How to Avoid Coinstar Fees in 2026 (Get 100% of Your Cash Back)

Note: Keep in mind that fees differ from location to location. So, while you may have to pay a 12.9% fee at a Coinstar located in your local grocery store, another kiosk located in a Walmart 10 miles away may have a fee of 10%.

Coinstar Net Payout Calculator (Estimated)

To make it clearer, here are a few example showing how much the total fee costs at different amounts:

Skip Coinstar Fees: Get eGift Cards FREE

Ok, I found the best way to avoid the crazy 12.9% + $0.99 service fee is to choose eGift cards instead of cash vouchers.

Yes, exchange your coins for gift cards!

How it works:

1. Dump coins → machine counts total
2. Select “eGift Card” (no service fee, no transaction fee)
3. Pick from 20+ retailers → get full value emailed instantly

Now, I know that many people prefer cash over gift cards. After all, cash can be used anywhere for whatever you want.

Gift cards can be good though and what’s great about Coinstar is that it offers them for lots of different retailers.

Is the Coinstar eGift Card Option Really Free?

Yes. The eGift Card option is 100% free. If you cash in $100 worth of coins, you’ll get an eGift Card with a full $100 balance.

Coinstar eGift Card Partners

Coinstar partners with more than 20 popular stores and restaurants, making it easy to find one you’ll use.

The list includes:

• Amazon.com
• AMC
• Apple
• Applebee’s
• Cabela’s
• Chili’s
• Domino’s
• DoorDash
• GameStop
• GAP
• IHOP
• Lowes
• Nike
• Outback Steakhouse
• Roblox
• Razer Gold
• Red Robin
• Southwest
• Starbucks
• Steam
• Texas Roadhouse
• The Home Depot

Important Note: Not all eGift Cards are available at every kiosk. But you can check the Coinstar kiosk near you to see see what’s available.

How to Get and Use Your eGift Card

The process is simple.

The machine prints a paper voucher that has a unique gift card code printed on the top. This works just like a plastic gift card.

Here’s what you do step by step:

1. Pour your coins into the machine.
2. On the screen, choose the “Get an eGift Card” option.
3. Choose your preferred retailer from the list.
4. Take your printed voucher. You can use the code immediately for online shopping or scan it in-store.

Pro Tip: If you don’t use the full balance on your first purchase, save the voucher for next time. To check your remaining balance, you can typically visit the retailer’s website, call their customer service number, or ask a cashier in-store.

Top Free Alternatives to Coinstar (If You Want Cash)

Okay, so what if you want actual cash for your coins and an eGift card won’t work for you?

In that case, you’re best off skipping the Coinstar machine altogether and using one of these completely free alternatives.

Head to Your Bank or Credit Union

For getting fee-free cash for your coins, your bank is the number one option.

Most banks offer free coin-counting services for their customers.

Some larger branches have their own coin counting machines, while others will accept your coins as long as they are properly rolled.

What’s great is that members can almost always exchange coins for free. Non-members, however, will usually have to pay a fee, so stick with the bank where you have an account.

Here are some banks where you can exchange coins for cash for free if you’re a customer:

• Bank of America
• Cape Bank
• Capital One
• Chase
• Citibank
• First County Bank
• Hancock County Savings Bank
• Home State Bank
• JBT
• Manasquan Bank
• People’s United Bank
• PNC Bank
• Republic Bank (NJ/PA)
• Shelby Savings Bank
• TD Bank
• Truist

Roll Your Own Coins

If your bank requires you to roll your coins, don’t let that stop you.

This is the classic, guaranteed way to exchange coins for bills at any bank.

Pro Tip: Don’t pay for coin wrappers! Just go to your bank’s teller window and ask for them. They will be happy to provide you with a variety of coin wrappers for free.

Use the Self-Checkout Hack

This is a clever trick for cashing in smaller amounts of change without needing a bank.

A lot of self-checkout kiosks at grocery stores and retailers like Walmart or Target have trays for accepting coins as payment. You can pay for a small item using your change and the machine will give you the rest back in bills.

For example, if you have $15 in coins, you can buy a $1 drink and the machine will dispense $14 in cash.

Donate Your Coins to Charity (Fee-Free)

If you’re feeling generous and just want the coins out of your house, you can donate them directly at a Coinstar kiosk.

For most of its major charity partners, Coinstar waives all fees, so 100% of your money goes to the cause.

You can choose from well-known charities like:

• American Red Cross
• Feeding America
• UNICEF
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

Best of all, these donations are tax-deductible. The machine will print a receipt that you should save for your records.

5. Look for Other Coin-Counting Kiosks

While Coinstar is the most well-known, some regions have competing services. It’s worth checking with major local banks and credit unions to see if they offer free self-service lobby machines for their customers.

Which Option is Best for You? A Quick Comparison

Here’s a table to make it easier for your to compare your options.

How to Find a Coinstar Machine Near You

Okay, so how do you find a Coinstar machine near you?

Well, it’s actually pretty easy!

Instead of guessing which local stores have one, you can use their official online tool.

1. Go to the Coinstar Kiosk Finder.
2. Enter your ZIP code, city, or full address.
3. The map will display all the nearby locations.

This way, you can find a machine before you haul your heavy coin jar out the door.

How Do You Use a Coinstar Machine?

Using a Coinstar kiosk is a straightforward process:

1. Place your clean, dry coins onto the tray.
2. Lift the handle and guide the coins into the slot.
3. Choose your payout option on the screen: no-fee eGift Card, cash voucher, or charity donation.
4. Check the return tray for any rejected coins (like foreign currency or debris).
5. Take your printed voucher or receipt from the machine.

It’s really easy to use Coinstar machines. The most annoying thing I’ve found is actually sorting through my coins. I had accidentally mixed in some Euros into my coin jar, so I had to separate those out. Make sure that you don’t have any foreign currency coins in your collection.

The Coinstar machines do have a return tray that gives you back any rejected coins, so even if a few foreign currency coins do get through, it’s not a big deal.

It doesn’t take too long to take your coins to a Coinstar machine. You don’t even need to roll your coins either, which is a great time-saver.

Basically, you just put them all into the tray. The more coins you have, the longer it will take to load them into the machine, but it’s still a pretty quick process, as Coinstar machines count coins pretty fast.

Sometimes you might find that someone is already using the machine, but the process doesn’t take too long, so you shouldn’t be waiting for long. There’s usually no one using the Coinstar machine at my local grocery store, so I don’t know if I’m just lucky with not having to wait, but I imagine many stores are like that.

Pro Tip

Always check the return tray for rejected silver coins that could be worth 20x their face value.

Coinstar sensors are designed to detect modern copper-nickel coins. Because pre-1964 silver quarters and dimes have a different weight, the machine often rejects them.

A single rejected 1964 silver quarter is worth roughly $4.00 to $5.00 in silver melt value today. Never walk away from the machine without checking that reject slot!

February 2026 Update: CINQ by Coinstar: Digital Money (But Watch the Fees!)

This is a newer option that Coinstar rolled out fully in 2026. It lets you load your coins directly onto a virtual Mastercard (called the CINQ card) so you can spend your money online or with your phone right away.

But be careful: Even though it feels high-tech, it is NOT free.

Coinstar still charges their usual 12.9% fee to count your coins, and then they tack on a small $0.59 reload fee to put that money onto the card.

Only use this if you desperately need to spend your “change” on an online purchase (like Amazon or a bill) and you don’t want to wait to deposit the cash at a bank. If you want to keep 100% of your money, stick to the No-Fee E-Gift Cards instead!

Is the Coinstar Fee Worth It?

Coinstar machines are so useful, right?

I mean most of us have loose change that’s just sitting around gathering dust, and that’s real cash that you could actually be putting towards something useful. So, don’t let your coins go to waste. Cash them in instead!

Coinstar machines are a good option because they can be found at many grocery stores and they’re so easy to use.

The only issue is those fees.

After looking at the high 12.9% + $0.99 fee and all the free alternatives, the big question remains: is paying for Coinstar’s cash service ever worth it?

When paying the Coinstar fee might make sense:

• You need cash immediately: If you’re already at the store and can’t get to a bank, the fee is the price of urgent convenience.
• The amount is very small: For just $10-$15 in change, the fee might feel less painful than a separate trip to the bank.
• You don’t have a bank account: For the unbanked, Coinstar is one of the few accessible options.

When you should always avoid the fee:

• You want 100% of your cash: If your goal is to maximize your savings, using your bank is the better financial choice.
• You have a large amount of coins: Cashing in $200+ would mean losing over $26 to fees.
• You can use an eGift card: If you shop at a partner retailer, the eGift Card option gives you full value at zero cost.

The Final Verdict

For the vast majority of people, paying the Coinstar cash fee is not worth it.

With excellent free options like using your own bank or the no-fee eGift card, taking a few extra minutes to plan ahead will always be the financially smarter choice.

Hopefully, this post has helped you to understand Coinstar fees and how to avoid them.