Did you get any gift cards over the holidays that you don't see yourself using anytime soon? We've all got one or two of those lying around. Now there's an easy way to trade in your gift cards for cash thanks to the Coinstar Exchange kiosks!

I know there are other ways to trade gift cards in online communities, but sometimes I'd rather take the cash & go. I loved the ease in usability of the Coinstar Exchange kiosk - I was in and out of my local Safeway with some new money in less than 5 minutes!

How does it work? It's suuuper simple. Find a kiosk near you & it'll walk you through these steps:

A few tips from my experience (sorry for the glare on my photos. Grocery store lighting!):

You can check to see if your gift card is on the list of accepted retailers on the website. Check before you head to a kiosk! Most of the brands are popular ones you'll find in malls and such.

Don't trip about the identity verification. That's Coinstar's way of protecting against fraud security. You can use your mobile number, a valid state-issued ID like your driver's license, credit or debit card. They also ask for your email address to send you a receipt.

Make sure you've scratched open the PIN code and scraped away the sticky glue on your gift cards. You'll need to enter the PIN code, then deposit the gift card into the kiosk once you've accepted the offer.

Cash offers vary with each retailer. I am fairly certain you won't get a 100% return on the value of your gift card, but hey, getting cash in exchange for a GC to a store you never shop at is still a good deal, right? You do have the option of accepting or declining the offer, in case you want to see what you're getting into before you 'buy.'

Keep your ID out. You'll need to take your cash voucher to the grocery store's customer service desk to receive your cash. They need to check your ID.

That's it! Easy peasy and like I said before, less than 5 minutes to do. I only brought one gift card to the kiosk for this project but I'll definitely be going through my stash and bringing more in soon. 

Thanks Coinstar! Learn more about Coinstar Exchange on their website, Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: Compensation provided in exchange for this post. All opinions are mine!