How to Turn Coins Into Cash: Complete Guide To Coinstar

If turn coins into cash is on your radar, this short guide cuts through the noise. Here is what is worth knowing, and how to put it to work today.

Key Takeaways

• Share with your friends!FacebookPinterestMessengerWhatsAppEmailShareFlipboardRedditSMSX This post was originally sponsored by Coinstar, and...
• Do you have a jar full of loose change sitting in your house?
• Have you ever wondered what to do with it?

Share with your friends!FacebookPinterestMessengerWhatsAppEmailShareFlipboardRedditSMSX

This post was originally sponsored by Coinstar, and has been updated.

Do you have a jar full of loose change sitting in your house? Have you ever wondered what to do with it? Well, Coinstar is the perfect solution for turning your coins into cash!

With Coinstar kiosks located in numerous stores, you can easily convert your coins into paper currency and get the most out of your money. No more worrying about how to spend that jar of coins. Now you can turn them into something useful!

In this guide we will explain how Coinstar works, their fees, and how to avoid their fees.

Table of Contents

• How Does Coinstar Work?
• Spare Change
• How To Locate a Coin Machine Near You
• What Are Coinstars Fees?
• There Are Four Ways To Avoid Coinstar Fees
• Back to School
• How to Turn Coins to Cash, eGift Cards, or Charity Donations
• Include The Family
• Next Up From ChaChingQueen

How Does Coinstar Work?

Coinstar is a convenient way to turn your loose change into something more useful. With Coinstar kiosks located in numerous stores, you can easily convert your coins into cash, NO FEE eGift Cards for popular brands, or charitable donations.

To turn your coins into cash, visit a Coinstar kiosk and pour them into the machine. The machine will count and sort your coins, then allow you to select what type of payout you would like.

You can choose from cash (minus a processing fee), a NO FEE eGift Card for popular brands like Amazon or Starbucks, or donate to charity. Once you have selected, the machine will dispense the appropriate money or gift card.

It’s key to note that not all coins are accepted by Coinstar machines. Before cashing in your coins, check them for foreign currency, out-of-circulation U.S. coins, arcade tokens, and other invalid inputs.

The Coinstar kiosk will reject any counterfeit or invalid currencies. To ensure that your coins are accepted, and you get the most out of your money, pre-check them before inserting them into the machine.

Spare Change

Do you have a jar or junk drawer collecting spare change?  We keep an old glass juice bottle to collect our coins.  It’s amazing how fast it starts to fill up.

Money-saving tip: Keep a jar or container in a prominent place in your home, to serve as a daily reminder to save.  Then, or when you find coins in the laundry or couch, add them to your jar. 

Converting your coins into cash is a excellent way to teach kids about saving money and budgeting. So frequently, kids only see credit card transactions. The coins are tangible and heavy. It gives them a chance to see money.

We’ve turned our best tips into quick-read books, and we’re publishing new ones every week. See the full collection here: amazon.com/author/chachingqueen.

How To Locate a Coin Machine Near You

Coinstar kiosks are conveniently located in places you’re likely to frequent, such as your local grocery store. Popular chains like Kroger-family and Albertsons-family stores frequently have Coinstar kiosks available.

Depending on your region, other grocery stores may also offer Coinstar services. With Coinstar, you can quickly turn coins into cash, eGift Cards, or charitable donations without any hassle. It’s a excellent way to eliminate the change that accumulates in your wallet or piggy bank!

Check, for instance, your local Kroger-family or Albertsons-family grocery store. These will vary regionally but include the following:

Kroger

• Dillons
• Food 4 Less
• Fred Meyer
• King Soopers
• Kroger
• Pay-Less Super Markets
• Pick ‘n Save
• Ralphs
• Smith’s Food and Drug

Albertsons

• Albertsons
• Safeway
• Vons
• Jewel-Osco
• Shaw’s
• Randalls
• United Supermarkets
• Pavilions
• Star Market

More Coinstar Kiosks Near You

In addition to the two major supermarket chains, Coinstar kiosks can frequently be found in various stores, pharmacies, and big box stores.

• Walmart
• CVS
• Harvey’s
• Hannaford
• Winn Dixie
• H.E.B
• Neighborhood Market

Coinstar locations can also be found in pharmacies, drugstores, retail stores, hardware stores, and numerous more. It’s typically simple to find a Coinstar machine nearby.

What Are Coinstars Fees?

Coinstar’s service fee is generally up to 11.9%. Some locations charge a $0.50 transaction fee too.

To avoid these fees, some locations offer free coin counting services when you redeem your coins for an eGift Card or donation. Fees may vary by location.

Some sites claim Coinstar’s fees are 12.5%. Those sites are inaccurate. I personally called Coinstar and verified.

There Are Four Ways To Avoid Coinstar Fees

You’ve collected coins from all over the place. You’ve found the change in your home, car, and even a few unlikely spots. You now have a piggy bank, shoe box, glass jar or coffee can full of all those coins.

Since you are visiting ChaChingQueen, you surely don’t like giving money away. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to redeem your coins without any Coinstar fees.

• Gift Card Redemption
• Donate Your Coins
• Walmart Store Credit
• Coinstar Alternatives

Turn Coins Into Gift Cards With Coinstar

Get FREE Coin Counting when you turn coins into a Card or eCertificate with Coinstar

You can exchange your coins for FREE when you load the value onto a card or eCertificate. They have big-name/ well-known brands such as Amazon, CVS, Old Navy, Starbucks, Regal, and more.

This is a excellent way to eliminate loose change and earn gift cards.  We did this recently Home Depot gift cer

Final Thoughts

Before you check out, double-check turn coins into cash against current offers and any coupons you can stack. Small habits like this add up to real savings over a year.

Originally published at chachingqueen.com.