You can always donate your extra coins to charities... If you are at the airport, there are several big containers in the terminal for that, all currencies welcome.

Often stores have a collection jar at the check out, supporting various charities - a good place for that pesky change to end up, and do a little good in the process.

Don't forget to check the jar for old coins. Since the Swiss haven't changed their coinage for over a century you can find coins older than any other in circulation (in the world??).

Some are even made of silver.

All my shrapnel gets used as tip money. Works well that way.

UBS stinks in this regard. Raiffeisen Bank charges 1% (min CHF 10.-), or free if you have an account with them. I usually get a friend who has an account there to do it for me.

The coin machine at the Migros Limmatplatz has gone to machine heaven; they no longer offer the service there...

That's certainly a way to avoid a build up in the first place. But you can also do what I did this morning at my local Migros. The bill was CHF 10.20, and I had a CHF 20 note. I fished in my pocket for a 20 Rappen coin, and got a CHF 10 note change. Simple if you can spare a moment to look.

But if you have accumulated a lot of change, try approaching your local friendly cafe, and asking them to take it off your hands. I see this happening quite regularly at a couple of family run cafes here. Remember that they probably have to pay the bank to get hold of the stuff, so both of you are saving money doing this.

This question might not go in the "banking" section, so if it's wrong, please move it. Is it possible to get empty paper coin rollers at a bank in Switzerland in order to roll up your coins and turn them in for cash? If it is possible, what is the french word for the paper cylinders?

My husband and I both abhor toting change around in our pockets/purses etc. and we normally just throw it in a jar until the jar gets full. Then, the next time our kids are around, we make them roll the coins up and redeem the coins for cash at the bank, (in exchange for a cut of the profits, of course, because they sure wouldn't do it simply out of the kindness of their mercenary, capitalistic little hearts!)

We thought change was abundant in the US but here it is truly astounding how much change you can accumulate on a daily basis. Plus the money quickly adds up here, thanks to those 1,2 and 5 franc coins. So, what do all of you do with your piles of change?

I find I am always collecting coins to pay for parking

In our area, Kantonal banks have machines where you can change your coins for notes.

We tend not to accumulate so much change as I have become quite disciplined in paying for things with my change and not constantly breaking in to a note (which I used to do in the early days).

Having said that, I am sure a bank would take your change but I would advise going mid morning or mid afternoon if you can, otherwise you will encounter a huge lunchtime or after-work queue and the staff might not be so helpful.

I got the paper thingies from the post office and i take them back to the post office to exchange for notes after i have rolled them up - be warned it's a right fiddle - wish they would use the simple bags like in the UK

Way too much work, there are many banks where you can just throw in all your coins and you get notes in return! Takes but a few seconds for it to count, I found it fascinating how a machine can think so quickly as a kid!

You can get them at a Post Office. Papier pour rouleaux de monnaie.

OK, now I need Sada with her wonderful, native French. What's the word for the little paper "thingies"? I know for a fact that the lady down at the Ouchy post office does not speak English and I don't think my sign language is capable of distinguishing between a paper roller and a pe*is.

We were typing at the same time. Thank you Bloneybear. You've saved me from (yet another) embarrassing situation

Please tell us when you are going to do this so we can come and watch - I have just laughed my head off at the vision in my head...

When my jar is full . . .

i remember the BCV in St Francois had a machine into which you just dumped all your mixed mess of coins, sort them, then gave you a receipt which you cashed in at the counter. don't know it is still there.

In the States some supermarkets have machines that will count coins, but (I believe) they take a percentage off. Do the Swiss banks that have these machines pay the full value of the coins?

I think in some banks you're charged for the coin counting machines.

Make sure you have rolled the right amount of coins before giving them to the post office. A friend of mine was told off because he miscounted. It was amusing.

Has anyone got the German term for the coin rollers? I just counted up my piggy bank and it's a sizeable sum - not 'retire tomorrow' sizeable but too much to leave sitting.

So far, I've put the different size coins in separate bags so it's a bag of .20 coins, one of .10 and so on with the total in full francs on a slip of paper. Is it worth toting them down to the bank like that, do you think? I worry that the rolling in paper would be too challenging for my less-than-dextrous mitts.