I've heard mention that some banks offer free CoinStar-like services, where they don't take a percentage for the service. Can anyone offer specifics, like Wells Fargo or BofA, or .. ?
I miss TCF bank, they used to be Great Lakes Bank. The TCF bank here was taken over by Independent bank which is the reason the Independent branches that used to be TCF still have counting machines, otherwise Independent bank would not do such a thing because they are a lousy institution to deal with.
Bank of the West offers it. I brought in $200 rolled and they actually unrolled it all and sent it through the hopper. Then gave me $201.28.
Wells Fargo in the upper midwest does it - at least if you have an account. Don't know if you can walk in off the street - but I'm guessing you can as long as you don't look like the cat just drug you in.
Suffolk Federal Credit union on Long Island does it for free for members and 5% for non members. Much better than the 9.8% Coinstar gets. That's not a convienience that's robbery!
Grocery stores If you are not a member of one of the above banks you might consider taking your change to ANY coinstar machine and getting gift certificates. If you get a gift certificate the 8% fee is waived. Just get the certificate for a place you always use and they it is not a big deal or waste of money.
Bank Atlantic in Florida has commercial coin counting machines in each branch lobby. 0% for accountholders, 8% off the street.
Capital One on Long Island does it. Only certain branches that were North Fork Bank, look at their website to see what branches offer it. No fee for either customers or non-customers.
St. Louis Area info I know that a variety of banks in the St. Louis area have coin counters, either in the lobby or behind the counter. Most have a fee for non-account holders and offer the service free of charge for account holders. US Bank is the one I use to deposit my roll-searching rejects when I plan to get cash back, as they have the coin counters in the lobby. Certain Bank of America branches have the counters back behind the counter and will deposit the coin in your account for you. I'd make sure I had a general idea of how much coin you are bringing to the bank, if possible...one time I brought 3 boxes worth of reject half dollars (approx. $1,350) and the final count was off by around $400. I asked the teller to check it again, and she replied that the count was correct. Only after my insistence that the count was grossly off did the Assistant Manager troubleshoot the machine, at which time they discovered that a token had become lodged in the machine, causing the remainder of the coin to be tossed into the inner portion of the tub. But yes, US Banks, Bank of America, and Centrue all have counters at at least some locations here. ~benjamin
I have seen several grocery stores that offer coin counting, but I think they do charge a fee to use them. It's nice to see that there are several banks out there willing to do it for free. I suppose if you are going to be counting coins on a regular basis, it may not even be a bad idea just to buy one. It may pay for itself over time. http://www.officezone.com/coin-counters.htm
I had a not-so-fancy counting machine a couple of years ago. The problem is, no bank is going to accept self-rolled coins at face value without unwrapping them and verifying the count, so the only benefits are they're easier to store in your home and easier to carry around. Commerce Bank, mentioned above, is now known as TD Bank. They've got branches on Long Island now as well as in Jersey. Still free to use :smile Last time I used one it miscounted my change. I didn't have the exact number before dumping the coins in, so I can't say precisely what the error was. I do know the coins were all dimes and nickels and the final tally had 3 or 4 cents to it. I think they adjust their machines to round down if there's any question, rather than reject. I've used that machine half a dozen times in the last 2 years and it has never rejected a coin.