19 Places to Get Cash for Coins for Free or Cheap (Near You)

“I have 4 of those big glass water tanks like the plastic ones they currently use and I put coins in those. When I go on vacation I cash them in and upgrade everything. I’ve cashed in over $4,000 in coins a couple of times” Reddit user tinyhousebuilder said.

You can often find coin counting machines in front of grocery stores or in supermarkets.

The most popular machine is Coinstar (which also lets you exchange your gift cards for cash instantly).

A Coin Star machine can count up to $3,000 worth of coins.

The way it works is simple…

You pour in whatever change you want to exchange for cash and the machine counts it. Once it’s done, it will give you a voucher which you give to the store’s register to claim your cash.

You can put in quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies.

The downside is Coinstar’s fees can go as high as 12.5%.

However, you can usually avoid that fee using Coinstar’s gift card feature. Instead of getting cash, you can claim gift cards from major companies such as Amazon, Starbucks, and BestBuy.

When you redeem a gift card, instead of cash, the machine will print a receipt with your card number on it.

Coinstar Locations Near You

Listed below are the main locations you can find a Coinstar machine.

Grocery Stores

• Albertsons
• Cash Wise
• Hannaford
• Harris Teeter
• Hy-Vee
• Kroger
• Meijer
• Pavilions
• ShopRite 

Supermarkets and Major Stores

• CVS
• H.E.B
• Kmart Super Center
• Lowe’s 
• Target
• Walmart

If you don’t have any of these stores near you, you can check Coinstar’s website here to find the nearest machine.

Other Ways to Cash in Your Coins

If you don’t want to use a Coinstar, there are other options.

Some banks offer free coin counting services. However, they usually have more requirements than using a Coinstar.

Often times, if you don’t have an account, the banks will either refuse to exchange the change or they will take a cut of the money.

Some banks may require you to roll into paper rolls yourself before they will accept. While there are machines that will roll your coins for you, they tend to be expensive.

What banks have free coin counting depends on the banks near you.

Many times, a bank will have different policies than what’s advertised on their national site. It’s recommended you contact a bank first before bringing change in, so you can figure out the steps they’ll want you to take.

Here are some banks that openly provide coin counting services:

• U.S. Bank will exchange their customer’s change for cash without any fees.
• Wells Fargo has been removing their coin counting machines, but they still accept rolled coins from customers. However, they won’t accept rolled coins from non-customers.
• Citibank requires coins to be rolled and may charge fees depending on which state you are in.
• Credit Unions often provide coin counting services, but their requires will vary between businesses.

While it may take some research before cashing in your coins, it’s definitely worth the effort.

In this economy, every penny counts, especially when you can turn that change into cash.