Coinstar machines will let you swap cash for Bitcoin at your local grocery store

By Luke Dormehl January 21, 2019

In a world in which people increasingly pay for things using mobile wallets like Apple Pay, the presence of the machines you find at grocery stores, which turn your spare change into a more useful note-based form of cash, seem kind of retro. But they’re about to embrace one of the most exciting currency-based innovations happening right now — by allowing users to convert their regular cash into Bitcoin.

“Coinstar is always looking for new ways to offer value to our consumers when they visit our kiosks, and Coinme’s innovative delivery mechanism along with Coinstar’s flexible platform makes it possible for consumers to easily purchase Bitcoin with cash,” said Jim Gaherity, CEO of Coinstar, the company behind the change-counting kiosks, in a statement.

Recommended Videos

It’s the latest example of how Bitcoin is becoming accessible to folks who want to invest, just 10 years after it first burst onto the scene. Coinstar isn’t the only company helping with this, of course. For a few years now, a number of dedicated ATMs around the world have allowed users to trade the popular cryptocurrency. However, making Bitcoin gathering accessible in grocery stores and other locations around the U.S. is sure to make a difference in terms of overall visibility.

You won’t be able to use your nickel and dimes to buy Bitcoin, though. Instead, the decision has been made to only let customers purchase the cryptocurrency using paper money. Given how expensive Bitcoin is — even with the price down considerably from its all-time highs — that’s probably an understandable decision on the part of Coinstar.

Provided that you’re at a participating machine, users can buy their Bitcoin by selecting “Buy Bitcoin” as an option. They must then enter their phone number and the details of the transaction they wish to make. Following this, customers will receive a redemption code, which they can use on the Coinme website. It’s not clear how many of Coinstar’s machines will be offering Bitcoin.

This isn’t the first time that Coinstar has shown willingness to jump aboard the digital payments bandwagon. A few years ago, it teamed up with PayPal to allow customers to convert their loose change into currency that can be easily used online.

Topics

Contributor

I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…

Outdoors

The best portable power stations

EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power options and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Emerging Tech

CES 2023: HD Hyundai’s Avikus is an A.I. for autonomous boat and marine navigation

Demonstration of NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

This content was produced in partnership with HD Hyundai.
Autonomous vehicle navigation technology is certainly nothing new and has been in the works for the better part of a decade at this point. But one of the most common forms we see and hear about is the type used to control steering in road-based vehicles. That's not the only place where technology can make a huge difference. Autonomous driving systems can offer incredible benefits to boats and marine vehicles, too, which is precisely why HD Hyundai has unveiled its Avikus AI technology -- for marine and watercraft vehicles.

More recently, HD Hyundai participated in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to demo its NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system for recreational boats. The name mashes together the words "neuron" and "boat" and is quite fitting since the Avikus' A.I. navigation tech is a core component of the solution, it will handle self-recognition, real-time decisions, and controls when on the water. Of course, there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes with HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation solution, which we'll dive into below -- HD Hyundai will also be introducing more about the tech at CES 2023.

Computing

This AI cloned my voice using just three minutes of audio

acapela group voice cloning ad

There's a scene in Mission Impossible 3 that you might recall. In it, our hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) tackles the movie's villain, holds him at gunpoint, and forces him to read a bizarre series of sentences aloud.

"The pleasure of Busby's company is what I most enjoy," he reluctantly reads. "He put a tack on Miss Yancy's chair, and she called him a horrible boy. At the end of the month, he was flinging two kittens across the width of the room ..."