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Searching online to find “Coinstar near me?” You’re not alone. You might be like a lot of people. You collect spare change and stack it up in a bowl until it’s time to cash in! Maybe you’re saving your coins to put toward a college savings account, save for an upcoming vacation, or just stow away to buy yourself something special.
You’ve got that container of coins and it’s time to cash them in. So, what do you do? Find a Coinstar to redeem those coins for cash. A close friend of mine would always do this. He’d take one of those empty five or ten-gallon water jugs and fill that thing up with coins.
All kinds of coins, too. He had a few of those jugs. One was for quarters only, one was for nickels and dimes and one was for pennies. Then, he had a jug for miscellaneous coins.
He was super organized.
When one jug would fill, he took it in to get cashed in. You’d be surprised how much you can save just tossing your spare change into a jug.
Honestly, it’s a practice I wish I did myself. I don’t know how many times I come across a penny or quarter on the floor of my living room or kitchen or loose change floating around in my purse. My husband always has spare change floating around in his car or his wallet or pockets.
This would be a great habit to start to begin saving effortlessly.
When you’re ready to cash in that change, head to a Coinstar near you to get started.
What is Coinstar?
Coinstar is a coin kiosk where you can trade your change for cash, a gift card, or donate it to charity. These kiosks are everywhere. It seems you always see them around until you really need one then, you can’t figure out where the closest kiosk is.
Go figure, right?
This is a hassle-free way to trade your spare change for something valuable. And, if you’re searching online for “Coinstar near me,” the site has clear instructions for how to find your local Coinstar so you can head to that location to trade in your change.
Founded in 1991, Coinstar was created to:
- Be an easy, convenient way for people to turn their loose change into cash without having to go into a bank
The problem was, before this, if you saved your change and you wanted to cash it in, you’d have to hand roll into coin rolls and then head to your bank to cash it in.
Rolling coins takes a lot of time.
It’s inconvenient and can be a real pain. Then, the hassle of driving to your bank, standing in line, and then turning it in to the teller who will then unroll it and check the change, count it, and then hand you the cash.
It’s a bunch of unnecessary steps that can be solved by using something like a Coinstar kiosk.
Instead, all you have to do is take your bowl or container or coins, and dump it into a Coinstar kiosk, the machine will count your coins, and then you can cash in, get cash, a gift card, or doing a donation.
How does Coinstar work?
You have three options for trading your change:
- Cash
- No-fee gift card
- Charity donation
- Cryptocurrency
How to use Coinstar to trade in coins for cash?
Head to a Coinstar kiosk, follow the instructions, and dump your coins for cash. Easy.
How to get a no-fee gift card at a Coinstar kiosk?
Go to your local Coinstar kiosk, follow the steps, dump your coins and redeem them for a no-fee gift card.
How to use Coinstar to trade in coins for a donation to charity?
Visit a Coinstar kiosk and follow the steps to exchange your coins for a donation to charity.
The process is nearly identical for each option. It just depends on if you want cash, a gift card or you want to donate to charity.
How can you get crypto for your coins at Coinstar?
Find your local Coinstar kiosk, visit the location to trade in your coins, and choose the option for redeeming cryptocurrency.
Click here to find a Coinstar near you.
How to cash in your coins at a local Coinstar kiosk?
If you’re looking for step-by-step instructions, we’ve got you covered. Here’s exactly what you do to cash in your coins at a Coinstar kiosk.
1. Search and find a Coinstar kiosk near you.
2. Visit that Coinstar kiosk location with your coins.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen for redeeming your coins.
4. Accept the terms and conditions and agree to the service fee (11.9% fee for the cash option, for example).
5. Lift the tray and add your coins to the kiosk machine then, wait while the machine counts your coins.
6. After the coin count is complete, the machine will pay you (cash, gift card, or process your donation to charity).
Pro Tip: If any of your coins are rejected, try cleaning them off and then re-depositing them.
Where can I find Coinstar near me?
There are Coinstar locations in many places. You can commonly find them in grocery stores, retailers, and banks. Some examples of places you might find a Coinstar include:
- H-E-B
- Kroger
- Walmart
- CVS
- Fresh Fare
- Ralph’s
When you’re searching for Coinstar locations near you, you can search by zip code or address. The search results page will look like this…
How does Coinstar crypto work?
Coinstar now offers an option to buy cryptocurrency.
1. Create a CoinMe account to claim your free crypto wallet
2. Buy a crypto voucher for cash at your local Coinstar kiosk (you’ll select the crypto option at the Coinstar for your redemption method)
3. Use CoinMe to redeem your crypto voucher
The cryptocurrency they offer is Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, USD (USDC) coin, Chainlink, Polygon, and Stellar. For more about how cryptocurrency works, what you can do with crypto, how CoinMe works, and more, visit this page.
How much does Coinstar cost?
Coinstar has an 11.9% fee when you redeem your coins for cash. To avoid the fee, you can choose the no-fee gift card option. They offer gift cards to places like:
- Amazon
- Apple
- Applebee’s
- Cabela’s
- Gamestop
- Lowe’s
- Doordash
- Gap
- Nike
- Roblox
- Chili’s
- Dominoes Pizza
- Starbucks
- Home Depot
Common questions about Coinstar
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Coinstar.
1. What are Coinstar fees?
The fee for Coinstar is 11.9% if you redeem your coins for cash. You can avoid the fee if you choose the no-fee gift card option. Gift cards are available at a variety of retailers like Starbucks, Lowe’s, Nike, Chili’s, and more.
2. Does Coinstar have a limit?
The limit is $3,000. If you think you have more than $3,000 in coins, Coinstar recommends you contact their customer service team at 800-928-2274.
3. Is Coinstar worth it?
Yes, I think Coinstar is worth it. They have four different ways for you to trade in your coins:
- Cash
- Crypto
- No-fee gift card
- Donation to charity
It’s an easy way to trade in the change you’re collecting without any counting or sorting required beforehand.
4. Do you need to clean your coins before visiting a kiosk?
It’s recommended that coins are cleaned. You want to make sure they don’t have dirt or debris on them, that they’re not sticky, etc. Dirty coins may not be accepted.
5. Where can I cash in coins for free?
You can visit a Coinstar kiosk to cash in your coins for free provided you don’t select the cash option.
Coinstar Alternatives
The alternative to visiting a Coinstar kiosk is going to your local bank instead.
If you choose this route, I’d recommend you call your bank in advance so they are prepared for you. You’ll want to ask:
- If there are fees for trading in coins for cash
- What the requirements are for trading in coins
- If coins need to be sorted, counted, and rolled beforehand
They may give you all the information you need to know upfront. You can also just ask what you need to know before visiting the branch with your coins, so you’re prepared.
How to donate your Coinstar coins to charity?
The option to donate your coins to charity via Coinstar is a great idea. Here’s how it works…
Coinstar works with a variety of different nonprofit organizations that:
- Provide medical treatment
- Animal care and relief efforts
- Emergency relief
Some organizations they work with include:
- American Red Cross
- Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
- Feeding America
- Make a Wish
- NAACP
- The Humane Society of the United States
- Unicef USA
- United Way
Donations of any amount are accepted and they are tax deductible, according to Coinstar.
Coinstar vs Your Local Bank
Using Coinstar and your local bank is not the same.
At Coinstar:
- You can visit multiple locations across many areas like retailers, grocery stores, etc.
- Counting, sorting, and rolling your coins in advance is not required
- Coming to a Coinstar kiosk with clean coins is required
- It takes minutes to get your money, whether you want cash, crypto, a no-fee gift card, or a donation to charity
- Limits on how much you get on hand, without contacting customer service
At a local bank:
- It will take longer than a few minutes to trade in your coins for cash, likely
- There will probably only be one option for trading in your coins: cash
- There may or may not be fees required
- Sorting, counting, and rolling your coins may be a requirement, though cleaning your coins may not be necessary
- Limits may or may not be required
You can compare and contrast the two options to see which option is best for you. If you’re looking to save time and have more of a hassle-free experience, I’d recommend Coinstar.
If you want more of a hand-holding with a professional and you don’t mind it taking longer and you also don’t mind sorting, counting, and rolling your coins ahead of time, going with your local bank may be your best bet.
Pros and Cons of Coinstar
The Pros of Coinstar are:
- Fast
- Convenient
- Rolling and counting your coins in advance isn’t needed
- You can complete your transaction in minutes
- Multiple ways to trade in your coins: cash, crypto, no-fee gift card, and donation
The Cons of Coinstar are:
- The cash fee is a little pricey at 11.9%. That means $1,000 in coins will cost you $119 in fees, which is pretty steep
- You will be working alone to deposit your coins at Coinstar (no Coinstar rep or professional will be on-site)
Alternative Ways to Make Quick Cash
There are plenty of ways to make some extra cash. If you’ve got coin trading on the brain, to get money for your spare change, then you might already be thinking of other ways to make money.
Here are some options to check out:
- Sell feet pics – Check out these feet pic selling sites and reviews
- Flip digital real estate (I’ve made six figures doing this!) – Read this
- Start a small business – This company can help you get started and this is the review
- Freelance on Fiverr – Here are 44 Fiverr ideas to think about
Takeaways about finding and using Coinstar
I really love the idea of saving your spare change to trade in for cash and other purposes in the future. It seems like an effortless way to save and those coins can really add up. You’d be surprised how quickly you can stow away $100 or more, just by socking away your spare change at home.
So, you have searched Coinstar locations near you and now you know how to find a local Coinstar kiosk near you and what the process is for cashing in your coins.
Remember, you have a few different options for trading in your change: cash, no-free gift card, charity donation, and cryptocurrency.
Do you save your coins to trade in?
Or, are you thinking about starting?