Turn Loose Change Into Apps, Music, and Video
Like many of us, I toss that extra change in my pocket at the end of the day into a jar, and periodically run it through a coin sorter, roll it, and put it in the bank. However, my coin sorter finally stopped working, and I couldn’t find a local store that had a decent replacement. That’s when I thought about Coinstar – the company that puts coin counting machines in supermarkets and other stores. The problem? They take 8.9 percent of the total as a fee. But in discovering that fact on their web site, I found out something that I hadn’t know before – you can turn your coins into an iTunes Gift Card for free.
The process is actually quite simple: On Coinstar’s web site, use the search feature to find a local Coinstar machine that supports gift cards. Then go to that store, feed in your change, and print out a receipt that contains a code that can be redeemed in iTunes or (if you’re in a hurry) with the iPhone’s App Store app.
Of course, you can also get gift cards to other merchants as well, but I think that this is a great way to justify the cash for all those apps you want but don’t really want to spend money on — with this “found money”, it’s a lot less painful. If you have kids that have an iPhone/iPod, this can be a great way to teach them to save for the album or show they want to download.
So thanks to Coinstar and Apple for saving me the cost of a new coin sorter and trips to the bank with coin rolls – although I have a bunch of new tunes to play on the ride and apps to use while in line. Cest’ la vie!
that's a pretty damn cool tip!just to clarify, though: coinstar will no longer take the 8.9% fee? it'll just be a 1:1 transfer of my change into iTunes cashola?
@Ragart – That's right! See for yourself: <a href="http://www.coinstar.com/US/WebDocs/A1-0-3-1http://www.coinstar.com/US/WebDocs/A1-0-3-1<br />They must get a kickback from the gift certificate sales. This is a great find. I can easily cash in my coins and save time doing it without any lost value! No longer will I spend 4+ hours rolling change!
That's great if you want an iTunes card. I don't know about other banks but Wells Fargo will take my jar of change and run it through their machines and give me the exact amount in cash. No rolling or counting needed on my part. This is why I've always wondered why anyone would even use Coinstar with their fees.