#Starbucks Archives - Your Mileage May Vary

Starbucks Bingo Is Back; Is Playing Worth Your Time?

Starbucks has been recycling its promotions for the last several years. Right on schedule, the Bonus Stars Bingo promo returned on October 4 and lasts thru October 31, 2019. I pay attention to these offers but I’m not expecting to earn a bunch of bonus stars. However, someone must be going to Starbucks because of these promotions or they wouldn’t keep bringing them back every year in almost the exact same format.

Starbucks Bingo awards bonus stars for completing tasks, finishing a line and a kicker bonus for filling the whole board.

Collect five bonus stars every time you fill a circle
Collect an additional 10 bonus stars with you complete three in a row. You’ve already got a head start with your free space
Collect 305 bonus stars when you conquer the entire board

In total, you can earn 425 bonus stars if you complete all the tasks, but how hard are the tasks and is it worth it?

Continue reading “Starbucks Bingo Is Back; Is Playing Worth Your Time?”

Our Favorite Places To Eat in Key West

We’ve been to Key West seven times since 2010 (Sharon also went an additional time in 2008). It’s a quick getaway for us, within driving distance or a short flight away. We like going to places we’ve been to before because many of the stresses of traveling are diminished when you know something about where you are. I totally get that some people will be like, “You shouldn’t go back to somewhere you’ve already been. There are so many new places to discover!” I totally agree with that and we do our best to get to new places, too. But we also do our best to revisit places where we’ve had a really good time. It’s like watching a movie you’ve seen or re-reading a book you like; it’s a comfort and you know it will be enjoyable.

One of the nice things of going to a location you’ve been before is that you have a pre-made list of favorites made by the best travel consultant you know – YOU! Continue reading “Our Favorite Places To Eat in Key West”

Sorry Starbucks, I Love You But I’m (Still) Not Going To Sign Up For Your Credit Card

In February 2018, Starbucks and Chase launched the Starbucks Rewards™ Visa® Card. This credit card links directly to your Starbucks Rewards account and lets your earn stars for your purchases.

Starbucks is still constantly emailing me offers to get this card. I’m sure if you’re a Starbucks Rewards member, you’ve also received these messages. If you are a regular visitor to Starbucks, it may seem to make perfect sense to get this card. You drink their coffee anyway, why not earn free drinks for your everyday spending, right?

I’m a self-admitted Starbucks-a-holic. Every morning shift I work, I’ll stop by for an Iced Coffee with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup (no classic) and whole milk. I was quite proud when the baristas at my regular store would make my coffee for me without having to order. They even wished me goodbye on my last visit when I was transferred to a new work location and wouldn’t be a regular at their store anymore. It was an appropriate farewell, a note on my coffee and a Starbucks gift card. 🙂

So I’m the target audience for the Starbucks Rewards Visa card then, right? The problem is that before I’m going to apply for any card, I’m going to do the math and see exactly what it offers. Continue reading “Sorry Starbucks, I Love You But I’m (Still) Not Going To Sign Up For Your Credit Card”

Loyalty Programs Don’t Actually Reward Loyalty Anymore

When you hear the term Loyalty Program, what do you think? I’d imagine that images of a program that rewards you for being a loyal customer, right? I mean that’s the definition of loyal.

Loyal – faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution, or product

But let’s be honest. Do programs really reward us for being loyal anymore?

Continue reading “Loyalty Programs Don’t Actually Reward Loyalty Anymore”

Starbucks’ Newest Promotion Is A Huge Yawn On Their Path To Destroy Starbucks Rewards

Starbucks Rewards hasn’t been on a roll as of late. In April 2019 they changed the redemption levels for awards from a flat 125 stars for any food or coffee item to a tiered system with rewards ranging from 25 stars for an extra shot in your coffee to a whole package of ground coffee for 400 stars. While it’s possible to hack the system for maximum value, that’s still working the program we have instead of being able to get rewards we want for a decent value.

I’ve noticed that while the number of points needed to get a coffee or bakery item have increased, the number of points Starbucks is offering for their Star Dash and other promotions have stayed the same or even decreased (or maybe just the offers I’ve been receiving have gone down).

I’m still loyal to my Starbs. It might be due to the staff at the location closest to one of my work sites gave me a gift bag and a note on my coffee when it was the last day I’d be visiting them on a regular basis.

I was interested to see what Starbucks’ newest large scale promotion would be, post-devaluation. As it turns out, this promo is worse than the last few they’ve offered.

Continue reading “Starbucks’ Newest Promotion Is A Huge Yawn On Their Path To Destroy Starbucks Rewards”