Places You Can Change Your Coins For Cash For Free

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Who wants to carry the burden of coins with them? No one, right? But you must continue with the same because you do not know where to get change counted for free. 

You can get change counts for free by exchanging them with the bank or donating from them. Also, you can take the help of the Coinstar machine. This article will teach you several more ways to change your coins into cash. There are a variety of methods to convert currencies into cash that are outlined in the article. 

So, stick to the article to learn how to free yourself from the burden of coins and help you to earn more cash.

How to Change Your Coins to Cash? 

You cannot carry the change jar everywhere to pay for your purpose. For example, when you want to buy an airline ticket, you cannot go to the counter with a big jar of coins.

What to do, then?

You have to cash them. Coins to Cash!

You might be wondering “How” to change coins to cash? Here are a few ways to put that spare change to use productively.

Coin Counting Machine

There are coin-counting machines in front of a grocery store or a supermarket. The most popular device is Coinstar; Machine allows you to change coins for cash, gift cards, or donations. It counts up to $3000 worth of coins.coins counter

How does it work?

Pour in your counts in the kiosk.

Choose the exchange option: cash, gift card, or charity donation. If you opt for money, a processing fee of 11.9% may vary from location to location.

Add coins to the tray, lift the handle, and put them in slots.

After all your coins are counted, you will receive a voucher for cash or a gift card with a printed code. If you chose a charity, you would receive a receipt for the donation.

Take your cash voucher to the store’s register to claim the cash and redeem the cash voucher on the same day of issuance. Use the code printed on top for a gift card to shop at any store, restaurant, or online.

Easy! Isn’t it?

The only drawback of coins to cash at Coinstar is the processing fee of 11.9%, i.e., for every $100, you will have to pay $12.

Gift Cards

Coinstar waives fees if you exchange coins for a gift card. Therefore, you can opt for a gift voucher which has no fees. You can claim gift cards from Amazon, Starbucks, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe, Southwest Airlines, Game Stop, etc.

However, depending on the individual machine, you can choose retail outlets, online outlets, or restaurants.

raise gift card

Depending on the location, the retailers listed on the Coinstar site will be available at the kiosk or grocery store. Hence, it is advisable to check your nearest machine that will provide the total value of the card.

Opt for a gift card. If you would use it at the retailer, it is only worth trading coins for a gift card, or it will not be worth choosing this option.

In exchange for coins for a gift card, you will be given a code equal to the coins’ value and instantly redeemable.

Make Donations

Another option is to donate to a charity. Put in your coins and get the receipt.
Coinstar waives the coin-counting fee if you donate to a charity.

Your change will be wired to the Red Cross, The Humane Society, UNICEF, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Feeding America, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, United Way, and others.

If the charity you would like to donate to is not listed on Coinstar, you can ask the organization directly if they will take the donation of your change jar from you at any local office. Your contributions made on Coinstar, every cent will go to the charity, and in return, you will receive a receipt.

Donations are tax-deductible; you can save the receipts even if it is a coin donation.

Listed below are the central locations for the Coinstar Machine but not necessary that you will find a Coinstar machine in every area of the mentioned store.

It would be advisable to check with your local store for information before changing the coins to cash or gift cards, or donations.

Grocery Store:

Supermarkets:

Please take it to the Bank

All those dimes and nickels will be worth more by depositing in the bank in your account than sitting around in your house. If you don’t want to change coins to cash, deposit them in your bank account. Some banks allow you to deposit unrolled coins into your account can be a big timesaver.

But it would be better to check with the bank beforehand to avoid getting turned away. Irrespective of rolling the coins and deposit, at least you can earn a little interest on those coins in your account than just keeping them idle for months and years.

Even though many banks have phased out with coin counting services in recent years, few bank branches keep an annual event, ‘Piggy Bank Day,’ where they bring out their coin counting machine to entice community members to set up accounts with the bank with their change jar earnings.

Roll the Coins to Cash at the Bank

A traditional method where you make children sit and learn to sort, identify and count the cash. Many banks have coin-counting machines. A bank customer will get the service for free, but a non-customer might be charged fees for change of coins to cash.

coins to cash places

Some banks would require you to roll the coins into a paper yourself before they accept it. But the catch is at some banks; the teller might tell you to open the rolled coins, put them on the counter, and check them to cash.

This is because there are chances of scams. Many put some fake coins in a roll.

It is better to call before you roll the coins and ask the bank if they will take cash and have a coin counting machine, whether they need to be moved, and if yes, they will give the roll paper for free. If they don’t, you find them for cheap at dollar stores.

Some financial institutions might not even take your change jar. The U.S. Department of Treasury says banks don’t have to accept change if they don’t want to. A few reasons for this rule are:

  • Coins require space to store.
  • Heavy to transport
  • A coin-counting machine must be installed, which can be an additional cost to the bank.
  • A lot of work for a teller

Some banks offer free coin counting to change coins to cash, but with their requirements:

  • U.S. Bank changes currencies to money for their customers only without fees and rolls
  • Bank of America requires coins to be rolled to change currencies to money.
  • Wells Fargo is removing their coin counting machines but accepts rolled coins to money from their customers only.
  • Citibank requires coins to be moved but may charge fees depending on the state.
  • Chase also takes coins to capital but needs coins to be moved.
  • Credit Union offers a coin counting service to change currencies to cash, but requirements may vary.
  • Community Savings Bank accepts coins for money, but the condition may vary.

Other Ways to Use than Changing Coins to Cash

Use the Coins

You can also use the exact change at a store or supermarket. Ensure the grocery store has a self-checkout machine to avoid cashier’s ire and embarrassment. You can hit the self check out point and deposit all the coins for your shopping. Also, you can avoid holding up the line if you go at odd hours.

You can organize the coins and put them to use; if not, there is always a way to exchange coins for cash.

See also: Where to Get Quarters During a Coin Shortage: 10 Places to Look

Donate it

If you don’t want to go for a change of coins to cash and deal with any of the above, then another option is to donate it to a good cause. Many charities would happily accept change or coins.

You can carry your change jar to supermarkets, fast food joints, or checkout lines with donation boxes available. If you want to donate the pot personally, visit a local charity, Salvation Army, or any community center.

You can also give away your accumulated foreign coins, as many charities accept foreign coins as donations.

Some coin machines change coins to cash, allowing you to donate them directly to charities. As mentioned earlier, Coinstar has an option for charity donations.

Designate for a Specific Purpose

You can save money by designating it for a specific purpose. You can deposit all the change in college saving funds or retirement funds.

The contribution may not be generous, but it will add a reasonable value over time. Also, you will earn interest on the amount deposited in the college or retirement fund, which will be higher than the savings account.

Also, you can set a target for any specific purpose like tuition fees or Christmas fund and make a saving in your change jar and later change the coins to cash. This will help you to achieve the amount and purpose.

Make it a Family Game

Your spouse and kids can have a separate change jar and collect all the coins into cash. Then, on a decided day, you can count the coins and have a good family outing, movie, or gift each other.

The point to note here is that you need to use only the accumulated coins and cannot spend any extra penny.

If you can collect more coins in a year, you can have a great family outing. But if you haven’t had luck during the year, maybe you can settle over a candy treat.

Decorate and be Creative

There are many ideas online where you can make coin art or craft for your kids’ room or kitchen. You can do it yourself with the pennies and repurpose the coins.

You can use the coins to make a cap showpiece, a pretty necklace, fancy coin tree art, beautiful ancient-look-like frames, and many more. Pinterest has many DIY ideas and will also be a great art learning for children.

Rare Collection of Coins

Coins collectibles are valuable. It is also known as coin roll hunting. Some coins are worth more than their face value. You can buy a cash roll from the bank and then sort out to find the rare collectible coin.

coins

This will be an excellent activity for kids to sort, hunt and count the coins. Combine all the ideas, whether changing coins to cash, repurposing, or using them, but make sure you don’t lose a currency worth more than the face value. For example, half-dollar coins minted before 1965, which are 90% silver, can fetch you around $7 each on sale.

According to CBS News, Americans throw away $62 million in coins yearly. Whatever you choose with the cash, don’t let them sit idle, as you carry an opportunity cost.

It loses its value over time due to inflation. Use them efficiently in whichever way you wish – change coins to cash or make a coin craft.

Where To Exchange Coins For Free

Are you looking for a free place to exchange coins? Some businesses allow you to cash in coins for free, saving you money, although most locations charge a fee.

You should always be aware of the potential percentage the company may charge before cash in your coins, whether at a financial institution or a grocery store.

5 Best Locations For Free Coin Exchange

The following five locations offer free currency exchange and counting services:

QuikTrip

There are 800 QuikTrip-owned gas stations spread throughout 11 different states. The first place you can choose is the neighborhood store, if there is one.

Quick trip

As of this writing, QuikTrip does not impose any service fees for currency exchanges because of the widespread coin shortage. Aside from physically entering the petrol station, you might recover 100% of your money.

Bank Of America

Bank of America does not charge customers when they cash in their coins; customers must still present their currencies to the bank in coin rolls to cash them in.

boa

Or, to put it another way, you can’t just throw a bunch of coins on the desk and wait for the teller to sort them manually.

Wells Fargo

Another bank that mandates coin roll usage for users with bank accounts is Wells Fargo, which provides this service without charge.

wells fargo

U.S. Bank

Customers of U.S. Bank are not required to present their coins in rolls. The process of placing coins into paper holders is not necessary; you can submit coins for free.

usbank

Citibank, Chase, Capital One, T.D. Bank, and other banks provide comparable services.

Credit Unions

Some credit unions also provide free currency exchange services to their members and occasionally even non-members.

Credit Union

Coin exchanges are free for all customers of American Eagle Federal Credit Union. Another organization that provides coin exchanges is the Westerra Credit Union, but only for members.

Coinstar, What Is It?

You throw your coins into a bucket at a Coinstar kiosk, and the device will handle the rest.

Coinstar

You need to throw the cash into the machine and wait while it works with Coinstar, which makes the process relatively simple.

There is plenty of time to examine your bank statement or check your investments on your phone during that period. Naturally, it takes longer the more money you put into the machine.

The machine deducts 11.9% of your money, which is essential to remember when using Coinstar. If you insert $100 into the device, you will only get back $88.10.

This could be a hefty charge. But contrast that with purchasing a coin machine or manually rolling pennies into coin wrappers.

Use E-gift Cards To Avoid The Free Coinstar 

Cashing out with eGift Cards is one technique to get around Coinstar’s 11.9% fee. You can keep every dollar you insert into the machine using this method.

This method will result in receiving a debit card with a specific number from the Coinstar machine rather than cash. 

E-gift cards

It functions like cash in many establishments, including AMC, Amazon, the Apple Store, Steam, GameStop, Lowe’s, Starbucks, and The Home Depot. Apple gift cards and Amazon gift cards may be enjoyable and rewarding.

FAQs

Where can I convert coins to cash for free?

For account holders, several banks and credit unions provide free coin to cash conversion services. Your change will be thrown into a sorting device, and once the change has been processed, you will be given cash. For a modest cost, several institutions provide this function.

How do I get rid of coins?

Try bringing your coins to a nearby bank or business that provides coin-counting services to exchange them for cash. You may swap pennies for free gift cards or contribute your extra change to charity with various coin-counting devices, including Coinstar.

How do I avoid Coinstar fees?

The processing cost for Coinstar is 11.9%. You must select a Coinstar eGift card as opposed to cash to avoid paying the transaction charge. Review the list of eligible restaurants and shops before selecting the gift card choice.

Conclusion

Many people have stated that changing coins to cash has given them a lot of money they never knew they had.

If you change coins to cash, deposit them into your savings accounts to earn interest after cashing in the money.

You can make more value on the money than just using up the cash if not needed. Don’t miss any opportunity because ‘Every Penny Saved is Every Penny Earned.’