CoinStar vs. Bill's Casino

relayer · July 23, 2004 5:45AM

I took all my change with me to South Lake Tahoe to turn in at the casino instead of giving 7.5% to CoinStar. I've always done this for years when going to Las Vegas without any problem.

But now the cashier won't take dimes or pennies (nor does the automated machine, which doesn't even give them back) What a rip!

There was one Casino called "Bill's" that did take them, but they charged me 5%.

So from now on, I roll my quarters and put them in the bank, and the dimes, nickels and pennies go to CoinStar

ziggy29 · July 23, 2004 5:51AM

My credit union has a Coinstar machine, and they waive all CoinStar fees for any member who has a combined savings and loan balance of at least $5,000.

I loved that thing. Too bad we moved 1,900 miles away from that thing last year. We're still with this CU, but it's hard to take advantage of stuff like that.

flaminio · July 23, 2004 6:01AM

This happened to me at the last casino I went to as well -- they only took nickels and quarters.

Man, if casinos don't want my money, I may have to just start spending it.

Weiss · July 23, 2004 6:33AM

I don't get CoinStar. We've got them here, and people use them. But my bank takes change, regardless of amount, and never charges a penny for the service. I've turned in hundreds of dollars at a time without so much as a raised eyebrow. No need to roll the coins (in fact they prefer unrolled so they can dump them into their counting machine hopper).

No way I'd pay 7 to 10%. Especially with metal detecting clad. That money goes toward slabbed coins, and I need every penny!

Tootawl · July 23, 2004 6:40AM

Do like I did and get a coin sorting machine for your own. You can get a decent one for around $30 or so. Mine runs off of batteries and sorts coins from cents to dollar coins placing them neatly in tubes that you can preload with paper rolls.

flaminio · July 23, 2004 8:50AM

<< <i>I don't get CoinStar. We've got them here, and people use them. But my bank takes change, regardless of amount, and never charges a penny for the service. I've turned in hundreds of dollars at a time without so much as a raised eyebrow. No need to roll the coins (in fact they prefer unrolled so they can dump them into their counting machine hopper). >>

Newsflash: The World Is A Very Big Place. I don't know of any bank in my local area that takes unrolled change. I had accumulated 5000 dimes, and even rolled them all, and they didn't want to take them (but did, once they released that my business with them was on the line).

If anyone knows of a bank on the SF Peninsula that takes unrolled coins in quantity with no surcharge, let me know. Since it looks like the casinos don't want my change anymore either, I might have to settle for CoinStar. My time is too valuable to spend rolling all that metal up.

coynclecter · July 23, 2004 8:52AM

I have used the machines for pennies and nickels. It makes sense considering you might roll $30-40 and hour in pennies, at 7% thats about 3 bucks commission. I never can understand the fools who actually dump all thier change including handfuls of quarters at the market. You can just take the quarters to the checkout counter for bills.

ziggy29 · July 23, 2004 8:56AM

<< <i>I have used the machines for pennies and nickels. It makes sense considering you might roll $30-40 and hour in pennies, at 7% thats about 3 bucks commission. I never can understand the fools who actually dump all thier change including handfuls of quarters at the market. You can just take the quarters to the checkout counter for bills. >>

True. You could pay for a $5 transaction with 20 quarters and no one will blink or think you're a twit who is wasting their time. More often than not, they'll be happy to get quarters, given how often cashiers have to exchange bills for them.

Giving them 500 cents, on the other hand...