Do not make things too complicated. Simply go to any bank cashier or Post Office clerck or store sales person.

If this ain't enough then import the coin machines into Switzerland and start a niche business.Might be a nice opportunity.

Don't know about the situation in Geneva, in Basel there are such machines at the major branches of the large banks as well at the Postfinace. Usually, you deposit the cash to your account there. Fees can be up to 3 percent.

Shopkeepers are often buying rolls of cash at banks because they get through it quickly. 

So here's what you do: find a small shop and ask the shopkeeper if he wants to buy your cash. Make sure you have it sorted (e.g. using small plastic bags with 5 or 10 francs in each, of a single type of coin) so it's easy for the shopkeeper to count.

Apparently these coin machines are urban legends in gva.

what i always do is to ask for paper coin rollers (no idea the real name for that!) at the post and also exchange there (but the banks also change them). the only problem is that you need to fill a full roll to change (=50 coins). not so easy sometimes, mostly the 5 cents :s

Balu:

Sadly they don't have these machines here. I loved these machines in the US: you don't have to count or sort you change, you just throw it all into the machine and your bills come out.

Here in Geneva it's more work: you have to count and sort the coins, put them into rolls, and only then take them to the bank.

Is this still true? How can that be?? are we still living in the stone age?! #FML ;( 

How could you not have noticed that?

I discovered 2 more ways of getting coins-to-bills since then. Both ways are still primitive compared to the US, but they're better then counting each coin separatly:

1. If you have a Credit Suisse account, you can use their automatic machines. Some Credit Suisse branches have the machines like in the US where you just throw all your change in. Credit Suisse then credits your account automatically (you don't get cash)

2. You can go to certain UBS branches and give them all your coins. They count em for you and put the money into your account. The fee is around 5% if I remember correctly. But it's a manual process, meaning you have to wait in line for a teller then give her the money. She puts it in bags and gives you some piece of paper in return. All in all, it takes a good 10 minutes or so. 

well that's some great& helpful news! Which UBS branches would that be? The cornavin one doesn't do it unfortunately... 

it's the Cornavin one. But you have to go upstairs. Ask the tellers on the main floor what to do if you have a lot of change. If it's just a little change they'll make you use the rolls, but if you tell them it's a lot of change they'll direct you upstairs to the change service.

I am with BCGE. They have at least two machines ih their branches where you just throw your coin (without counting them) and it's booked on your account. I doubt there is any fee on it.

I am really glad they have introduced them recently - I kept coins for years, thrice I took the papers for the rolls at the post office but I never managed to complete the operation, too much of a hassle :)