Bear with me here and you’ll be rewarded grande.
When you use the Starbucks app, you get 25 stars (and ten cents off your order) just for bringing in a reusable cup. I actually own two Starbucks branded reusable cups (plastic, BPA-free), one was gifted to me and I don’t remember where the other came from, but I think you can bring in any non-paper cup of any size and you’ll receive the rewards and the discount. Also, when you pre-load money into the app and pay using your balance, you get two stars for every dollar you spend, but those rewards pale in comparison to what I’m about to tell you.
So let’s look at my usual order- a grande hot blonde americano (their drip coffee is usually cold or burnt at my local) which costs $3.95 (20 cents higher than a lot of other locations around LA). I bring in my reusable cup and pay $3.85 and get a nice, hot, fresh americano (two shots of blonde roast espresso mixed with hot water- basically a coffee without having sat in their dispenser for however long) and receive 25 star rewards.
Now, using the app, you can get a hot or cold coffee OF ANY SIZE (including “Trenta”- 30oz!) for 100 stars. Here’s where it gets interesting though… you can add ANYTHING to that coffee (creamers, sweeteners, even EXTRA SHOTS of espresso) without using any more stars!
In this example, we’ll use my real-world order which I’ve been getting during these god-awful summer afternoons when it’s too damn hot to have another hot coffee- a Trenta iced coffee with four shots of espresso and a splash of vanilla sweet cream (you can take this deal even further and ask for no ice, thereby getting more actual iced coffee in the cup and not just frozen water that will quickly melt and dilute the drink)(also I pass on the “classic syrup”- I don’t even know what that is but I don’t think I need any syrup in what should be a refreshing drink).
The total cost of this drink is a whopping $10.20 (at my local- prices vary) which is absurd for any drink of any size IMO. BUT, using 100 stars, it’s FREE. F.R.E.E. FREE OF COST. And how did I earn those 100 stars? By bringing in a reusable cup four times! This free 30oz hyper-caffeinated drink can easily be split between two people and still thoroughly enjoyed (not necessary, tho) and all it cost you was the minor inconvenience of bringing your own cup. Also, you’re saving the planet by reducing paper waste but that’s probably besides the point- this is a FREE BUCKET OF SWEETENED CAFFEINE JUICE. You’re welcome.
Editor’s note: Props to this guy (“Starbucks Free Drink Record Now Set at $83.75”) for really taking it there!
Push It A Stop 