As a die-hard Starbucks fan, let’s talk about the Starbucks Rewards program that they’ve been promoting so heavily~~~
The membership system is rather quirky and complicated, and many people can’t quite figure it out~~
So let’s break down how to play the system to get the best return on your spending~~~
First of all, don’t spend just to use a coupon. For example, if you were already planning to buy two coffees, using a Buy-One-Get-One-Free coupon makes sense.
But if you only need one coffee and force yourself to use a BOGO coupon just to get two, you’re essentially wasting one cup.
Here’s how the Starbucks membership system works:
You earn 1 Star for every ¥50 spent. Stars are used solely for leveling up.
The system tracks your total spending and converts it into Stars, so don’t worry if you only spend ¥30 in a single visit—you won’t lose out on earning Stars.
5 Stars upgrades you to Green Level; 25 Stars upgrades you to Gold Level.
This means the Welcome (White) Card has almost no real benefits, aside from a few one-time-use coupons and the right to upgrade to higher tiers.
The Welcome Card includes 3 Buy-One-Get-One-Free coupons, 1 Upgrade coupon, and 1 Tall size coupon redeemable before 11 AM.
At Green Level, purchasing 3 drinks in a single transaction earns you a free Tall beverage coupon, and you also receive a free Tall beverage coupon during your birthday month.
At Gold Level, purchasing 3 drinks in a single transaction earns you a free Tall beverage coupon, and every 10 cumulative purchases earns you another free Tall beverage coupon.
You also receive a free Tall beverage coupon during your birthday month, and upon completing one year as a member, you receive a Buy-One-Get-One-Free coupon that month.
As you can see, there’s little point in staying below Gold Level, so aim to upgrade to Gold as quickly as possible.
Maintaining Gold status is actually very easy—just accumulate 25 Stars within a year to remain a Gold member for the following year.
If you don’t think you’ll spend enough at Starbucks in a year to earn 25 Stars, then buying a Starbucks Card might not be worth it…
For easier calculation, let’s assume all Tall drinks cost ¥30,
although in reality, the cheapest Tall at Starbucks is ¥27 (excluding Coffee of the Week), and the most expensive is ¥35.
Therefore, it’s more cost-effective to use your free coupons on pricier items and accumulate Stars by purchasing cheaper ones.
Buy according to your needs—don’t force unnecessary purchases~~~
So here are the basic returns for a Gold Level member:
When buying 1 coffee: spend ¥30, gain ¥3 in value.
When buying 2 coffees: spend ¥60, gain ¥3 in value.
When buying 3 coffees: spend ¥90, gain ¥33 in value.
If buying more than 3 cups, make sure to check out separately every 3 cups.
Ideally, when using a free coupon, add ¥3 to upgrade the size—you still gain ¥3 in value.
Additionally, you get an extra ¥60 in value annually.
As you can see, buying 2 cups is always the least cost-effective option. Starbucks knows this full well, yet buying 2 cups remains the most common scenario.
A card costs ¥88. Currently, purchasing a card comes with a free Tall drink and allows you to accumulate points.
Effectively, the card’s net cost becomes ¥88 – ¥30 – ¥3 = ¥55.
The card also includes a Tall drink coupon redeemable before 11 AM and an Upgrade coupon, together worth ¥33.
That leaves the remaining 3 Buy-One-Get-One-Free coupons costing only ¥22. Spending ¥22 to save ¥90 is definitely a good deal.
So theoretically, the most money-saving strategy is to buy a new card and link it to your old one as soon as you’ve used up all the coupons on your current card.
Once again, this article assumes you’re already a regular Starbucks customer.
The membership card is simply a tool to help frequent customers save money—not to encourage non-regulars to spend more (though it certainly can have that effect)…
Don’t create unnecessary spending just because you’ve become a member.
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