Is the Costa Coffee Club Actually Worth It?

If you’re a reader of this blog then by now you’ll have realised that I’m fuelled day to day by coffee. It’s my go-to at the start, middle and end of the day, come rain or shine. There is nothing better than a coffee in the sun!

So hot off the heels of my Starbucks Rewards Review, I wanted to take a look at another of the big chains within the UK.

Costa Coffee was first started in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in London, growing at some pace and now ultimately being owned by the Coca-Cola Group — not bad going! Their full history can be found here if you are interested.

Anyway, back to the reward scheme, which took its current form in September 2021 when Costa swapped from a points-based system to the Beans format we know today.

This scheme is slightly easier to understand than the Starbucks one, simply being based on Beans, with you earning 1 bean per drink that you buy. When you hit eight beans you get a free drink. If you want to maximise your reward though, bring your own cup; doing so earns you two beans per visit, meaning you’d earn a free drink after only four drinks, which is not bad at all!

There are other benefits as well, such as a free treat from the sweet counter on your birthday, and some exclusive rewards. For example, I’ve had offers such as a free bottle of Coke appear now and again, or reduced price cakes.

There’s also a neat little feature called Swaps, which lets you exchange 2 beans for an extra espresso shot, a pump of syrup, a dash of cream, or a dairy alternative, handy if you fancy customising your drink without waiting for a full free one.

So as a reminder, the benefits overall are:

1. Earn free drinks
You get a free drink each time you hit 8 beans, earning 1 per drink — or 2 if you bring your own cup.

2. Free birthday treat
Each year you get a free treat from the sweet counter on your birthday. A welcome bonus!

3. Exclusive Rewards
You’ll get regular “Treat Drops” into your Costa app, with things like free Coke and deals on cakes as I mentioned earlier.

4. Swaps
Use 2 beans to customise your drink with an extra shot, syrup, cream, or a dairy alternative — a nice little perk if you’re a regular.

So all in all, a fairly robust reward scheme, with a great chance to get maximum benefits if you bring your own cup (which I always fail to do!).

As with all reward schemes, make sure you’re not buying extra just to get the free drink, as that will ultimately cost you more in the long run.

And I highly recommend the brown toast that they sell — it is delicious!