CoinStar More Than Just Coin Counting Machines

CoinStar is the green machine that you see in many stores that you can put your coins in and it will count them for you then give you a receipt to take to the cashier to get money. For this service they charge you about 9 cents per dollar to count your coins. While this may seem a little high, if you have allot of coins this really isn't that much considering how quickly they will be counted for you.

At Coinstar you don't have to get cash back from your coins. They do have some machines out there that you can get more than just a receipt for cash. They will exchange your coins for eCertificates, or you can contribute your coins to charity. Both of these are free to do, they do not charge fees for this.

For eCertificates you dump your coins in like you would if you were going to get a cash-out, but if the machine is one that gives out eCertificates or a gift-card it will ask you which certificate you would want to get. There are many to choose from. You can choose from Amazon, Circuit City, Starbucks, JCPenney, iTunes, AMC Entertainment Card, Linens 'n Things, Disney Shopping, Old Navy, Pier 1, Eddie Bauer, and Borders Books. The nice thing about getting an eCertificates or a gift card is that you can save your change and use these certificates of gift cards for gifts for others. This is a painless way to save for a present for someone. The gift cards are able to be reloaded.

There are also some machines that will give you an option to donate your change to non-profit organizations. You can contribute to March of Dimes, UNICEF, The American Red Cross, The America's Second Harvest, and other great organizations. This is a great way to give to your favorite organization and they will even give you a receipt for your taxes.

These are some great ways to get your coins counted for free from CoinStar while getting some great eCertificates or gift cards. With these machines being added to many more stores you can now donate to your favorite charity by dropping your coins in the machine. This would also be a great way to teach children how to share their change and show them how this can make a difference if everyone would just contribute a few coins here and there.