The internet’s been abuzz with the changes happening with the Starbucks Rewards program.
You used to get a free drink after every 12 transactions but now you will only earn a free drink after spending $62.50. So if you are spending at least ~$5 on average per transaction, then your amount of free rewards will not change. If you spend less than ~$5 per transaction on average, then it is going to take you even longer to get free rewards now.
Here are the changes taken directly from the official Starbucks Reward changes site:
A lot of people have been expressing their anger about this all over twitter:
I am not happy with the new #StarbucksRewards one bit. First they take away free soy milk & now this. #SMH RT if you're with me.
— Jackie Fernandez (@JackieFern5) February 23, 2016
Wow @Starbucks your new #StarbucksRewards isn't very rewarding. 20 visits v 12 to unlock freebies? Time to give my @DunkinDonuts app a try
— Bill Binan (@whitepants) February 23, 2016
Why did Starbucks Change their Reward Program
The official reason why they changed their program is two sided. They want to save money and reward their more loyal (i.e. higher spending) customers. They also want to speed up lines.
There were people out there who would go to Starbucks and ring up every item they buy as a separate transaction just to rack up stars. I even saw a user on reddit talk about purchasing $0.33 tea bags one at a time in order to redeem for a free drink.
We dont know the actual impact this had on Starbucks, so we’re left to rely on what they say and what people admit to doing that might have contributed to the changes.
Your turn: Are these changes a win or a loss for you?
Thank you for reading!