How to Find a Coinstar Near Me
You’ve probably seen the Coinstar machines in the entrances to supermarkets many times. But often, we spot these things when we don’t actually need to use them, and then forget all about them when we do actually need them. Maybe you’ve walked past a Coinstar machine every time you’ve done your shopping and just not actually noticed it’s there. In this post, we’ll help you with the question “how to find a Coinstar near me” and take a look at everything you could possibly need to know about Coinstar.
Pretty much every household I know has a special jar sitting on a shelf somewhere so that we can stash our spare, loose change away when we get home. No one wants a pocket full of loose change! Once that change jar has built up, then it’s a good idea to convert your loose change into notes so that you can either use it to pay for more expensive items, pay it into the bank, or maybe even turn it into notes you can use towards paying for presents at Christmas. This extra money can also come in handy for the weekly food bill too, let’s face it, the cost of food is on the increase and times are pretty hard for many families right now.
Finding a Coinstar near me is a great option if you’re looking for a quick and simple way to convert loose coins into notes.
What Is Coinstar?
Coinstar machines allow you to cash in all of your loose change into notes, making it much easier to handle or pay into the bank. These machines aren’t manned, they are completely self-service and they are usually found in supermarket foyers so they’re really handy to use whilst you’re doing your food shop. All you do is pour your coins into the machine, then wait whilst the machine counts it up and converts it into more manageable cash.
How to Find a Coinstar Near Me
If you’re wondering how to find a Coinstar near you, then simply enter your postcode or zip code below and you’ll be able to see the location of all the Coinstar machines local to you. This works for thousands of locations all over the world.
[map_near_me coinstar]Coinstar machines are located all over the world, there are over 20,000 of these machines in total.
How Does Coinstar Work?
If you want to use Coinstar to convert your coins to cash, then take your change to one of their coin machines, pour it into the tray and guide the coins into the slot. Then, stand back and watch the machine count your cash. Once the machine has finished, you will receive a cash voucher. You will then need to take this voucher either to one of the checkouts or to the customer services desk where they will be able to give you your cash.
How Much Does It Cost To Use Coinstar?
As you might have guessed, there is a service fee for using one of these machines. At the time of writing, there is a fee of 10.9% +25p for cash transactions and an 8.9% fee for charity donations.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of what that would cost you:
| Total value of coins | Fee | Total deducted including 25p deduction | Total amount you receive |
| £10 | £1.09 | £1.34 | £8.66 |
| £25 | £2.73 | £2.98 | £22.02 |
| £50 | £5.45 | £5.70 | £44.30 |
| £100 | £10.90 | £11.15 | £88.85 |
| £200 | £21.80 | £22.05 | £177.95 |
Note that fees may vary depending on location, so always check you’re happy with the fee before pouring your money in.
Which stores have Coinstar near me?
Lots of supermarkets have Coinstar machines, I’ve seen them mostly in the entrances to ASDA stores, but other stores do have them too. You can search here to find your nearest kiosk locations in the UK.
Here are some of the grocery stores in the UK where you might find Coinstar near me:
- ASDA
- Morrisons
- Sainsbury’s
- Tesco
How to Donate Your Coins to Charity
Donating your spare change to charity is a great thing to do, and using a Coinstar machine to do this makes the whole process of charity donation really simple. However, you will only be able to donate your money to one of Coinstar’s chosen charities.
You can choose from the following charities:
- BBC Children in Need
- British Heart Foundation
- British Red Cross
- Cancer Research UK
- The Children’s Society
- Unicef UK
- World Wildlife Fund UK
Note that not all charities are available at every location and fees may vary.
There is also a gift aid form on the receipt when you choose to donate your loose change to charity. If you fill this in and send it to the charity of your choice, they will be able to claim gift aid for your donation at no extra cost to you.
You can find out which charities your local machine can donate to on the Coinstar website.
Can You Exchange Gift Cards for Cash at Coinstar?
You cannot currently exchange a gift card for cash at Coinstar in the UK, although I believe this is possible in some other countries, including the USA.
What about exchanging cash for gift cards?
At the moment, you can’t exchange for gift cards in the UK. Again, this is something that does seem to be available in other parts of the world, so it’s possible it could become an option here at some point in the future. In the USA, you can even exchange your loose coins for a Coinstar EGift Card which you can use as a gift card online for lots of different retailers.
Coinstar machine pros & cons
There are pros and cons to using a Coinstar machine.
Coinstar Pros
- Handy coin-counting machines mean it’s easy to find a Coinstar near me
- Instant voucher for cash to redeem at the checkout
- Convenient locations in retail stores
- Option to donate to charity
Coinstar Cons
- Expensive fees
- You might have to queue twice – once to use the machine and then again to convert your voucher into cash
- A limited number of charities to choose from
- It’s risky to carry a large amount of cash around with you
How to Avoid the Coinstar Fee – Other ways to use up your spare change
If you have a load of coins to convert and you want to avoid the fees charged by a Coinstar exchange machine, then you have a number of options to choose from:
- Join in with the 1p savings challenge
- Use your coins to pay for shopping at the self-service checkouts
- Donate to charity using the charity boxes you see in shops
- Save your coins to use in vending machines when you’re having a busy day
- Take the kids to the amusement arcades
- Use coins to pay for small items such as bread and milk to top up your weekly shop
- Keep some spare change in the car, it always comes in handy for paying for parking
- Keep some spare change handy for a treat from the ice cream man in the summer
- Use your loose change as pocket money
- Take your loose change to the bank to convert to notes – some banks even have free coin deposit machines
Coinstar near me FAQ
If you’ve got a load of change to get rid of and you’re considering the convenient option of using Coinstar near me, then here are some answers to some of the most frequently asked questions to help you make your mind up.
How Do I Use a Coinstar Machine?
- Pour your loose change into the machine
- Guide all of the coins into the slot
- Take the cash voucher to the checkout or customer services desk
How long are Coinstar vouchers valid for?
Coinstar recommend that you use your vouchers the same day you deposit your money to avoid the risk of losing your voucher or having it stolen. That being said, I can’t find any firm information of an expiry time.
Are Coinstar machines accurate?
One of the main concerns that some people have when using a Coinstar near me is that they’re being short-changed. How can the machines accurately work out how much money you’ve put in?
These machines are finely tuned to be able to detect different coins accurately, they can tell the difference between 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 50p, £1 and £2 coins really easily. Coinstar machines are incredibly accurate and there’s no need to worry that you’re being short-changed. Just remember to factor in the coin processing fee of 10.9% plus 25p.
The only time you may have an issue is if your cash deposit contains counterfeit coins. This is highly unlikely to happen, but if you are concerned, then take your coins into a bank instead, they will be able to advise you whether they are genuine or counterfeit.
Can you exchange gift cards for cash?
No. This isn’t currently available in the UK.
Can I take my Coinstar voucher to a checkout?
This varies from store to store. In some stores, you can just take your Coinstar voucher to the till which is really handy as you can redeem for cash at the same time as paying for your shopping. In other stores, you will need to take your voucher to the customer service desk. There may be instructions of where to take your voucher on the coin counter machine.
Can I convert my change into an E-Gift card?
No. This isn’t currently an option in the UK.
Coinstar Near Me
Using a coin machine to convert coins for cash can be a great option if you want to convert your money quickly and you’re heading to the supermarket anyway. But, the fees do make it an expensive way to change your money. If you’re able to, then choose one of the other ways to use up your loose change, you’ll get far more for your money that way and you won’t have to pay any expensive fees.
[map_near_me coinstar]
