William Lipovsky
Besides banks — which are often only open during regular business hours — there are several other places to get change, including grocery stores and pharmacies, popular stores like Target and Walmart, small businesses like laundromats and car washes, and some other places that usually have change machines on hand.
While banks can give you a roll of quarters when you need them, they might have restrictions and are often not open outside of regular business hours.
You can avoid hassle and inconvenience at the bank by getting change from one of the places we list below.
The List
Note: Due to an ongoing coin shortage in the U.S.,[1] some stores are either only accepting card or digital payments, or they’re rounding up cash purchases and not providing change.[2] You can contact your intended store to find out more about its change policy.
Cash Back With Your Debit Card
If you have a debit card, you can stop by any store that offers a cash-back option upon checkout. Make a small purchase like a pack of mints or a magazine, pay with your debit card, and select cash back.
Some places will let you take as little as $5 cash back, while others require you to take out at least $20.
Regardless of the amount you request, you can ask the cashier to give you some of it in quarters or any other coins you need and if they have the change in the register they’ll likely comply.
Our related research features amount limits and acceptable payment methods in the list of where to get cash back.
Walmart
If your local Walmart has a money center, you may go there and request to exchange your paper money for quarters or other coins.
If your local store doesn’t have a money center, you can visit the customer service counter and request the exchange there.[3]
Keep in mind, though, that Walmart store managers have the discretion to accept or deny money exchanges. If you’d like to call your local Walmart to verify if it will exchange cash for quarters, you can look up its contact info on the Walmart website.
Target
A Target customer service representative confirmed that the store will give you change or sell you a roll of quarters for cash at its customer service counter. This applies to other forms of change as well, such as dimes and nickels.
Getting change this way requires store manager approval, so you might have to wait a few minutes while the manager comes to the front to review the transaction, and you may not be able to get quarters at every Target store location.
If you want to know if your local Target will exchange paper money for quarters, you can call your local Target store.
Pharmacies
Pharmacies like Rite Aid, and Walgreens will often provide change for a dollar or two.
However, this isn’t a standard practice. If you bring your cash to a register at the pharmacy, the cashier will usually be able to give you change, but if you need more than a couple of dollars, it’s best to seek out another option like a grocery store.
Convenience Stores
Some convenience stores will provide change for a dollar or a couple of dollars if you ask them to.
However, policies for this vary from one store to the next, and stores generally won’t exchange more than a dollar or two.
An employee’s willingness or ability to provide change can depend upon a variety of factors such as time of day, how much change they have available, the amount you’re requesting, and the location of the store.
If the store won’t give you change for a dollar or two, then you can try the cash-back option by purchasing something small and requesting some of your cash back in change.
Alternatively, you can pay for something small with cash and request that they give you part of your change in quarters or whatever other coins you need.
Grocery Stores
If you need change and find yourself near a grocery store, you can check with a cashier or visit the customer service counter. Many grocery stores will exchange paper money for quarters or other forms of change.
This is usually a better option than convenience stores or pharmacies if you need more than a dollar or two in change.
The amount of change the store will be able to give you may vary depending on how much it has on hand. If you need a large amount of change, it’s best to call your local store to confirm that it’ll be able to give you change before visiting.
Laundromats
Since the washers and dryers at laundromats require quarters to operate, there’s almost always a change machine or two on-site. Several laundromats are open 24 hours a day to accommodate varying schedules.
So, if you have a laundromat in your neighborhood, there’s a good chance you can stop in to get change.
Be aware, though, that some laundromats require you to do at least one load of laundry once you get change. An employee or on-site manager isn’t always present to enforce this rule, but it’s something you should be prepared for just in case.
Car Washes
While many car washes now allow the option of swiping your card to pay, several of them still require quarters or tokens to operate, especially the self-service ones that operate 24 hours.
You should be able to use the change machines to convert a $1 bill into quarters.
Just make sure to read the instructions on the machine carefully — you want to confirm it is a true change machine that will give you currency, and not a machine that will give you tokens that are only good for the car wash.
Arcades and Casinos
Most gaming centers, whether designed for kids or adults, have change machines.
While many modern arcades take tokens to play, you can often still find coin machines at the arcade. This is because there are usually things like gumball machines and small vending machines that still require quarters.
If you can’t find a change machine, you can ask the cashier if they can give you change.
If you live near a casino and are over 21, you should also be able to get change there. Casinos usually have change machines out on the floor near the slot machines.
If you don’t see any, you can go to the cashier’s cage with your ID and request change there.
If you have change and need to get rid of it, see our article about Coinstar machines and what types of coins they accept.
