Starbucks Will Devalue Its Rewards Program Next Year
Starbucks has announced some upcoming changes to its Starbucks Rewards program. Most changes are negative.
Starting February 13, you will need 100 stars for one cup of hot or iced coffee or tea, a baked good, a packaged snack or a to-go cup. You will need 200 stars for a latte or Frappuccino or a hot breakfast item, and 300 for a salad, lunch sandwich, protein box or packaged coffee.
Currently, members need only 50 stars to get a hot tea, coffee or bakery item, 150 for a latte, hot breakfast item or parfait and 200 for a salad, lunch sandwich or protein box.
In October, the coffee chain started partnering with Delta Air Lines to let rewards members earn airline miles.
New Program Details
Stars may be redeemed for complimentary Starbucks items at participating Starbucks stores in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Starbucks Rewards offers different Rewards based on different Star redemption tiers. Note that the Rewards available and Star redemption tiers may vary by location and by country, and that Starbucks may adjust the items included in each tier at any time in its sole discretion.
The Star redemption tiers for redeeming Stars at participating Starbucks stores in the United States are as follows:
- 25 Stars may be redeemed for one (1) of the following beverage modifiers:
- an added espresso shot, added syrup or sauce (such as caramel syrup), or a dairy alternative option (such as soy milk, almondmilk, or coconutmilk), valued up to $1 (one) U.S. Dollar. The beverage modifiers in this redemption tier are only available as a customization to your base beverage order and cannot be redeemed as a standalone beverage.
- 100 Stars may be redeemed for one (1) of the following items:
- hot brewed coffee or hot steeped tea, iced brewed coffee or iced brewed tea, OR a bakery item (such as a cake pop or cookie), OR a packaged snack (such as popcorn or potato chips) OR one (1) Cold Siren Logo Plastic To-Go Cup (24 oz only) or one (1) Siren Logo Plastic Hot Cup (16 oz only). Clover brewed coffee, Starbucks Reserve coffee, packaged lunch items, and all other reusable cups and tumblers are excluded from this redemption tier. All bakery items include a maximum of two (2) spreads (such as, for example, two cream cheese or butter packets). Brewed tea includes a maximum of four (4) tea bags.
- 200 Stars may be redeemed for one (1) of the following items:
- any handcrafted beverage (such as a latte or Frappuccino® blended beverage) OR any hot breakfast item (such as a breakfast sandwich or oatmeal). All beverages must be standard menu-sized items. All hot breakfast items include a maximum of two (2) toppings.
- 300 Stars may be redeemed for:
- one (1) packaged salad or lunch sandwich OR one (1) packaged protein box, OR one (1) packaged coffee item (such as whole bean coffee). Packaged coffee availability may vary by store location.
- 400 Stars may be redeemed for:
- a select merchandise item with a value up to $20 (twenty) U.S. Dollars (pre-tax). Merchandise availability may vary by store location.
You can see previous redemption options here.