When using cash to buy goods, it’s pretty easy to accumulate a sizable amount of change—and once you have it, it can be difficult to get rid of.
While change holders can change the money at their bank or using a Coinstar machine, those locations can take a percentage of the value. That’s why some heavy-pocketed shoppers do peculiar things like pay for large orders in change, frustrating cashiers in the process.
Some shoppers go to even greater extremes to ditch their change—a 2002 Gallup poll found that 2% of Americans regularly throw pennies away.
Now, a user on TikTok has shared their viral hack for getting rid of additional change.
In a clip with over 2.1 million views, user Eric Miller (@thecoinchannel) stitches a video by fellow TikToker Dan (@d4nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn) to explain the hack.
@thecoinchannel Coinstar or self checkout?? #coinstar #coin #coins #selfcheckout #thecoinchannel #foru first clip by @Dannnnnnnnn ♬ Soaking Worship Resting Place – Josué Novais Piano Worship
“Who needs a Coinstar machine when you have self-checkout?” asks Dan in the video. He then drops his change into the self-checkout, hits cancel, and has his money returned to him in bills.
“That’s just genius,” Miller adds to the video. Miller then goes on to explain rare coins that shoppers should look out for before they exchange their change for bills.
In the comments section, users spoke to the usefulness of the hack along with the other benefits of using self-checkout.
“Also self check out charges like $.50 for cash back where atm fees are like 3 bucks,” stated a user.
“I’ve been doing this ever since they came out with self check out,” added another. “people always give me looks money is money.”
“That’s what I do,” offered a third. “[The] clerk watching was blown away. Said he’s never seen that before. I put 60 dollars in.”
That said, some stated that the hack doesn’t always work as expected.
“It never works for me,” detailed a commenter. “they always spit my quarters out.”
“you can only put so much change into them before it stops accepting any coins too,” offered a second. “like $10 limit at walmart.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Miller via email and Dan via TikTok comment.
