I’ve talked a lot about how to save money at Starbucks in the past, from Starbucks menu hacks to more obvious ways to save. But their new loyalty program makes it a real pain in the ass, and hardly worth the effort, to get a free cup of coffee, especially for brewed drinkers like me who don’t spend much. Here’s how it works.

Stars Will be Earned on Money Spent

Currently, if you’re a Gold Star member, you earn 1 star for every visit, visit 12 times and you get a reward. Pretty cool…but those days are coming to an end in April. Starting in April, you’ll earn 2 stars for every $1 spent at Starbucks. Earn 125 stars and you’ll get a free drink or food item.

So basically you have to spend $62.50 to get a free cup of coffee. Also, it’s worth noting that the new program will have 2 levels, instead of 3, which the company hopes will make the program easier to understand.

Be on the lookout for monthly “double star days” as a cheaper way to rack up stars.

Sucks for Actual Coffee Drinkers

Because many Starbucks loyalist order $5 milkshakes, it won’t take long for them to rake up 125 stars.

But for actual coffee drinkers like me who order a $1.75 cup of coffee, the new loyalty program entitles me to a free cup of coffee every couple years. Big deal…not really a loyalty card any more.

Push-Back Against “Transaction Splitters”

Apparently, one of the other reasons for the new program is to fight-back again “Transaction Splitting”.

This is when a customer asks a barista to split up purchases into separate transactions to rack up stars, and thus rewards, quicker.

C’mon, really people? If you’re doing this, take a close look at yourself, you might have a caffeine addiction.

Ask the Reader: Does the Starbucks loyalty program seem like a good move? How will it affect you, or will you choose to stay home and brew your own coffee?

By Kyle James

Photo by m01229.