Coinstar machines can now be used to fund Amazon Cash purchases stateside in a further move from the marketplace to attract shoppers who might not otherwise be able to shop owing to financial problems, such as being ‘unbanked’. That means somebody doesn’t have a bank account or credit or debit card.
To utilise the service at Coinstar cash-accepting kiosks, the customer selects “Cash Services,” and then “Amazon Cash.” Next, the customer enters their phone number and inserts cash into the cash acceptor on the kiosk totaling any amount between $5 and $500. An Amazon.com Gift Card is automatically purchased and claimed by the customer’s Amazon Balance and is available for immediate use for eligible items on Amazon.com or select affiliated properties. There is no fee to use this service at Coinstar kiosks. You can find out more here.
We’re excited to team up with Amazon and give shoppers an easy and convenient way to add cash to their Amazon Balance. Coinstar is proud to enable Amazon Cash at Coinstar kiosks for cash-preferring customers, who can now enjoy the same benefits of shopping online as any other customer. Best of all, there are no fees to use the service.
– Jim Gaherity, CEO of Coinstar
The Coinstar brand will be familiar to people in the UK although this current integration with Amazon Cash does seem to be purely applicable in the USA. The Coinstar machines can often be found in supermarkets and other locations: they help you convert your coinage or make a charitable donation. You just tip the change in and you can walk out with notes.
Amazon has previously made steps to welcome the unbanked and low-income users onto the marketplace. But that’s not the only purpose of Amazon Cash: it also exists to reassure shoppers who might otherwise be cautious about putting their card details online.
Obviously this is very convenient if you already often pass by a machine and perhaps it will come to the UK.
