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News Archive |
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Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Rixty, a provider of an alternative payments platform that lets users purchase entertainment with online credits, has announced a partnership with Offerpal Media to add its service to Coinstar Inc.'s coin-exchange kiosks.
According to a news release from Rixty, online gamers can use Coinstar kiosks to convert their cash to credits for use on social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. As with many of Coinstar's prepaid-card offerings, the Rixty transactions will be fee-free.
Anu Shukla, founder and chief executive of Offerpal Media, says the service will allow online game developers access to potential users who lack traditional payment capabilities:
The addition of Rixty to the Offerpal monetization platform gives consumers more ways than ever before to get and use virtual currency, while also putting cash back into developers' pockets. This partnership provides a direct link between real money and virtual currency for the consumer, and it helps developers monetize a large audience base that might not have access to traditional payment methods, but (who) find it simple to use Rixty's prepaid payment system.
Offerpal Media offers its virtual currency-monetization platform through more than 1,200 online publishers.
Tuesday, 03 February 2009
SALEM, N.H. -- Telequip, a provider of automated coin-dispensing solutions, has announced a new design for its CoinXpress coin dispenser, the CX25, which is used with self-checkout devices and self-service kiosks.
The CoinXpress family of coin-dispenser products offers an embedded hopper-based design for low-maintenance efficiency. The CX25 coin dispenser accommodates a high volume of coin while providing easy access and streamlined replenishment for self-checkout applications. This allows for less downtime with fewer coin-replenishment operations needed for the self-checkout device.
The new CX25 coin dispenser's hopper design, with its unique 25-degree angle, reduces motor stress and rotor wear and improves debris flushing. Able to dispense coins for approximately 1,000 self-checkout transactions per filling (U.S. 4-bin configuration), the new CX25 coin dispenser design implements an innovative jam-sensing technology, which actively senses a jam and takes appropriate measures to clear it without operator intervention.
The CX25 coin dispenser can recognize low coin levels with a higher degree of accuracy, maintain a history of coins dispensed and offers an even-depletion dispense mode that provides optimal coin use for long runs or a minimum-dispense mode to release the least amount of coins necessary.
"With the growing popularity of self-checkout devices and self-service kiosks, it only made sense for us to design an optimized, higher performance product for these demanding applications," said Alan Burt, general manager of Telequip.
Adaptable to coin sets for over 15 countries, including the U.S. dollar, Canadian dollar and the Euro, the CX25 coin dispenser is truly global. Available in 3-bin, 4-bin or 6-bin configurations, it is designed to be a drop-in replacement for current-generation self-checkout products and comes with a 12-month depot warranty that includes parts and labor.
Friday, 03 October 2008
Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle): Coinstar Inc., deployer of coin-counting kiosks, is morning the loss of its chairman. Keith Grinstein, a Seattle venture capitalist, has died at the age of 48. "He could have easily been the funniest man in Seattle," said Nick Hanauer, a close friend of Grinstein. "He had a remarkable wit … and a big heart." The cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
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Thursday, 05 June 2008
The (Everett, Wash.) HeraldNet: A man accused of ripping off about $450,000 from grocery store coin-counting machines in three states has been charged with five counts of theft. Prosecutors allege that Michael Burns, 40, wore his Coinstar Inc. uniform when he walked into stores and used inside knowledge as an employee to break into the kiosks, court records show.
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Friday, 30 May 2008
BELLEVUE, Wash. — Coinstar E-Payment Services, a subsidiary of Coinstar Inc., has announced that its full range of Pay As You Go products and services will be available in TravelCenters of America full-service travel centers.
The lineup of Coinstar Pay As You Go products includes prepaid wireless, long distance, gift cards, financial services such as prepaid re-loadable and one-time gift debit cards. These products and services will be available at more than 230 TA and Petro locations.
TA and Petro have already installed other Coinstar products, including amusement vending equipment, in more than 85 locations as well as a number of coin counting locations.
Monday, 19 May 2008
The (Everett, Wash.) HeraldNet: He's accused of stealing around $450,000 from grocery store coin-counting machines in three states. Local police believe Michael Burns, 39, ripped off the machines while working for Coinstar Inc. They allege Burns, of Maple Valley in King County, wore a company uniform when he walked into stores and used inside knowledge to break into the kiosks, according to court documents. When police arrested Burns on Friday, they confiscated around $130,000 in cash along with high-priced electronics and a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the documents said. Detectives still haven't accounted for thousands of dollars more that are missing. Police were alerted after loss prevention officers at Bellevue-based Coinstar discovered thefts at several of their kiosks.
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Thursday, 13 December 2007
CNNMoney.com: Gourmet coffee giant Starbucks and automated coin-counting company Coinstar have teamed up to test an automated coffee machine under the Starbucks Seattle's Best Coffee label. Marci Maule, a Coinstar spokeswoman, confirmed the partnership but would give few details about the test, such as when it started or where the machines are located. Financial details have not been disclosed.
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Friday, 09 November 2007
ATLANTA · No longer content to place DVD rental kiosks solely in McDonald's restaurants and grocery stores, Coinstar and redbox announced it has deployed more than two dozen DVD rental kiosks in convenience stores across the United States. It plans to have 300 in place by the end of 2007, said Ray Taddeo, regional vice president of Coinstar.
Coinstar, which owns half of redbox along with McDonald's, showcased the DVD rental kiosk to convenience store owners, distributors and retailers at the 2007 National Association of Convenience Stores trade show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
Taddeo sited high-volume traffic as the main reason Coinstar and other self-service companies are introducing themselves to the convenience store industry.
"And we know that many of them are DVD renters," Taddeo said.
Redbox, located at thousands of McDonald's restaurants and in groceries around the United States, is the nation's leader in self-service DVD rentals, growing from 93,000 rentals in 2003 to more than 21 million in 2006. It is on pace to reach 40 million rentals this year.
Coinstar also introduced a financial services kiosk, which currently distributes prepaid cards at a handful of convenience stores. Future versions of the kiosk will include a bill payment application and money transfer capabilities, Taddeo said.
Friday, 02 November 2007
CNNMoney.com: Coinstar Inc. said its third-quarter profit surged 72 percent as the company's coin-counting machines and movie-rental kiosks collected more from customers, the company said Thursday. Coinstar earned $9.1 million, or 32 cents per share, in the third quarter, compared with profit of $5.3 million, or 19 cents per share, in the third quarter of 2006.
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Monday, 15 October 2007
The (Minneapolis, Minn.) Star-Tribune: Most businesses try to entice customers to empty their pockets. A growing number of banks have a formula for getting every last cent -- installing self-service coin-counting machines in the lobby.
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
MONTREAL·The Royal Canadian Mint and Coinstar Inc. have announced the deployment of Coinstar Center kiosks in Quebec.
New to the province, Coinstar has deployed about 90 kiosks at participating Metro and Super C grocery stores, bringing the total number of Coinstar kiosks in Canada to more than 300. Cost to use the service is 9.8 percent of the total value of the coins.
"Recycling coins is a cost-effective and efficient way to provide coins to the marketplace," said Ian E. Bennett, president and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "The Mint, along with Coinstar, is making it possible for Canadians to recycle their spare change and turn it into cash·fast."
"Coinstar pioneered self-service coin counting in the early 1990s in the United States, and now we're very pleased to bring the Coinstar service to Canada and to the residents of Quebec," said Alex Camara, senior vice president and general manager of Worldwide Coin at Coinstar Inc. "In cooperation with the Royal Canadian Mint, we can not only help recycle the vast number of coins out of circulation, but help consumers easily turn their coins into cash without the hassle of sorting, wrapping and rolling."
Thursday, 14 June 2007
BELLEVUE, Wash · Coinstar Inc. announced that CVS Pharmacy is expected to have gift cards available in more than 360 Coinstar kiosks in CVS Pharmacy stores this summer. The Coin to Card service allows consumers to convert their loose change to a CVS card at the Coinstar kiosk and pay no coin-counting fee.
The CVS card and eCertificates, such as Amazon.com, Circuit City, Eddie Bauer and iTunes, are expected to be available at Coinstar Centers located in CVS stores in 11 Mid-West and Western states.
Monday, 14 May 2007
DENVER · Coinstar Inc., and First Data Corp. have agreed to offer the Money Network Pay Card at select Coinstar kiosks.
According to a news release, the pay card offers unbanked and underbanked consumers diverse financial management tools, instant prepaid debit-card issuance prepaid debit card as well as a check-writing. The card also allows user to transfer funds from the United States to Latin America.
Friday, 06 April 2007
BELLEVUE, Wash. · Coinstar Inc. announced West Coast Bank, a Pacific Northwest community bank, will be the first in the region and one of the first in the country to offer the new Madison coin-counting kiosk from Coinstar. The service will be free of charge to bank customers in ten Oregon and Washington branch locations.
"We are pleased to be the first Pacific Northwest bank to offer our customers this valuable coin-counting service free of charge. And, since the Coinstar program is completely turnkey, we can offer it without increasing our staff workload," said West Coast Bank president and chief executive Robert D. Sznewajs in a news release.
"West Coast Bank is a forward-thinking, customer-oriented bank, and we're very pleased that they will be offering our Madison kiosk," said Alex Camara, senior vice president and general manager of worldwide coin at Coinstar, Inc. "By offering our coin-counting service at no charge to its customers, West Coast Bank not only increases traffic into the branch, but has the ability to attract new customers, enhance existing relationships and build loyalty among its customer base."
The Coinstar coin counting kiosks that will be installed at West Coast Bank this month will offer a Coins to Cash feature, Coin to eCertificate, as well as the ability to accept donated change for designated non-profit organizations. For Coins to Cash transactions, customers simply pour their loose, unsorted change into the machine. The machine will dispense a voucher that may be brought to the teller window to receive the full coin value in the form of currency or deposit into their account (non-customers pay a service fee of 7.9 percent).
To receive an eCertificate from national retailers such as Amazon.com, iTunes, and Eddie Bauer, users go through the same process as Coins to Cash, with the exception of going to the teller window. A redemption code printed on the voucher makes it possible to make purchases online. For charity donations, the customer receives a tax-deductible receipt.
Wednesday, 08 November 2006
Franklin, Tenn. · Ellsworth Systems and Data Concepts have partnered to provide a complete self-service coin package for direct deposit and direct marketing in credit unions and banks.
"Our Self-Service coin machine does what it does best: count and sort coins quickly and quietly," said James Warren, Ellsworth Systems president. "The Data Concepts system ties everything together. Customers deposit coins at the machine, choose which account to deposit to and get a deposit slip with their account balance right at the machine."
Direct marketing is almost as important as coin deposits in many financial institutions.
"The system recognizes the customer when they enter an account number or swipe a card. At that point, the bank or credit union can market to the specific customer based on their account status," Warren said.
There are over 4000 Reis Eurosystems Self-Service Coin machines in financial institutions worldwide. This solution was first developed with Harland's Ultradata Teller Platform and the Reis machine in 2004. Data Concepts also provides various levels of Internet-based, remote monitoring tolls for the Reis machine. The two companies have partnered in various projects since 2001.
Friday, 03 November 2006
FinanceTech.com: In October, Coinstar, the Bellevue, Wash.-based provider of self-service coin counting kiosks, announced it will be introducing a new service that will enable people to directly deposit coins in their checking accounts. The Coinstar Direct Coin Deposit service will be officially unveiled at the upcoming Retail Delivery Conference and Expo in November.
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Friday, 27 October 2006
BELLEVUE, Wash. · Coinstar Inc., operator of self-service coin counting kiosks, announced its new Coinstar Direct Coin Deposit service that will allow bank and credit union customers to electronically transfer coin into personal accounts, complemented by Coinstar's new Madison coin-counting kiosk specifically designed for retail financial institution branches. Coinstar's new product line has been developed to enhance customer acquisition and retention strategies for financial institutions while reducing the costs inherent with self-service coin counting.
"Banks are learning that one of the keys to more effective selling at the branch is the intelligent use of automation with self-service devices. The use of appropriate technologies to let customers help themselves at the branch allows staff to focus more on the relationship aspects of banking," said Jerry Silva, research director of retail banking and delivery channels at the TowerGroup.
Wednesday, 23 August 2006
Puget Sound Business Journal: West Coast Bank said it has reached an agreement with Coinstar Inc. to offer prepaid gift cards through jointly administered kiosks in West Coast's branches.
Lake Oswego, Ore.-based West Coast Bank will join Coinstar, of Bellevue, Ore., as it becomes one of the country's first banks to offer cards from numerous merchants within its branches. Participating retailers include Starbucks, Hollywood Video, Linens 'n Things Inc., Borders, Lids, Tony Roma's, Chili's Inc., Circuit City and AMC Theater.
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Wednesday, 26 July 2006
TORONTO · Got any spare change? The Royal Canadian Mint hopes so. The Crown corporation partnered with the U.S. company Coinstar, maker of commercial coin machines, a year ago in an effort to recycle loose change that's collecting dust in ashtrays, jars and coffee tins across Canada.
The self-service automated Coinstar kiosks accept all Canadian coins and can count 600 per minute. More than 135 kiosks have been in A&P, Dominion and Loblaws stores in the Toronto area since 1998 and they've been a "big success."
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Tuesday, 06 June 2006
Coinstar, Inc. was founded more than a decade ago with a simple, yet innovative idea: a self-service machine that turns coins into cash. Since our inception, we've processed more than $12 billion dollars in change in over 350 million transactions. Today, Coinstar is a multi-national, multi-product company with more than 65,000 points of distribution.
Our mission is to become the world's premier provider of business solutions for the retailer's front-of-store by offering a network of consumer products that are convenient, reliable, safe and fun. Through our innovative spirit and strong company values we continue to deliver on this mission.
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