Costa has landed in my inbox with what it is calling an early Christmas present, and for once I am not rolling my eyes. For seven days only, selected drinks from Costa Express machines are £1.99. It started today, so you have the whole week to decide whether it is worth a detour.
A quick caveat before we get going, because I said the same about the Co-op deal. This is machine coffee, so if you have never been a fan of it then a lower price is unlikely to change your mind. I will admit I’m tempted by almost anything with a discount attached, so here we are.
How the Costa Express £1.99 deal works
From Monday 2 November to Sunday 8 November 2026 inclusive, eligible short and regular drinks cost £1.99 at participating Costa Express machines. According to Costa’s announcement, regular lattes, Americanos, hot chocolates, iced lattes and flat whites are all included. I did not see any code or voucher mentioned in the email I received, which simply points you to a button to find your nearest machine.
The nice thing here is where the machines are. Costa Express sits in supermarkets, convenience stores, petrol forecourts and motorway service areas, so this is not limited to one retailer like my Co-op £1 Costa Express deal was. If you are filling up the car this week, you may well be walking past a machine anyway.
What is included and what is not
| Drink type | Included at £1.99? |
|---|---|
| Regular latte | Yes |
| Regular Americano | Yes |
| Regular flat white | Yes |
| Regular hot chocolate | Yes |
| Regular iced latte | Yes |
| Short drinks | Yes, if eligible |
| Drinks with syrups or flavours | No |
| Limited edition drinks | No |
| Large drinks | No, the offer covers short and regular sizes |
What’s the catch
There are a few. The offer only applies at participating machines and is subject to availability, so not every Costa Express machine will necessarily be playing along. Anything with a syrup added is excluded, which is a change from the Co-op deal where syrups were thrown in. Limited edition drinks are out as well, and I suspect that takes in a fair few of the festive favourites, though I would check the screen before you press the button.
If your drink is excluded you simply pay the normal price shown on the machine, so keep an eye on what it says before you tap your card. Costa also says its Flat White has a new recipe with more coffee in every sip. I will reserve judgement until I have tasted it, but it is a decent excuse to try one at £1.99.
Is it worth it
It depends on what you normally order. When I looked at the Co-op deal, Costa Express drinks there were priced between £2.40 and £4.15, so a regular latte or flat white at £1.99 could save you well over a pound, while a basic short drink will save you a good deal less. Prices vary by retailer, so the saving on your machine may differ from mine.
The difference compared with the Co-op deal is that £1.99 is not quite as eye catching as £1, but you get seven days rather than a handful of Fridays, and far more places to use it. I would not change my route to get one. If you are already passing a machine on the way to work, topping up on fuel or killing time in a motorway services, it is an easy small win. If you want to see what your own coffee habit costs across a year, my coffee cost calculator is worth five minutes.
Sensible Spender verdict
Worth it if you already like Costa Express and pass a machine this week, but not worth a special trip.
If you collect points as well, I have looked at whether the Costa Coffee Club is actually worth it, and the McDonald’s free coffee deal is worth a read if you missed it.
For a full comparison of the coffee schemes, see Coffee Loyalty Schemes: Which Ones Are Actually Worth It?
Two quid for a coffee is hardly going to fund the Christmas shopping, but it is a start. Will you be giving the machine a go this week?