coinstar...any opinions?

[vtlion]

OK, so the pocket-change jar is nearly full and my bank doesn't do coin-counting.

Has anyone heard about or used the coinstar machines?  I hear that now there is no fee if you turn your change into an Amazon gift card.  Just wondering how reliable the count really is.

[Caffeine]

They normally get about 8 or 9% of your change as their "fee", but with the Amazon offer, the fee is waived.   I suppose Amazon is giving them a kickback of some sort.  Check the Coinstar website for more details.   www.coinstar.com

[sledge]

There is a Coinstar machine in my local ASDA  (now owned by Walmart) its the only place I have ever seen them here in the UK. I  used it just last week to weigh in the loose change and get some beers in before few mates came round to watch England get booted out of the world-cup. (Incidently Italy have just won it on penalties). You just dump your shrapnel in and it spits out a credit note minus a couple of percent. You have to spend it in-store on the same day though. Dunno anything about the Amazon offer.

[Onlypastrana199]

I use it all the time cause i'm too lazy to roll my change. Its not  a bad deal, takes like 5 minutes, they get 8% here. then I can cash it in at the customer service desk and get cash.

[roguegeek]

Coinstart is a black ops government operated social experiment to find candidates for the next breed of super soldiers. Cyborg-based. Living breathing tissue over ultra-strong ultra-light endoskeleton based on metals composed of alien material. Super-human abilities granted from muscle grown with nutrients not of this world. They will be our last... our only line of defense against evil Lord Plogart of the Destrimoca System and his army of reptilian space warriors, born and bred to drink the blood of the living. The war will be horrendous, lasting several years. Many millions from both sides will be killed and millions more will be mutated from exposure to the enemies radioactive fibers of their armor. Men will die. Children will run. Mothers will weep. The end of man-kind is inevitable.

[weaselnoze]

go to a commerce bank and do it for free

[ashman]

I use it but last week I went to two different ones by my house, BOTH out of order. I was pissed.

-ash

[GeeP]

Going to a backwater 1-teller bank has it's advantages I guess.  8% to 9% seems like a pretty healthy fee, especially considering you're expected to do the pouring.   I just drag a bucket of change up the the teller window and let them handle the rest - for Free! 

Now...  About that free checking...   

BTW:  I calculated that 1 gallon of a "standard" mix of pocket change is worth about $438

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

My bank uses coinstar, and if you're a member, you don't pay any fee. Sounds like your bank sucks. New bank!