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People have saved money by keeping their cash and coins in clay pots, metal boxes, piggy banks and more for years. Whether you find it between the couch cushions, stuffed in jeans pockets or gathered at the bottom of a purse, change adds up over time. In fact, saving it may be the easiest part. Finding a place to change loose coins for cash can be a bit trickier.
You can cash coins in for free at Coinstar kiosks, banks, credit unions and more. Read on for more on how and where you can deposit coins and get cash for free.
Best Places To Cash Coins for Free
Some banks and credit unions offer free coin-counting services for their customers and members. Most limit this service to customers, and you’ll find some variations in how the services work. Some have self-service coin counters on site. Others restrict the amount of change you can convert in a single visit. Many banks expect you to sort and roll the change on your own before you show up.
The following list includes a sample of some of the places where you can cash in your coins for free:
- Bank of America
- Chase
- Citizens Bank
- JBT
- Manasquan Bank
- Republic Bank
- U.S. Bank
- Penn East Federal Credit Union
- Suncoast Credit Union
- Coinstar
- QuikTrip
Banks
The big national banks may not have coin-counting machines in branch lobbies, but some do accept coin deposits. And many community and regional banks offer services like coin counting to distinguish themselves from big banks. While you’re at the teller’s window, you should be able to withdraw the deposit as cash or head over to the ATM.
1. Bank of America
Bank of America, Member FDIC, accepts U.S. coins, but they must be presented in full rolls at any of the bank’s local financial centers. Find your nearest one by entering your address in Bank of America’s branch locator.
2. Chase
If you have a Chase account, you can deposit your coins there. In fact, Chase has recommended that customers deposit coins to help alleviate the coin shortage. Not all branches accept them, however. To see if yours does, use the branch locator on the Chase website to search your local branches. Branches that don’t accept coins have a “No coin transactions” notation in their listing.
3. Citizens Bank
Citizens Bank accepts loose change in amounts below $20 and rolled coins amounting to $20 or more. Customers can either deposit the coins or exchange them for cash. Some branch locations provide wrappers.
4. JBT
JBT offers self-serve coin counting machines at each of its branches. Customers can count change for free; noncustomers pay a fee, which JBT donates to charity.
5. Manasquan Bank
New Jersey’s Manasquan Bank has coin machines at many, if not all, branches. Check the bank’s location finder to see if your branch offers this service.
6. Republic Bank
Republic Bank’s branches feature Magic Money coin-counting machines for customers only. You can even win a prize for using one.
7. US Bank
U.S. Bank offers customers coin-counting self-service at select branches.
Credit Unions
A number of credit unions around the country accept coin deposits, and some offer coin-counting services at no charge for customers. If you’re already a member of a credit union with physical branches, this can be an easy way to convert your change to cash or deposit it in a checking or savings account.
Here are some credit unions GOBankingRates has confirmed accept coins.
8. Penn East Federal Credit Union
Members of Penn East Federal Credit Union have access to complimentary coin-counting services. Nonmembers pay a 2% fee.
9. Suncoast Credit Union
Suncoast Credit Union has self-service coin-counting machines in each branch lobby for small coin deposits. There’s no charge for coin totals of $100 or below, but Suncoast charges 5% for totals above $100. The fee for nonmembers is 10% of the coin total. Note that coins must be loose — Suncoast doesn’t accept rolled coins.
Other Places To Cash In Your Coins
You’ll typically find free coin-for-cash exchanges at banks and credit unions, but for a fee, you can cash in your change at places you visit every day. And if you’re willing to accept a gift card instead of cash, you could do your exchange at Walmart and other retailers for free.
10. Coinstar
Walmart stores, supermarkets, gas stations and many other retailers — nearly 20,000 in all — have Coinstar kiosks that make it easy for customers to cash in their change. Pour your loose change into the receiver and let the machine do the work of sorting and counting the coins. You’ll pay a fee if you want to receive your money as cash, but the e-gift card option is free. Choose an e-gift card from a Coinstar partner merchant, including Amazon, Apple, Outback Steakhouse, Nike and Southwest Airlines, and you won’t pay a penny to convert your change.
11. QuikTrip
During the change shortage spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, QuikTrip gas stations allowed customers to exchange coins in full dollar amounts in order to keep enough coins on hand to make change for customers paying in cash. Search your local QuikTrip on the company’s location finder to see if it’s still offering cash for coins.
Takeaway
It is still possible to convert your spare change to cash, and you can do this for free if you know where to look. The easiest way to do this is at a bank or credit union with coin-counting machines that do the work for you. Otherwise, buy some coin wrappers and set aside some time to sort, count and roll the change before depositing it in your account. You’ll be able to avoid paying a service fee and can keep more of your cash.
FAQ
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about converting your spare change to cash.
- What is the fee for Coinstar?
- Coinstar generally charges up to 12.5% and a $0.50 transaction fee if you want to walk away with cash in your hand. If you deposit $100 in loose change, you'll receive $87.
- How do I avoid Coinstar fees?
- You can avoid Coinstar fees by converting your change to an e-gift card, which can be an appealing option if you frequently shop at Amazon, Lowes, Domino's Pizza or one of the other partner businesses.
- How can I cash in coins without fees?
- If you want to turn your coins into cash without paying a fee, be prepared to roll up your sleeves and roll up your change. Many banks accept rolled coins as a deposit. You'll need to sort the change, count it out and insert it into coin wrappers. A single coin wrapper can hold $0.50 of pennies, $2 of nickels, $5 of dimes and $10 of quarters. Deposit the rolled coins into your checking account and withdraw the money as cash.
Daria Uhlig contributed to the reporting for this article.
Information is accurate as of March 30, 2023.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Chase. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Chase.
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