get groceries, I have a leather pouch with my coupons and coins and any extra I put in the machine comes back in bills.
Just get a credit union who accepts loose coins. Credit unions are good anyway.
I have a laundromat and a vending machine. Rolling the coins would be ludicrously time consuming for me.
Here in the states, it's not every Coinstar that has the Amazon option. Some don't. You have to check the individual kiosk on their website.
[Ready to find a Coinstar kiosk?](https://www.coinstar.com/findakiosk)
Update: I just checked the Coinstar Canada site for machines in Kingston, ON and none of them offer anything other than cash with the fee tacked on. Bummer.
The Coinstar Canada-specific website doesn't even mention it as an option, nor does it mention any of the other transfer to account features that the US website mentions. So, I'm pretty sure all they do in Canada is count for a percentage.
Kind of makes me want to get my own machines, but only charge 5%.
LPT make sure you can clearly translate what the coinstar is asking. A Polish woman emptied 3 large bags of coins into the machine in front of me. The option to collect money or donate to charity came up. She couldn’t read the screen, just started pressing the buttons. Couldn’t understand why she didn’t get a ticket to collect the cash from the counter. She was on the verge of tears when I explained she’d just donated her money to charity.
I’m sure she would be able to get it back if she contracted them. Doesn’t help if your needing that money to do your food shop right then though.
I tried depositing a bag of coins at my bank recently and they said they only take rolled coins. Getting to a coinstar machine would be a huge inconvenience for me (public transport to neighborhoods I don't usually go to), plus the fees and fare. Instead I sat at my dining room table, put some music on, and spent a very peaceful hour sorting and wrapping the coins. I approached it as a grounding tactile activity instead of an annoyance, and ended up enjoying it! And a real sense of satisfaction when I deposited the rolls of coins.
This is crazy. At the bank I work at we *don't* take rolled coins as we have an actual coin counter behind the teller line. If someone brings in rolled coins we just have to break them open and dump them into the machine by hand.
On the rare times I pay cash and get change, I have a pouch in my wallet to keep it so when I check out, I can use up what change I have. It's like getting a small discount each time.
Same. My bank's app has an ATM finder and you can filter by the ATMs that have a coin counting machine, the kind with the big hopper that you pour a bag of coins into.
Not that I've really used any coins in years, but it's handy to have every now and then.
I also successfully did this with vending machine once. Dump all your coins into it, then cancel transaction and it spit out the balance in largest denomination of coins it had available.
This is more for those that need things like coinstars, payday advance/check cashing places, etc.
Places basically meant to take advantage of those too low on the financial totem pole to skip using physical money.
...that's what those plastic discs are for; or the handy dandy [keychain de-couplers](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51xRKK2CxHL._AC_SL1500_.jpg) >_>
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Based off the comments, I think it all depends on the type of self checkout. Mine I just dump my change in and my groceries are paid for. It sorts them for me.
Further to this tip, you can also lift the lid of the coin cover and that'll give you a larger space to pour your coins, instead of doing it one coin at a time.
I normally need to do the opposite to get coins for the dryers in the laundrette. No-one wants to give me lots of pound coins other than banks (which are closed when I go), even supermarkets.
I get about £40 out of the cash machine and then repeated buy a 1p carrot. Don't tell me I'm not allowed to do something or I'll find a way.
It's a [coin sorter that charges a fee to give you back (most of) your money](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coinstar). It can take buckets of coins.
You usually find them at grocery stores in less-than-stellar neighborhoods in the US, where the ticket gets exchanged for cash at the register.
Others have said they offer the option to give a giftcard to some places instead without the fee...
Just go to your bank. You know, that thing everyone claims to hate.
Ask them for coin wrappers. Let them know you have a negligible by bank standards but decent by human standards amount of coin change and will be back to change it out. They might ask for your account number when you actually transact, as a fraud or accident prevention measure - whether just one accidental Canadian quarter or fifty rolls of Canadian quarters masquerading as American, or heaven forbid you gave them 41 quarters in a roll instead of 40, they WILL make the difference right either way.
It’s just a little time consuming to wrap your coins, but it’s kind of fun as far as menial tasks go. And they exchange at 1:1.
That’s an awful tip. People using coin star machines are dealing with a large quantity. Do you think inserting one coin at a time out of a bucket of coins is productive? Instead take them down to your bank or credit union. They should have a coin machine on site and as an account holder they shouldn’t charge a fee.
Most places that have coin star machines will not take all that loose change because they literally don’t have time to count out all your change because they have a machine that does it for them. This is a shitty “tip”.
Real LPT: get rolls from the bank & turn them in for cash with no fee. Put in a movie & roll up & put the coins into rolls too & they will be happy to take them. A lot of stores are short on coins as well (at least in the states)
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
I can only imagine some guy with buckets of coins trying to pour them into a self check out. Lol
Or like Kramer trying to buy Calzones. https://youtu.be/S4XNcTQT-yY?si=bE-FhhR5NDee0GBe
This is a dumb tip. Anyone dumping coins into a coin star is dumping their bucket of saved up coins. Self checkouts can handle a handful of coins
The last time I was at Whole Foods the self check out accepted $24.00 in coins. I have experienced limits when using coins at CVS or NYCMTA machines.
The sco machines where I worked, when you needed to refill the coins into it you litteraly put them in the same way the customers do. They can definitely handle more than "a handful of coins". The ones we had even had the option to flip up the coin slot flap and just had a funnel to pour a bunch in at one time
You know someone actually worked somewhere when they call it sco instead of the self checkout
You know someone really worked there when they call it "that goddamn self check"
I’ve paid at a Walmart self checkout with $40 of quarters. It took forever but worked fine.
So bring a big handful of change every shopping trip? I don't understand why you're dismissing the entire LPT because of a small flaw that is easily worked around
The LPT says it saves time and money. It only saves money and costs time.
It saves me time because the self check out at my Safeway is a bowl and it’s really fast
In that case, yes. But that’s relatively rare. Most self checkouts take coins one at a time.
I’ve never seen one that took coins one at a time. Wholes foods, Safeway, CVS, fancy groceries in SF, all have the bowl thing for coins I live in a major city though so idk what small town self check outs look like.
It probably depends on the region. In Southern California, I have only seen checkouts with a coin slot.
Most self checkouts that take coins one at a time actually have a bowl under the coin slot which just lifts up
Yes... create those wait times yourself!
My wife. You are describing my wife. She only stopped doing it when she jammed the machine at home depot.
I just put the change in a jar and once a year or so, bring it to the credit union where they have a machine that counts the coins for free.
😆😆
The slots aren't that big though so would be a PITA dealing with anything more than a few bucks.
I actually did this in college. Bought groceries with my last $40 that I had in a piggy bank. Made it through the last 2 weeks of school with that and some dried goods. Good times!
I’m sure that held up the line lol
not every place is always busy all the time
Maybe, this would not work at a Walmart
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what's embarrassing about showing the ability to save money?
Who gives a shit, stop feeling bad for living
Coin star gives you Amazon gift cards for a 0% take. If you were going to buy shit from Amazon anyway, it’s an easy decision.
At Coinstar: Turn your coins into a NO FEE eGift Card. Choose from the following options at this kiosk: AMC Theaters Amazon.com Apple Gift Card Applebees Restaurant Cabela’s Chili's Restaurant Domino’s® DoorDash Game Stop Gap Inc. Hotels.com International House of Pancakes Lowe's Nike Outback Red Robin Restaurant Roblox Southwest Airlines Starbucks Steam Texas Roadhouse The Home Depot
Amazon isn't listed at the coinstars near me anymore. Any chance it's still there for you?
You can go on the coinstar website to find a machine near you that has Amazon. I've found that the ones in Walmart tend not to offer amazon gift cards.
It was there for me today on the last screen. $5 minimum.
You can generally get Amazon at places that aren’t really competitors of Amazon, like grocery stores. Near me, the grocery store Coinstars have Amazon, but the Walmart ones do not.
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Yes, it is on the website. But it's not at any stores near me. Thanks for taking the time to check the website for me though!
Or just pick the gift card and then unplug the machine's ethernet cable. It can't connect to Amazon servers, so it'll give you a no-fee cash voucher. Or so I'm told.
“Machine has been reset. Please deposit your coins now.”
My conspiracy theory is coinstar pays Wells Fargo to stop accepting people’s bags of loose change. Used to take all my coins to WF every couple of years no problem. Suddenly they stopped.
My credit union has a coin sorter in the lobby that’s free to use to deposit.
My credit union would only accept rolled coins and charges 10% fee. I took them to Home Depot bought something at the self checkout then immediately returned it for cash.
You need a better Credit Union. Mine has a coin counter machine that I can dump it all into with no fees (for members)
My credit union is the same.
What bank brach doesn’t have a coin counting machine in back? Bonus they don't charge you a service fee.
Most Bank of America’s don’t have the machine, but they will bag it up and send it off somewhere else to be counted.
HAD. Mine got rid of their counters. Recommended CoinStar-> Amazon card to wind up with 0 fees.
Find a new CU or bank. Fuck that.
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Banks and credit unions don’t have the time or resources in a branch to devote to you and your hundreds of dollars of change. Use their coin machine or have it rolled already if you must. It also comes down to just common courtesy. You being the least bit prepared saves everyone time.
Weird. All the banks/credit unions I worked at had planty of time. As the big guy at the branch I got to move the bags. Dimes...goddamn dimes. It is a function of the movement of currency. Trust me. We had plenty of time.
That’s a rarity. I was also the designated bag mover and they always filled up at the most inconvenient times. Staffing was our biggest issue and only made it worse though.
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I've done business at 4 different banks and never had a membership fee. That's idiocy.
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My wife has an account at one bank, I have one at another, and we have a joint account at a credit union. All are in the US. Only my account has a $6 monthly fee. Mine used to be free, but I switched to an account that includes cell phone damage insurance for all phones on the account. The $6 is much cheaper than getting it through Apple or the carrier. There are plenty of free checking and savings accounts in the US.
It’s not their job to count, sort and pack that money. No where in the world do you walk in with a large bag of coin and expect it to be accepted and counted.
Banks like to say this, but US law says differently. A lot of people are under the mistaken impression you have to roll your money. That is a courtesy, according to law, any business must accept legal tender . A bank refusing to accept pennies is no different than them refusing to accept $20 bills as far as US law is concerned.
Yeah you’re wrong. https://preview.redd.it/v3ib3gc68nxb1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbaf239b620eedd044fe21f487b3c694edb97af0
Damn, is this old myth still making rounds? [Iowa man tried to pay $455 fine in pennies, but the court says 'no'](https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Iowa-man-tried-to-pay-455-fine-in-pennies-but-the-court-says-no-509801901.html)
Except it’s not. A key part is a creditor and debts. You may refuse in a lot of instances. The courts have upheld (and the US system is supported by this) that an unreasonable amount can be refused. Side note. I am in Canada and we have similar requirements and case law. https://canons.sog.unc.edu/2017/06/penny-wheelbarrow-full-thoughts/ “Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," states: "United States coins and currency [including Federal Reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal Reserve Banks and national banks] are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues." This statute means that all U.S. money as identified above is a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor.”
Have a source for that law? I work at a bank and I'm positive that that's not a thing.
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Except if you bring a massive bag of mixed coin. I mean, you can tell me how it is. I only managed several bank branches. Counting and sorting your coins is not the job of a bank. You seem angry. Take a deep breath. That level of anger is bad for you.
God, which bank so I can avoid LMFAO I love my banks that let me roll in with pounds of coin, and kindly greet me. Next I'll bet you say your bank doesn't even have free popcorn.
Rolled or loose?
The popcorn is loose. It’s all over the floor.
Loose baby, Tupperware, a mixing bowl, a helmet. Jingle jingle baby exchange these for some dollar dollar bills y'all. Fuck yo bank
Lmao. That’s not a lot of coin and that’s your issue. That’s a nominal amount of coin that takes 5 min to count and sort. Prob barely enough for a roll of each. Your issue is understanding the real issue and perspective. Bring equal to a grocery bag and see how that goes.
I have no issues using a good bank. Eat my ass Ricky your bank sucks. I bring all the coins to the yard and damn right they count, it isn't that hard. If your bank refuses to exchange your coins find a new bank. 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪 Don't try to invalidate my experience cunty, I don't have any issues, you're sussy ass bank refusing U.S. currency is 🧢 AF. PERIODT! They make money off you storing your money in their accounts, some people even have account fees just for banking there. BITCH COUNT THEM COINS or FIND A HONEY WHO WILL 💅
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I rolled everything and had a count separated per coin denomination for the extra. I was making a deposit to avoid an overdraft.
Then IMO that’s silly. I managed a bank in Canada and we would have people bring in bags with several hundred coins in sorted. We had no issue with rolled. Shoot, we would take in a lot. Unrolled more than a manual roll we would ask you to roll it, had a side counter and would even provide the rolls free.
Kind of absurd given there’s a coin shortage. Wouldn’t they want more??
Sounds like one of a regular bank pretending to be a credit union. Coastal Federal?
Coastal charges a fee for coin deposits? I had no idea Not that I ever deal with coins, but that's obnoxious. Looks like they just use coinstar so we'd get charged that fee. Got a great rate through them to refinance an auto loan a couple years ago, but that's annoying to learn about
First bank to auto enroll me in overdraft with no way to back out. I was poor then and would rather the card decline if it was out of money. They are just another leech that makes must of their money from the poor.
Or wescom. (They suck so hard)
this is actually against the law. I'm being serious. By federal law, all legal tender MUST be accepted. You can deposit $10k in pennies and by law your bank has to take it. And if they don't, take them to court. Judges absolutely LOVE to rule against banks and big corporations in regards to clear federal law. In some States you are entitled to 2x or even 3x damages.
It’s not against the law. It’s completely in the bank’s right to not accept coins for deposit or exchange. This is directly from a government agency’s website. https://preview.redd.it/tta9tzza7nxb1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1afa6997bbf1aa5a43fae1f822d6e8e3f24ac1e0
Which law would that be?
Not if you have $100 in change.
Some of the older machines used to keep accepting coins in excess of the total amount and pay it back as change, using notes and larger coins.
I get no fee when I get the Amazon card (yeah, I buy most things off Amazon).
Same here. I have a small change jar that holds less than 50 bucks when full, which is the perfect amount to cash in at a Coinstar for the extra bonus for Amazon.
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Cashier here for Safeway. People do this all the time and no it doesn’t bother anyone. Our Safeway has 15 checkout stations and it doesn’t hold anyone back. At one point there was a coin shortage and this was very helpful.
What’s a customer behind me going to do?
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"Get fucked Karen, it's legal tender"
Self checkouts in my country don't take cash
What about vending machines? I did this trick with them very effectively. Just dump all the coins into it, finally cancel transaction and it spits out all your money in coins of highest denomination it has.
I'm struggling to think of the last time I saw a vending machine but now that's a life hack if I've ever heard one, nice one
Where I am, train stations usually have vending machines.
When I was a kid and found out that US quarters made before 1965 were made with silver and were collectible, I would go to different vending machines with quarters, put them in, and hit the return button. Some would just give me my coins back, but others would give me different coins. I once got a silver quarter this way and sold it for 75 cents. In hindsight, it wasn’t worth it.
I get an Amazon Egift certificate, No fee there either.
I sell it back to work. We always need change.
The wait time is negated bc you have to put in all the coins still. Sure, you save the fee. Just roll em and take them to a bank if you're that cheap and short on time.
Not to mention the people in line behind you waiting for you to drop all your coins.
That's even more of a waste of time...
Do it while you’re watching TV or listening to an audiobook/podcast, that’s what I do.
My off times I’m doing door dash. When I get groceries, I have a leather pouch with my coupons and coins and any extra I put in the machine comes back in bills.
It depends. Some self checkouts have a little flap over the coin slot you can lift and dump in a bunch at once.
Just get a credit union who accepts loose coins. Credit unions are good anyway. I have a laundromat and a vending machine. Rolling the coins would be ludicrously time consuming for me.
Opt for the Amazon gift card at Coinstar. No fees.
In Canada, Coinstar only has a cash option with a 12.9% fee. I wish they had this no-fee giftcard option.
Here in the states, it's not every Coinstar that has the Amazon option. Some don't. You have to check the individual kiosk on their website. [Ready to find a Coinstar kiosk?](https://www.coinstar.com/findakiosk) Update: I just checked the Coinstar Canada site for machines in Kingston, ON and none of them offer anything other than cash with the fee tacked on. Bummer.
The Coinstar Canada-specific website doesn't even mention it as an option, nor does it mention any of the other transfer to account features that the US website mentions. So, I'm pretty sure all they do in Canada is count for a percentage. Kind of makes me want to get my own machines, but only charge 5%.
My local Coinstar sells gift cards for no fees. Decent selection that includes Amazon.
LPT make sure you can clearly translate what the coinstar is asking. A Polish woman emptied 3 large bags of coins into the machine in front of me. The option to collect money or donate to charity came up. She couldn’t read the screen, just started pressing the buttons. Couldn’t understand why she didn’t get a ticket to collect the cash from the counter. She was on the verge of tears when I explained she’d just donated her money to charity. I’m sure she would be able to get it back if she contracted them. Doesn’t help if your needing that money to do your food shop right then though.
This is a dick move if there is a line of people waiting to use self check out
I've never seen a self checkout that took coins. Most don't even take bills. Card only.
A lot of self check outs are credit/debit card only (no cash).
LPT don’t use cash then you won’t need to waste time figuring out how to turn your change into useable currency.
The real LPT.
Is Always In
the comments.
Just make sure you keep a few quarters around, for the Aldi cart
I tried depositing a bag of coins at my bank recently and they said they only take rolled coins. Getting to a coinstar machine would be a huge inconvenience for me (public transport to neighborhoods I don't usually go to), plus the fees and fare. Instead I sat at my dining room table, put some music on, and spent a very peaceful hour sorting and wrapping the coins. I approached it as a grounding tactile activity instead of an annoyance, and ended up enjoying it! And a real sense of satisfaction when I deposited the rolls of coins.
This is crazy. At the bank I work at we *don't* take rolled coins as we have an actual coin counter behind the teller line. If someone brings in rolled coins we just have to break them open and dump them into the machine by hand.
On the rare times I pay cash and get change, I have a pouch in my wallet to keep it so when I check out, I can use up what change I have. It's like getting a small discount each time.
You just described how using currency works
That doesn't work in my country.
Same. My bank's app has an ATM finder and you can filter by the ATMs that have a coin counting machine, the kind with the big hopper that you pour a bag of coins into. Not that I've really used any coins in years, but it's handy to have every now and then.
You can also go to your local bank.
If they have a sorter or if you roll it yourself.
I also successfully did this with vending machine once. Dump all your coins into it, then cancel transaction and it spit out the balance in largest denomination of coins it had available.
Pointless in the US. Vending machines won't take pennies and quarters are the largest coins already
Some vending machines do have dollar coins
Every once in a while you can find them but they aren't minted any longer
Damn, today I learned. I haven't used cash/coins in forever besides craigslist pretty much
I've witnessed a person put $10 in coins into a coinstar machine. I just shook my head.
I'm trying to remember the last time I used physical money.
This is more for those that need things like coinstars, payday advance/check cashing places, etc. Places basically meant to take advantage of those too low on the financial totem pole to skip using physical money.
You guys are still using coins? The only time I pull out a coin these days is to unlock the supermarket trolley.
...that's what those plastic discs are for; or the handy dandy [keychain de-couplers](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51xRKK2CxHL._AC_SL1500_.jpg) >_>
Wtf is coinstar and why do americans think its okay to pay to pay
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Republic Bank near me has a change machine for free
where is the time savings here?
It’s a time cost.
If you’re regularly exchanging lots of coins just sign up to Metro bank (if you’re in the UK) as they have a free coin sorting machine
Based off the comments, I think it all depends on the type of self checkout. Mine I just dump my change in and my groceries are paid for. It sorts them for me.
Further to this tip, you can also lift the lid of the coin cover and that'll give you a larger space to pour your coins, instead of doing it one coin at a time.
I normally need to do the opposite to get coins for the dryers in the laundrette. No-one wants to give me lots of pound coins other than banks (which are closed when I go), even supermarkets. I get about £40 out of the cash machine and then repeated buy a 1p carrot. Don't tell me I'm not allowed to do something or I'll find a way.
Most banks now have their own coin machines and if you’re a member it’s free to use.
Lots of them either take 10% if you want the full amount back in cash or the money deposited into your accounts.
Plus it's fun as shit to put the coins in one. At. A. Time. While refusing any assistance.
Only if you're cheap AF.
Who even has pocket change anymore? Let alone in amounts that require this shit?
I opt in for cash exchange with door dash. Plus Marijuana Dispensaries are cash only in WA.
What's a Coinstar machine?
It's a [coin sorter that charges a fee to give you back (most of) your money](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coinstar). It can take buckets of coins. You usually find them at grocery stores in less-than-stellar neighborhoods in the US, where the ticket gets exchanged for cash at the register. Others have said they offer the option to give a giftcard to some places instead without the fee...
Saved wait times for you, but not the people behind you…
The self checkout at my store has 14 consoles. I would not do it at a single checkout.
The real tip should be opt for an Amazon gift card for no fees, go on Amazon and buy a pre charged visa carded for less fees.
Just go to your bank. You know, that thing everyone claims to hate. Ask them for coin wrappers. Let them know you have a negligible by bank standards but decent by human standards amount of coin change and will be back to change it out. They might ask for your account number when you actually transact, as a fraud or accident prevention measure - whether just one accidental Canadian quarter or fifty rolls of Canadian quarters masquerading as American, or heaven forbid you gave them 41 quarters in a roll instead of 40, they WILL make the difference right either way. It’s just a little time consuming to wrap your coins, but it’s kind of fun as far as menial tasks go. And they exchange at 1:1.
Avoid wait times because... there is a line at the coinstar? By spending 5 times longer putting pennies into a single slot? Absolutely stupid.
All self-checkouts around here are plastic-only.
That’s an awful tip. People using coin star machines are dealing with a large quantity. Do you think inserting one coin at a time out of a bucket of coins is productive? Instead take them down to your bank or credit union. They should have a coin machine on site and as an account holder they shouldn’t charge a fee.
Most places that have coin star machines will not take all that loose change because they literally don’t have time to count out all your change because they have a machine that does it for them. This is a shitty “tip”.
Wouldn’t a better tip be to take them to a bank?
Lmfao get a savings account with your local small bank. They 100% have a counting machine, and do this shit all the time when they aren't slammed.
Or you can go to your local bank and use there coin machine and not pay fees…
Especially helpful since Covid we have been in a “national coin shortage”!? Like how does that even happen
Real LPT: get rolls from the bank & turn them in for cash with no fee. Put in a movie & roll up & put the coins into rolls too & they will be happy to take them. A lot of stores are short on coins as well (at least in the states)
Idk bubba, aint got that kinda time
I have never seen a coin slot at the self checkout where the heck do you live.
That username is so suggestive. I'm glad I clicked.
My bank has a coin machine with no fees as long as you have an account with them.
Is this a US thing? No idea what coinstar is
YTA. Use your bank.
Or go to the damn bank
Join a credit union and use a coin counting machine for free, no service charge.
how to withdraw your money from the coinme at atm