#Starbucks Archives - Your Mileage May Vary

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”

Redemption Level Sweet Spot Of The New Starbucks Rewards

On April 16, 2019, the changes to the Starbucks Rewards program took effect. While the earning of stars is still the same at two stars per dollar, the ways to redeem your stars changed significantly. Previously, you could redeem 125 stars for most food or drink items for sale at a Starbucks store, regardless of price. I always saved stars for when I wanted to pick up a lunch to take to work and cashed in 125 stars for a Chicken Wrap box, which sells for $7.95.

Starbucks has now divided items into tiers, with a different number of Stars needed to get a free item in each category. Here’s a breakdown of the new rewards structure:

So if awards are now divided by categories, where’s the sweet spot for redemptions?

Continue reading “Redemption Level Sweet Spot Of The New Starbucks Rewards”

An Airport First, Another Rewards Program Devalued, Caution: Marriott, Don’t Do This On A Plane, & More!

Happy Sunday to all of our travel friends, both near and far! Here are some articles we’ve read from other bloggers (and other sources) that we think you may like, as well, so we’re passing them along.

Continue reading “An Airport First, Another Rewards Program Devalued, Caution: Marriott, Don’t Do This On A Plane, & More!”