Amarillo Credit Union Adopts Modern Approach, Discontinues Coin Transactions

As a kid, I knew I collected all the change I could. I kept it in my piggy bank. I tried to fill that thing up. I knew that if I did I would have so much money. I could buy anything I wanted—the logic of a child.

I would take that bank up to the counter at our bank and find out how much exactly was in there. We would play the game. The teller would ask how much I thought was in there. I was never close. It was good money just never the amount I would have wanted. Oh, to be a kid again.

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But what if a bank won't take your change at all?

Keep the change

You may say "no way!" but that's the case at a local credit union.

Amarillo Community Federal Credit Union has made the move to no longer accept coin currency.

Because of how much this surprised me, I had to do a little legwork as to why this was the case. So I went directly to the source.

According to Amarillo Community Federal Credit Union:

We have stopped accepting coins at our locations because coins are not compatible with our ITM initiatives.  With that stated, coins are becoming less relevant in the digital age.  The demand for coins has also declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has increased contactless payments and reduced cash circulation.

No more piggy banks full of change, I guess.

More questions about going coin-less

So what happens if I go to cash a check that will, more than likely, have change attached to it?

Will they have the change to give me back? Or am I out of luck?

Rest assured, if you are a member of our Credit Union, we will still accept your checks with coins.  Our ITMs will give whole dollar amounts back only.  Your change, then, will be able to accumulate and add up to the total dollar amount withdrawals at our machines.  Due to the coin situation, we have allowed access to our ITM users to request specific denominations, down to one-dollar bills.

The move towards a coin-less bank is an interesting one. And it makes one wonder what's next.

Will all of our change be going away? What does this mean for that "lucky penny" we may find on the ground? Will we still be asked "a penny for our thoughts?"

I guess we will have to wait and see.