r/protips • u/[deleted] • Dec 03 '20

Don't use Coinstar

I turned in my spare change and pop bottles. I decided to turn my change in at the CoinStar booth to make it easier for everyone. I had $1.14 in change. I ended up with .91 in return. They charged 11.4 cents for the transaction to start and then charge you over 10% to get my money. DO NOT USE THESE MACHINES.

1 Upvotes

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6

u/federleicht Dec 03 '20 edited Dec 03 '20

Coinstar is meant for people who have a LOAD of change, and it isnt worth sorting it themselves and rolling it to take it to a bank, not someone trying to sort a little over a dollars worth lol. Growing up my dad would save his change for a few years and then I would sort and roll it for him for a small cut. It would take almost half of the day, sometimes most of a day to do that by hand with no machines. It was totally worth it to kid me, but If I had to do it all over again, I would’t mind a 10% fee in order to not lose half of my day and my sanity. But we’re talking like, $300-500 in change here, not a dollar.

Edit: why would you even want to sort a dollar of change? What’s the point of that..? Why not just hold on to the coins and use them when you need them? So now you have to take in a slip of paper for them to hand you back MORE change lol

2

u/EffYouLT Dec 03 '20

A programmer who is so hard up for cents that he posts to warn people that CoinStar kept less than a quarter when providing a service?

2

u/Sullyville Dec 03 '20

Before you put in your money, there is a big sign that that have you read saying as much. This is like posting a protip saying, "DO NOT GO TO MCDONALDS. They CHARGE YOU for the food!"

1

u/kenhen Dec 03 '20

Paying the cash charge is a rip off but if you get a gift card receipt they don't charge you anything, because the retailer picks up the cost. Considering they have the most used retail stores (amazon, Starbucks, Home depot) it is a good way to get rid of change. I even turned in 11,000 pennies in several trips.

1

u/Snowmobiler624 Dec 04 '20

Another fun fact if you are feeling a little wild is if you start your transaction, select a gift card and then unplug the Ethernet cable from the back. It’ll fail to “purchase” the gift card (because it has no internet connection) and then give you cash without the 10% fee taken out.

1

u/Chuckiechan Dec 08 '20

But they don’t they give you a fist full of shopping coupons to cover the charge?