Like most people I have a box of spare change that is inconvenient (or embarrassing) to go out and spend.
This is a common enough practice that there are machines in UK supermarkets that will sort your loose change for you and print a voucher for the supermarket, which is nice and convenient except that that they take 8.9% commission (you could, of course, go to the bank, but the whole point of such machines is that people are in supermarkets a lot more than they are in banks, and apparently the difference is enough to make the commision worthwhile).
What’s interesting, is that also in the supermarket (in the UK at least) there are these the self service checkouts, and they have an inviting hole for coins.
…and they work just like the larger coin sorters. (Eagle eyed viewers will note that this photo was taken at a different supermarket than the one above – largely because they don’t have one of the big sorting machines at my tiny local supermarket)
So when I have a box of change to get rid of – I go in at a quiet time (this is important, because you would hold the queue up otherwise), I do my weekly shop and I empty my jingling pockets a bit at a time into the hopper. Some coins are rejected (an astonishing proportion turn out to be US currency) but the bill rachets down and anything remaining is paid on a credit card. I just think this is an elegant way to clear out your change and ease your budget a little, while avoiding the 8.9% overhead.
Go to the fucking bank like a normal person.
Learn to provide constructive criticism…like a normal person.
1. Some banks require change to be sorted into bags.
2. I don’t want to go to the bank and then the supermarket. Why not just go to the supermarket.
3. Stop being a rude cunt.
My bank will only take 5 bags, and they all have to sorted into bags.
Not sure if they have those change drops at the self check-outs in the US… will pay closer attention next time.
I usually pop over to TD bank (don’t think you need to even be a customer) and they have their own change machine. Dump your jar into it, it’ll give you a receipt that you take up to the teller and get cash with no fees.
unfortunately you do need to be a customer of TD bank in order to avoid a 6.9% fee at their coin drop locations
This is a great idea, thanks for sharing
Personally, I keep my spare change for parking fees.
Be very careful running the change through a self checkout. It can get jammed pretty easy.
I dont follow the amount being paid onto credit card bit?
Never mind, youre not converting cash to credit
Mal, I think the point is that if you spend, say, $20 on groceries, and $5 of that is change, then you put the other $15 on a credit card.
I get rid of mine in car parking machines; restrictions apply.