As a somewhat dedicated coffee drinker and lover of reward schemes, I wanted to do a quick update on the Starbucks Rewards scheme in the UK.
And as normal with any update to a reward scheme, it isn’t being amended to make it more generous, and there isn’t really anything you can do about it.
What’s Changing
The key change is that you’ll get less when you redeem your Stars for items, and this is across multiple items.
Credit where it’s due, this is actually a very clear communication from Starbucks, which in my opinion isn’t always the case. You can read the official announcement here: Changes to Starbucks Rewards.
The New Star Prices
This table is a great way to see what’s changing:
| Reward | Current | From 3 September |
|---|---|---|
| Brewed coffee, Americano or hot tea | 130 Stars | 150 Stars |
| Selected bakery item | 300 Stars | 350 Stars |
| Handcrafted beverage | 500 Stars | 600 Stars |
| Selected merchandise | 1000 Stars | 1150 Stars |
What Starbucks Is Offering Instead
Starbucks has called out a few things they’ll keep providing alongside the price rise:
- Invitations to events and experiences
- Exclusive merchandise
- Promotions and offers, including Bonus Stars
We’ll be keeping an eye on this as the changes land. It may offer some chance to maximise the value of your return by making the most of promotions and Bonus Stars, much like the wider question I asked in my original review of the Starbucks Rewards scheme.
My Tips For Starbucks Fans
If you’ve been sitting on a big Star balance, there’s one clear move: spend your existing Stars before 3 September to benefit from the current price per item.
Beyond that, here’s what I’d suggest:
- Spend your existing Stars before the change. Once 3 September hits, every reward costs more, so any balance you’re sitting on is worth more today than it will be from that date.
- Pay by gift card where you can. Everup is currently offering 10.40% cashback plus coins on Starbucks gift card purchases. Add that gift card to your Starbucks app and you still earn Stars as normal, so you’re stacking the cashback on top of your usual rewards. It’s a similar principle to how cashback sites work more broadly, which I go into in my Quidco review.
If your Starbucks habit is a regular one, it’s worth checking whether it’s costing more than you realise. I worked through exactly that in The £1,000 Coffee Habit You Didn’t Notice, and you can run your own numbers with my coffee cost calculator.
For more on how the other coffee chains compare, take a look at my full roundup of Coffee Reward Schemes.