[pidgeon92]

Check it out here, all you Coinstar fans. This promotion is only good on store gift certificates, like Amazon.com.

http://www.coinstar.com/us/html/landingpromo2008

You do have to do a mail in, so that kinda drops it to $9.38 (postage, you know), but still......

 

[Angela]

\o/ \o/ \o/ Woo Hoo \o/ \o/ \o/
That gives me more money to play with!!!

 

[Steph H]

Kewl. I hope the container I have in my car to take right now has $40 worth in it....I'm guessing it'll end up being just under, with my luck.

 

[pidgeon92]

Kewl. I hope the container I have in my car to take right now has $40 worth in it....I'm guessing it'll end up being just under, with my luck.

Time to start looking for change in the streets and behind cushions.

 

[chynared21]

Kewl. I hope the container I have in my car to take right now has $40 worth in it....I'm guessing it'll end up being just under, with my luck.

Can you imagine having to count your change before you take it to the change counting machine

 

[DawnOfChaos]

So I imagine it would be pretty sad to take $40 to the bank to get quarters just to convert them at the coinstar machine

I just went last month, so I don't have enough change accumulated.  But I soooo love a deal.

 

[Steph H]

It'll have to be in the streets, I never have change in my pockets to get in the cushions. And neither do the cats.

Hmmm, maybe I'll raid the boss's pencil drawer after he leaves for a dinner meeting...

 

[Buttercup]

Ooh, thanks foro the info!

 

[sjc]

Wow...makes me want to go to the bank cash 2 twenties for quarters; then go dump them into Coinstar...lol.  Uhh Ohh...I just sounded exactly like Teninx.  That would be his reply to this post...scary; wink.

 

[Snapcat]

Darn. Too bad I already cashed in all my coins!

 

[Steph H]

Reading the fine print a little closer, this is only valid at certain participating Coinstar locations, not all.  You'll know if your location is valid if the receipt it prints out has a claim form at the bottom; I don't see any way on the Coinstar site to find a valid location (clicking the link on the "terms & conditions" page only takes you to the generic "locate a Coinstar" page, not specifically one that's participating in the deal).  And you have to turn in the $40 worth in a single transaction.

That last point was important to me 'cause I went by a Coinstar last night, proceeded to dump all my coins in the basket, and after some were processed, all of a sudden a bunch started dumping back into the return thing.  Damn machine was full. So I got an Amazon code for $9.08 and most of my coins back.  My luck, the rest of my coins are worth enough to have made the total over $40, but aren't worth $40 now with the $9 taken out. LOL  But in any event, there's no claim form at the bottom of the receipt I got, so apparently that location isn't a participating location for purposes of the holiday bonus anyway...

 

[Steph H]

Oh, and not related to the bonus (because the terms specifically say "coins only"), did y'all know that at least some machines also take bills? I noticed that at the machine I was at last night. That might be a painless way to get Amazon GCs for Kindle book addictions, too.   Set aside a few one dollar bills or a five dollar bill now and again, and next time you're near a Coinstar machine and have those few saved bucks handy, go by and get an Amazon GC. 

 

[pidgeon92]

Reading the fine print a little closer, this is only valid at certain participating Coinstar locations, not all. You'll know if your location is valid if the receipt it prints out has a claim form at the bottom; I don't see any way on the Coinstar site to find a valid location (clicking the link on the "terms & conditions" page only takes you to the generic "locate a Coinstar" page, not specifically one that's participating in the deal). And you have to turn in the $40 worth in a single transaction.

That last point was important to me 'cause I went by a Coinstar last night, proceeded to dump all my coins in the basket, and after some were processed, all of a sudden a bunch started dumping back into the return thing. Damn machine was full. So I got an Amazon code for $9.08 and most of my coins back. My luck, the rest of my coins are worth enough to have made the total over $40, but aren't worth $40 now with the $9 taken out. LOL But in any event, there's no claim form at the bottom of the receipt I got, so apparently that location isn't a participating location for purposes of the holiday bonus anyway...

I have never used a Coinstar machine, so I have no way to back this up... I'm thinking that the reason you didn't get the claim form on the receipt is because it stopped counting when it was full and it wasn't up to the $40 minimum. The way I read the rules was that any machine that does certificates is part of the promotion. Did it give you an option to return the coins since it was full? That doesn't seem fair at all.

Perhaps try contacting customer service:

Customer Service:
Send us your questions, comments or complaints to [email protected] or call 800-928-CASH.

 

[Steph H]

Duh, that's a good point about there being no claim form 'cause the minimum wasn't met.  LOL  Didn't even think about that!  No, I didn't see an option to cancel out to get the coins back, but then I was trying to get all the other coins back out of the basket and the return after I saw the "machine full" message, so I may have missed it. That was my first time using one, so I dunno either.

 

[pidgeon92]

I still think you should try contacting them, maybe they'll compensate your for the machine's "malfunction." 

 

[Steph H]

Ya never know! I think I'll try and go back by tonight with the rest of the coins; if they're over $40 alone, no reason to worry about it, but if they're under $40 but more than $31 (so the total with last night's would be $40), then I will contact them.

 

[Angela]

I just made my first visit to a Coinstar machine and it was soooo easy. I would suggest that before you go, you check online at Coinstar to locate if there are machines in your area that support Amazon.com gift cards first. Next, when you begin, answer NO to the question "have you used Coinstar before?"... that way you can be sure that you are actually at a machine that offers Amazon gift cards and that you know what options you have... you may want a Lowe's card instead... nahhh, why would you want that when you can have books!!

When all was said and done, my eCertificate printed out with my redemption code and at the very bottom was the Coinstar Holiday Bonus form to complete and mail in (yes, I had more than $40 in coins). Entering the redemption code in my Amazon account was a breeze also!

This link will take you to the Coinstar Locator page. At the bottom of the address information form is a button for locating (searching) specific products. Use this button to find the machines that offer Amazon gift cards. That is how I found the one near my house. Not all of the Coinstar machines in my town offer gifts cards.

http://locator.coinstar.com/

Now I am off to buy more books!!

 

[Cowgirl]

Doesn't Coinstar keep an 8 cents on the dollar fee or do they not charge the fee when you ask for a gift card? 

 

[Steph H]

Not for the gift cards or eCertificates, no.

 

[Cowgirl]

Good to know...I always get the cash...but not anymore!  Thanks for the good tip!