Last Updated on August 19, 2023 by Rebecca Lake
Coinstar kiosks are a convenient way to turn loose change into cash, e-gift cards, or even cryptocurrency. There are thousands of Coinstar machines in the United States, which should make finding one near you fairly easy.
Does Walmart have Coinstar? The good news is that you can find Coinstar coin machines at numerous Walmart locations across the country.
Today, we’re sharing tips for finding a Coinstar location and how to use Walmart’s Coinstar machines.
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Table of Contents
Does Walmart Have Coinstar?
Yes, you can find Coinstar machines at most Walmart locations. A quick trip (or phone call) to your local Walmart is an easy way to tell if your store has a coin-counting machine on site.
Typically, Coinstar machines are located in the front of Walmart stores near the customer service areas. At most stores, the customer service desk is at the front of the store across from the checkout counters.
Coinstar exchange kiosks may be located in other areas in select stores. For example, it might be at the back of the store near the layaway desk. And some Walmart stores don’t provide Coinstar services so you’ll need to look elsewhere to find a coin exchange kiosk.
Ready to find a Coinstar near you? Hit the button below to find the closest Coinstar kiosk at your nearest Walmart.
Note: Search results will open in a new window
How to Use a Coinstar Machine at Walmart
Coinstar machines make it easy to unload your loose coins. Here’s how it works.
- Round up your loose change. Once you’ve found a Coinstar machine at a Walmart location, you’ll need to get your coins together. Coinstar machines accept U.S. coins only. You can’t exchange foreign coinage, commemorative coins, pure silver, 1943 steel pennies, or Eisenhower silver dollars.
- Remove any debris from your coins. Before you deposit your coins into a Coinstar kiosk, you’ll want to make sure they’re clean and free of debris. Things like food particles, screws, paper clips, and lint could jam the machine while you’re trying to count your coins.
- Find a Coinstar at a local Walmart near you. You can use the search button above or visit the Coinstar website to find nearby machines. Chances are there’s a Coinstar kiosk at your local store but if not, we’ll cover a few other options for finding a coin counter machine near you. (Hint: Look for the big green box!)
- Choose a redemption option. Once you find a Walmart Coinstar near you you’re ready to turn in your coins. But first, you’ll need to choose how you want to exchange them. Coinstar lets you pick one of four options: cash, e-gift card, Bitcoin (at select stores) or charitable donations.
- Add your coins to the machine. After choosing how you want to swap out your coins, you can feed them into the machine. You’ll want to go slowly to avoid jamming the machine.
Once the kiosk is done counting your coins, you’ll get a printed receipt that you can take to the customer service counter or cash register to exchange for paper currency. If you chose the free gift card option, you’ll get a paper voucher with the gift card number on it that you can use to shop online or in person at your favorite retail store or restaurant.
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What Is the Coinstar Fee?
You might be wondering does the Coinstar machine cost anything to use and the answer is yes. Coinstar machines charge an 11.9% cash exchange fee if you’re trading your coins for paper money. That isn’t exactly a small fee either; for every $100 in loose coins you exchange, Coinstar keeps $11.90 of it.
You’ll pay up to an 11% cash exchange fee and a 4% transaction fee if you choose the Bitcoin option to exchange your coins. This is part of a new pilot program that’s available at select Coinstar locations.
If you choose the Bitcoin purchase, you’ll need to agree to the additional fee and set up a Coinme account to access your digital asset. You can then manage your Bitcoin and crypto purchased through other cryptocurrency exchanges in the Coinme mobile app.
Is there any way to avoid the Coinstar machine fee?
If you’re looking for a free coin exchange kiosk, then there are a couple of ways to avoid the Coinstar fee. You can either donate your coins to your favorite charity or choose the egift card option.
Some of the charities that Coinstar partners with include:
- American Red Cross
- Feeding America
- Make-A-Wish
- NAACP
- The Humane Society
- UNICEF USA
- United Way
- World Wildlife Fund
Donating coins to charity is a great option if you don’t need the extra money and you want to support a good cause.
If you’d rather get a free gift card for your coins, Coinstar offers plenty of options with no fee. Some of the merchants Coinstar partners with include:
- AMC Theatres
- Amazon
- Apple
- Chili’s
- GameStop
- Hotels.com
- Lowe’s
- Outback
- Southwest Airlines
- Starbucks
If you’ve got a lot of physical coins lying around that you’d like to be able to turn into gift cards, visiting a Walmart Coinstar machine is an easy way to swap them out.
Does Walmart charge a fee to use Coinstar kiosks?
Walmart doesn’t charge a separate fee to use a Coinstar change machine in-store. That means you won’t lose any cash value from your coins when trading them in at Walmart on top of the fees Coinstar charges.
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Alternatives to Coinstar Machines
Don’t have a Coinstar near you? Or don’t want to pay the Coinstar fee?
You could take your coins to a local bank or credit union to exchange them instead.
Some banks have ATM-like machines in the lobby where you can feed in your coins and get a paper voucher for cash, similar to how a Coinstar machine works. Other banks ask you to bring coins to the counter to exchange them through a teller.
You may need to roll your coins first to exchange them at a bank. But your financial institution should provide coin wrappers for free.
Examples of banks that offer coin counting services include American Eagle Credit Union, Cape Bank, First County Bank, Bank of America, and Chase. Again, you’ll need to bring U.S. coins to exchange for cash.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is there a limit to the number of coins you can exchange at Coinstar?
How much cash can you get from a Coinstar machine? According to the Coinstar website, you’ll need to call customer support if you have more than $3,000 in coins to exchange at one time. You can reach customer service at this phone number: 1-800-928-2274.
Does Walmart have Coinstar in every country?
No, there are limits on where Coinstar operates. Currently, you can find Coinstar locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain.
How much does Coinstar cost?
The Coinstar fee is 11.9% unless you’re exchanging coins for e-gift cards or charitable donations. If you choose to trade your coins for Bitcoin through the digital currency exchange Coinme, you’ll pay up to an 11% cash exchange fee and a 4% transaction fee.
Where else can you find Coinstar besides Walmart?
Does Walmart have Coinstar? Yes. Is that the only place you can find a Coinstar machine? Not at all! You can also find coin-counting machines at grocery stores, pharmacies, drug stores, convenience stores, and banks. Keep in mind that if you’re exchanging coins at a bank but you’re not a customer, you might pay a fee for that service.
What else can you do with loose coins other than exchanging them?
Coinstar is a popular service but you don’t have to turn in spare change at a coin kiosk. Remember, they’re legal tender so you can always spend your coins instead. Some of the ways you can spend coins include using them at a laundromat near you to wash clothes, adding them to tip jars when picking up a cup of coffee, feeding parking meters, buying snacks at a vending machine, or just making wishes at a local fountain.
Can you exchange gift cards for cash at Coinstar?
Unfortunately no, you can no longer exchange gift cards for cash at Coinstar machines. You can, however, insert cash at Coinstar machines that have bill acceptors. This is part of the pilot program that allows you to buy Bitcoin using the Coinme product at select Coinstar locations. If you’re considering this option, remember that Bitcoin usage has certain risks.
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Final Thoughts
Exchanging coins for cash at Coinstar locations inside Walmart stores is an easy way to flip money. Finding a Coinstar at a local Walmart is as simple as doing a quick zip code search. Just keep in mind that if you’re getting cash, the Coinstar fee will detract from the total coin value that you exchange.
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