Operators Struggle with Currency Machine Upgrades

The challenge to adapt vending machines to accept new currency designs has been costly and stressful for Antares operators. The major area needing to be retrofitted to accept new currency designs is the bill changer. There are modernized bill changers like those found in Antares vending machines that accept the new 5s, 10s, and 20s.

One other concern involves the one dollar coin which is in circulation within the machines. The four and five dollar tube changers were intended to stimulate the flow of dollar coins throughout vending machines. They have been a great boon, especially to stand alone changers. This excludes validators

Operators don’t waste time upgrading

There are two separate issues: the dollar coin and its acceptance, and the ability to pay out the dollar coin as change, and the redesign of the currency. Many Antares operators as well as other operators would like to see the paper dollar bill eliminated. This is a feasible thing to lobby for, because it would facilitate conversions of bill changers to take the new currency designs.

The cost crunch is on

Conversion kits are selling like crazy among operators, because they are in demand. It is quite expensive to buy new bill changers. The cost of new bill changers has put it out of reach for a number of operators.

It is also getting expensive to keep Antares vending validators updated. The old validators are mostly 1s. To make them current, it would mean upgrading them to accept 5s, 10s and 20s. All new Antares vending machines have been updated to accept the new currencies. Inflation has made the $5 bill more common in Antares vending transactions.

The vending industry has been buying new coin mechanisms that have an extra tube on them for the dollar coin. These coins are ordered from the bank, but the operators don’t usually get them back, because people still hoard them. For your new Antares vending machine, you will need to change out slowly to the new demand for currency acceptance.

The challenge to convert to new currency designs has been cost intensive, with some problems keeping up with the demand. But for the most part, the new currency design conversion challenge is just another cost of doing business.