# Giving back to the Coinstar machine **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 16, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366 "2026-08-16T19:01:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/1 "2026-08-16T19:01:48Z")
I check the reject slot of a Coinstar machine when I walk past one. Over the years I have found a number of neat coins and things. Old, 90% silver coins often get rejected. Dirty coins also Various tokens and foreign coins So far this year I have found Canadian, British, Irish and some South American coins. My best find might be a sterling silver ring. If there are only a few I usually check them on the spot and put them back if they are ordinary. Lately I had the idea to “salt” the reject slot with semi-valuable coins that I just don’t need. My grandson was collecting wheat pennies (1958 and earlier) and I have lots of duplicates from rolls I bought. They go back to the early 1900s. So a take a few and toss them in the slot. I am sure the finder will be quite excited! I have also placed casino tokens that are not silver content. Earlier this year I got 2 silver dimes in change at the Dairy Queen. I went back through the line and asked for dimes in my change. They only had one more silver dime but after a bit of questioning the kid remembered they did get a customer wrapped roll of dimes from the bank. Arghhh, I missed a bunch of them! ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/2 "2026-08-16T19:02:57Z")
I never thought to do this, neat idea. I used to check the coin return of every pay phone I passed, I was surprised by how often I’d get a free quarter. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/3 "2026-08-16T20:37:32Z")
Kinda the same thing ..my Son has been pushing buttons on coke/drink machines for years. He has gotten a number of free drinks. One exceptional time he got 3 sprites all at once. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/4 "2026-08-16T20:41:31Z")
I don’t use these anymore after one ripped me off during a move when trying to dispose of some spare change. I used my usual Amazon option to keep all of the funds, but the code failed to work, and when I went back to complain, the manager gaslighted me about the store code not being from his store and refused to reimburse me. Most banks now have their own machines (100% reimbursement without needing any merchant codes). ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/5 "2026-08-17T01:22:26Z")
My credit union used to have their own machine in the lobby. It worked much better then a Coinstar. It was like a top loading washing machine and you could dump many pounds of coins in it. They eliminated it but now the Coinstar deposits directly into my account using my debit card. It does charge a fee but it is about half of the normal Coinstar rate. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/6 "2026-08-17T01:31:14Z")
I stopped using Coinstar when they stopped offering Amazon gift cards (I never had a problem redeeming them). I could never find any information on why Coinstar and Amazon parted ways, I assume one of them was losing money in the deal. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/7 "2026-08-17T01:35:51Z")
I haven’t used a Coinstar machine in years but when I did, I took the deposit in the form of an Amazon e-gift card, because there was no service fee involved. As I remember, cashing out the deposit at the supermarket meant losing roughly ten percent in the service fee. And looking at the Coinstar website, they still offer e-gift cards for other companies, like Apple, Lowes, Home Depot and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![mcott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@mcott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcott)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/8 "2026-08-17T18:51:44Z")
I stopped using Coinstar machines when the self serve cashes (which I usually prefer not to use) at the dollar store, and Food Basics started taking coins. No percentage loss, and I get about 30 bucks a month of grocery product or junk food based on spare change collected going about my day. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/9 "2026-08-17T19:37:07Z")
Wait. Explain that another way. I’m not getting it. How are coinstar and self serve lines the same? ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/10 "2026-08-17T20:07:20Z")
Coinstar is good when you have many dollars worth of coins. The self checkout is good for just a few coins, but would be a hassle with a coffee can filled with coins. With coinstar, just dump them all in and be done with it. ---
**Author:** ![mcott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@mcott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcott)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/11 "2026-08-18T15:50:23Z")
They’re two different types of machine. Coinstar (in Canada) takes 12%. If you have a zip loc baggie of coins, you just feed them into the hopper on the self serve cash, and no % is deducted for their counting services. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/12 "2026-08-18T15:53:59Z")
Couldn’t you just pay with coins at a staffed cash register? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/13 "2026-08-18T16:03:11Z")
Cashiers get a bit testy when you try to pay for $300 of groceries with nickles and dimes. ---
**Author:** ![mcott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@mcott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcott)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/14 "2026-08-18T18:37:02Z")
Basically, having worked as a cashier at a grocery store years ago, **gnoitall** nailed it. Even $20 in loose coins is very annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/15 "2026-08-18T19:26:20Z")
Yeah. But it’s legal tender. My oldest brother loves loves to roll his pennies and go pay for things. He’s been cursed a few times. Rightly so. I believe ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366/16 "2026-08-19T01:01:03Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > But it’s legal tender. It’s not as simple as that, as the Perfect Master describes. > **[Is it legal to pay a big debt in small change?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341475/is-it-legal-to-pay-a-big-debt-in-small-change)**