This is a followup to my original article here, where I posted a list of Canada Trust locations that have the coin counters.

So this will be a bit of a review and tips that I feel others should know of before they go. 

Well, I finally got the chance to use the machines myself.

It took me about 17 minutes to get $321 in change counted (which consisted of around ~2600 pennies). 

There's a touchscreen on each unit that you need to use before you start. It has some helpful info and directions on using the machine, don't get too distracted about putting your change though, take a look at it before you start and every once in a while when you're sending your coins through. 

The machines are made by Coinstar, or at least that's what is mentioned on the back of the vouchers.

The machines do have a little pinpad and card swipe, but that's for employees to work on the machine, not for you.

Basically, you just go in, dump your coins in, and then you manually slide them over. The thing is fast, but it's not completely automated. At the bottom of the machine, in a little port that I find a bit too small for my hands is where you can pick up the rejected coins, I suggest running them through a couple times, as they'll sometimes go through the second or third time around.

American vs. Canadian Coins

One thing that I did find is that the machines WILL take american coins and count them as Canadian coins, so while you're sliding them along, look out for the big money (American quarters), though unless you have a lot in there, it may not be worth your time. You actually agree to this on the screen prompt before starting.

The machines do reject silver coins, so you can easily increase your own collection. 

If you feed in coins too quickly, it'll actually close it off and mention it on the LCD screen. I thought the machine had been plugged up with my coins or badly jammed, but not so. 

If you stop feeding coins for a little bit (eg: take a break, or spend a while opening up another set of coins), the machine will think you're finished and start printing out a voucher, feel free to start again though.

Vouchers need to be cashed the same day. Everyone that uses the machine gets a voucher that they then need to wait in line for in order to cash in or deposit. 

It's a VERY good idea to call the branch in advance and ask them if the machine is operational, I wouldn't be surprised if they go down and then sit for a few days waiting to be fixed. 

I had all of my coins in some kind of double-bag, and then put them all in a corrugated box, so in case one of the bags started leaking coins, I wouldn't be worrying. Don't pack each bag too much, because the hopper on the machine can only hold so many coins and you could end up spilling coins.

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