Coin Counting Machines Still Exist: Which Banks Have Them?
- Major national banks no longer offer coin-counting machines, but local community banks/credit unions often do (charging fees for non-customers).
- Banks provide free coin wrappers, but non-customers may face deposit limits or fees unless using multiple branches.
- Coinstar kiosks at supermarkets allow fee-free gift card/donation exchanges or cash vouchers with a fee.
Remember when you could take your piggy bank full of coins to the local savings institution and have them counted out for crisp bills or deposits?
Sometimes those coins could accumulate to hundreds of dollars, with annual totals rivaling the cash rewards from cash back credit cards.
Fortunately, those days aren't completely gone.
We have identified a few banks that still provide this service, albeit with a possible small fee.
In that case, we also show you other free ways to convert your coins.
Which Banks Have Coin Counters?
Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Capital One, PNC Bank, TD Bank, and other major national banks no longer provide coin-counting machines to customers or to non-customers.
The big banks claim that these machines cost more to maintain than the value that is delivered to customers.
The financial institutions that are most likely to operate coin-counting machines for the public are local community banks and credit unions (often known for providing better personal customer service).
Additionally, you might need to be a customer in order to use these machines.
Otherwise, expect to pay a small fee for using the service as a non-customer.
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What Banks Have Free Coin Counting Machines
| Bank | Customers | Non-customers |
|---|---|---|
| JBT | Free | 5% fee |
| Manasquan Bank | Free | - |
| Home State Bank | Free | 10% fee |
| First County Bank | Free | - |
| Shelby Savings Bank | Free | - |
| Cape Bank | Free | Free |
| Hancock County Savings Bank | Free | - |
| Republic Bank (NJ/PA) | Free | Free |
| People's United Bank | Free | 11% fee |
| American Eagle Federal Credit Union | Free | Free |
| Westerra Credit Union | Free | - |
| Chase | No Counters | |
| Citibank | No Counters | |
| Bank of America | No Counters | |
| Capital One | No Counters | |
| TD Bank | No Counters | |
| PNC Bank | No Counters | |
| Truist | No Counters |
Banks Accept Coin Deposits in Coin Wrappers
After reaching out to all the banks, we found that they will provide coin wrappers for free, regardless of whether or not you are a customer.
Coin wrappers are paper wrappers that come color-coded for different coin denominations.
Each wrapper is used to roll 40 to 50 coins in 25 cents or less denominations. Wrappers do exist for 50-cent and one-dollar coins.
Check your quarters to see if they were made in 1964 or earlier. Before 1965, U.S. quarters were made of 90 percent silver, worth significantly more than the $0.25 value.
If you’ve got a lot of coins, it could be a time-consuming task to stuff them into the wrappers.
Once you’ve rolled the coins, just bring them to the bank for deposit or exchange. For bank customers, it is free.
For non-customers, it’s not as simple -- read below:
Exchange Coins For Free At Banks
Although every bank will give out free coin wrappers, not every bank will accept your rolled coins if you are a non-customer.
Chase Bank has rather generous policies for non-customers, who can exchange up to $200 in coins as long as they’re in coin wrappers.
If you have over $200 in coins, there’s a simple trick: visit multiple Chase branches.
Did you know? It costs more than a penny to produce a penny. In 2021, it cost $0.0210 to produce one $0.01 coin, according to an annual report by the U.S. Mint. The high cost of penny production has led many people to advocate phasing out the coin denomination.
While Chase will happily accept your coins, other banks I contacted will not.
Most have a policy of not converting coins to bills for non-customers.
In actuality, however, tellers would perform the coin exchange if the coins were wrapped and for a small amount between $10 and $20.
Again, you can use the same trick here by visiting multiple bank branches.
If you have hundreds of dollars in coins, be prepared to travel to many different banks.
Otherwise, your other option would be to just open an account with a bank that has a coin-counting machine -- not exactly the best option, I must say.
Coin-Counting Alternatives With Coinstar & Other Stores
Gift Cards & Participating Charities Through Coinstar
| Branded eGift cards | Participating charities |
|---|---|
| AMC | American Red Cross |
| Amazon.com | Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals |
| Apple | Feeding America |
| Applebee's | Make-A-Wish |
| Cabela's | NAACP |
| Chili's Grill & Bar | The Humane Society of the United States |
| Domino's | UNICEF |
| DoorDash | United Way |
| GameStop | World Wildlife Foundation |
| GAP | |
| Hotels.com | |
| IHOP | |
| Lowe's | |
| Nike | |
| Outback Steakhouse | |
| Roblox | |
| Razer Gold | |
| Red Robin | |
| Southwest Airlines | |
| Starbucks | |
| Steam | |
| Texas Roadhouse | |
| The Home Depot |
The best cash-out option to avoid losing significant amounts of money to fees is the electronic gift code or charitable donations.
Coinstar Redemption
| Coin exchange option | Fee | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Cash voucher | 11.9% (fees can vary by location) | Turn in the cash voucher to a cashier |
| eGift Card | None | Gift code is printed on the receipt |
| Charitable donation | None | Donation is automatically made -- with a receipt for tax purposes |
Stores with Coin Counter Machines
Rather than going to the bank, you might run into a coin-counting machine at one of the places to visit the most: a grocery store or supermarket.
With cash transactions happening constantly, it makes sense that these machines are readily available at these stores.
Note: Every store, even under the same chain, may not have a machine. If you're considering making the trip, we suggest calling the store first.
Stores With Coinstar Coin Counter Machines
| Stores |
|---|
| Wal-Mart |
| Winn Dixie |
| Food 4 Less |
| Vons |
| Ralphs |
| ShopRite |
| The Food Emporium |
| Safeway |
| Acme |
| Kroger |
| Jewel |
FAQs
Where can I cash coins for free?
Typically, you can cash coins for free at your local bank. You may have to roll the coins yourself but the bank will likely give you coin wrappers for free.
How much does Coinstar take out of $100?
If you redeem the $100 in coins in the form of electronic gift cards, Coinstar does not take any fees out of the transaction. If you redeem the $100 in coins for cash, Coinstar charges up to 12.9% + $0.99 per transaction.
Do banks have free coin-counting machines?
Most banks do not have free coin-counting machines anymore. It is best to call your local branch to confirm availability of coin-counting machines.
