Coinstar Gift Card Exchange & Alternatives to Get Cash for Gift Card

Coinstar Gift Card Exchange kiosks, which had locations all over the world, used to be a wonderful method to sell your gift cards for quick cash.

Coinstar Gift Card Exchange

They’ve since switched, but, fortunately, we’ve discovered some excellent alternatives for exchanging unused gift cards for cash.

Apart from Coinstar, read on for some of the finest alternatives and sites to convert all of your gift cards for cash.

What is Coinstar Gift Card Exchange

Coinstar is a company, operated by Outerwall, which has kiosks that exchange coins for notes, and gift cards for cash. It has over 60,000 kiosks throughout the US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, and Puerto Rico.

Through Coinstar Exchange kiosks, you can trade-i your unwanted gift cards for cash instantly!

How it Works

Coinstar Exchange kiosks can be found in a plethora of grocery stores in the United States and many other countries. They are pretty easy to spot, as they are bright yellow!

  1. You take your unwanted gift card to a Coinstar Exchange kiosk.
  2. Insert your card into the machine.
  3. The machine will then give you an offer.
  4. If you accept the offer, the machine spits out the cash instantly.

Does Coinstar Buy Gift Cards?

Coinstar no longer buys gift cards, although it used to let you get cash from gift cards from over 150 retailers.

Instead, it now allows you to exchange your coins for gift cards, meaning it now basically does the opposite job of what the Coinstar Gift Card Exchange kiosks did before.

This means that if you’re looking to get cash for a gift card, you should look at some of the other options for doing this. Keep reading to find out just what they are.

Does Coinstar Give Gift Cards?

Coinstar gives gift cards in exchange for cash! All you have to do is go to a Coinstar kiosk, choose the gift card you want, put your coins in the slot and you’ll receive your gift card to use online or in-store.

For cheap photo tiles that stick, they have a vast range of retailers to choose from, including Amazon, Domino, Gap, Nike, Sephora, Starbucks, and iTunes.

Can You Exchange Gift Cards for Cash At Coinstar?

Coinstar Gift Card Exchange kiosks are used to offer a way for you to exchange gift cards for cash.

This meant if, say, you wanted to exchange an Amazon gift card for cash because you don’t like shopping on Amazon or because it was expiring.

You could just find a kiosk near you and turn that credit from Amazon to cash.

However, they’ve now removed their gift card exchange kiosks, reportedly because of the high cost of renting floor space from stores for these. This means that, for now, Coinstar Gift Card Exchange kiosks have become:

  • Places where you can deposit coins, including serving as a coin counting machine. They then exchanged this for a gift card (including from Amazon) or a charity donation.
  • A way to exchange coins for notes
  • Coinstar bitcoin sellers, in that you can exchange cash for bitcoins
  • An Amazon coin machine, in that you can get an Amazon cash voucher by using cash to add to your Amazon balance (making it basically the same as getting an Amazon gift card)

What is the Fee for The Coinstar Gift Card Exchange?

The Coinstar gift card exchange rate is one-to-one when it comes to gift cards. That is, whatever the value of the coins you put into the kiosk is how much the gift card it gives you will be worth.

There is, however, an 11.9% service fee for exchanging coins for notes.

This is pretty steep, especially as it means that if you deposit $100 of coins, you’ll lose almost $12 of this. This is why it can be a good idea to check for other options where you can cash in change for free.

Do Coinstar Cash Vouchers Expire?

Coinstar cash vouchers expire on the date printed on them. This is usually 24 to 48 hours after your voucher is printed.

This is because you’re supposed to print the Coinstar cash voucher and then immediately go to the cash register in the store where the kiosk is located to exchange the voucher for cash.

Not only does this help you get your cash quicker, but it’s also much more secure so you don’t accidentally lose your voucher or have it stolen from you.

Coinstar Gift Card Exchange kiosk near Me?

To find a Coinstar Gift Card Exchange kiosk near you, go to their website and simply enter your location to find any of their kiosks in the US or internationally.

Coinstar Gift Card Exchange 2022

Specifically, if you’re frantically Googling for a “gift card exchange kiosk near me” and you’re in the US, go to this page.

You’ll also find links to Coinstar’s websites in other countries if you’d like to find a kiosk near you there.

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Where to Sell Your Gift Cards

Asides from Coinstar, here are other places to exchange your gift cards for money near you.

1. Gift Card Bin Store Locator

Gift Card Bin has over 600 partner locations across the United States, all of which allow you to exchange your gift card for cash. The organization buys cards from over 700 different merchants, so it will accept anything you’re likely to receive.

Once you’ve used its store locator to find the nearest kiosk, just turn up with your gift card and ID to complete the sale.

2. Google Maps

It might sound obvious, but many people don’t realize they can easily find their nearest gift card exchange kiosk using Google Maps.

Just search for “sell gift cards” or a similar term, and Google will let you know the options nearby. Great for if you’re on the move and suddenly remember you have a gift card you don’t need in your purse.

3. Target

The Target Trade-In program allows people to trade their gift cards at their local Target store. Since Target is a major gift card retailer, this exchange makes sense.

Just head to the electronics department and decide whether you want to accept the offer. Here’s a store locator to find your nearest taking part Target.

4. Gift Card Granny

There are many places to sell your gift card online (see below!), but Gift Card Granny is the market leader. The site has been around since 2009 and attracts 13.9 million visitors every year — it must be doing something right!

To get an instant offer, just enter the brand and balance of the gift card on the site. You’ll receive payment as soon as your card arrives at the Granny HQ.

5. Cardpool

Cardpool is an established online gift card exchange. After entering the details associated with your gift card, you’ll immediately receive an offer from the site.

Then, after accepting the offer and sending your card, your payment will arrive within four days.

6. Raise

Founded in 2013, Raise is a more modern alternative to old-school platforms like those listed above.

It’s user-friendly, intuitive, and thanks to the app, you can do everything from your phone. Selling your gift card has never been easier.

7. CardCash

CardCash buys gift cards from a wide selection of retailers, giving you up to 92% of the card’s value in cash. That’s more than most of the other options on this list, but the exact amount you’ll get back depends on the brand of the card.

There’s also an option to trade in your gift card for a different gift card (e.g., Amazon for Walmart), which generally results in you retaining more of the gift card’s value.

8. GameFlip

GameFlip advertises itself as being “the safest way to sell gift cards for cash” — it’s a bold claim, but it just about checks out. To protect you from fraud and cashback, GameFlip secures buyer payments and takes extra measures to ensure there’s no funny business.

You’ll also receive your money quickly (usually within a few days).

Like Raise, GameFlip has a mobile app you can list your gift card, making the exchange process as easy as possible for you.

9. Reddit

Reddit is known for being a calm oasis in the storm that is social media. Why wouldn’t you turn to Redditors to buy your unwanted gift cards?

Naturally, you might be wary of trusting an anonymous user to transfer your payment without a third party overseeing the transaction.

Although some scammers frequent the Gift Card Exchange subreddit, there’s also a reputation system and detailed guidelines, so you can significantly reduce your risk by being cautious.

10. eBay

You’d be hard-pressed to find a person who hasn’t heard of eBay — you’ve probably bought and sold items on which there yourself. Yet most people don’t realize the eCommerce platform is also the perfect place to buy and sell gift cards.

What Can You Do with Unwanted Gift Cards?

You have a few options for things you can do with unwanted gift cards:

Coinstar Gift Card Exchange 2022

  • Sell your unwanted gift card for cash in-person
  • Use a gift card exchange website to sell it online
  • Also, donate the gift card to a charity
  • Furthermore, gift it to someone
  • Exchange it for a different retailer’s gift card with someone you know
  • Also, use the gift card to purchase things for you to then sell
  • Return the gift card to the retailer if they will accept it

While it may no longer be possible to find a Coinstar Gift Card Exchange kiosk nearby, there are plenty of Coinstar alternatives for those looking to do a gift card exchange for cash and you can jump on any one of these alternatives.

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