We’re giving away a $10 Starbucks gift card to one of our readers (that’d be you). To enter, leave a comment on this post. For a second entry, make sure you like us on Facebook, and then come back and leave a 2nd comment telling us that you’re a FB fan! One comment will be picked at random at 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 9th. We’ll mail the winner a $10 Starbucks gift card!
Starbucks gets a bad rap.
Sure, you can spend $5 on a fancy schmancy espresso drink 6 times a week and completely derail your Dave Ramsey baby steps, but there are ways to spend less at Starbucks.
First off, don’t believe the hype. A tall (small) sized coffee at Starbucks costs $1.50 in the Orlando area. A grande (medium) is $1.95, and a venti (large) is $2.15. That’s comparable or cheaper than a cup of coffee at McDonalds, Dunkin’ Doughnuts, 7-11, or just about anywhere else.
With a little effort, there are several ways to stretch your dollar further at Starbucks.
#1 Bring in your own mug:
If you bring in your own cup, Starbucks will knock 10 cents off your drink cost. 10 cents may not be much, but you’ll be saving a paper cup and plastic lid from a landfill, and it’s like getting a free tall coffee with every 15 purchased. And, if you are friendly to your Barista, they’ll likely charge you for a tall drink even though you brought in a larger sized cup. Check out these cool reusable cups for your hot and cold drinks.
#2 Bring in your empty Starbucks coffee bag for a free coffee.
If you purchase whole bean or ground Starbucks coffee for brewing at home, you can bring in your empty bag for a free tall coffee. Some of the bags say so right on the top (usually, the bags sold in a grocery store). I’ve always found that they will exchange any bag, regardless if it says so or not, for a free cup. Does your employer brew Starbucks in the breakroom at work? Then start collecting those bags!
#3 Join the “My Starbucks Rewards Program”
This is the big one. If you really want to save, join the rewards program. First, purchase a gift card. Then, register it, reload it, and make all of your purchases with this card. If you get another gift card (for Christmas let’s say), have them transfer the new gift card amount to your registered card.
First, with a registered card you’ll enjoy any drink free on your birthday.
After just 5 stars (green level), you’ll enjoy free refills on brewed coffee, iced coffee, and teas. Refills are good on your the same visit only. At the green level, you’ll also enjoy free syrups (Caramel, Cinnamon Dolce, Classic, Hazelnut, Raspberry, Peppermint, Toffee Nut and Vanilla) and free milk (including soy). My favorite way to take advantage of this is to ask them to add steamed half and half to my coffee. Steaming it makes it sweeter and keeps your coffee hotter. This level also gives you a free coffee when you purchase a bag of coffee in their store.
After 20 stars, you reach the gold level which gives you any free drink (fancy schmancy drinks included) for every 15 drinks purchased. Check out the rewards program FAQ.
All of this is tracked through your registered card and you can check your rewards at starbucks.com/rewards or even with the Starbucks mobile app.
Lastly, budget your Starbucks spending by setting up auto-reloading of your card. Let’s say you have budgeted $20 a month for Starbucks. You can set it up to load $20 each month on to your card. If you are committed to only using your card for purchases, then you’ll never overspend your budget.
So, the next time someone mentions how overpriced Starbucks is, you can tell them how to get a cup of hot fresh coffee with free refills, syrups, steamed dairy, a comfy leather couch, air conditioning, and free wi-fi for $1.40!
We’re giving away a $10 Starbucks gift card to one of our readers (that’d be you). To enter, leave a comment on this post. For a second entry, make sure you like us on Facebook, and then come back and leave a 2nd comment telling us that you’re a FB fan! One comment will be picked at random at 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 9th. We’ll mail the winner a $10 Starbucks gift card!
Excellent post! Thanks for the tips.
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Also, liked ya’ll on Facebook. (Can’t believe I hadn’t already been following you on there.)
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I’m suddenly in the mood for Starbucks! They’re baked goods are wonderful, too.
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I like you on FB with my username Mary Happymommy.
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Great post! I always have Starbucks gift cards but never register them. Now I am going to go register one…hopefully in time for my free drink for my upcoming bday!
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And I’m already a fb fan.
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Thanks for the great tips! I’ll be using them for sure!
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So helpful for my coffee drinking husb. Now how do I get my favorites, the Mocha Frappaccino or the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate for $1.40??? Guess I should set up a prepay card for those Target shopping trips that suck me in!
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Oh, and have liked you on FB forever… well, from the early days… okay last month or so.
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I love fancy frappuccinos!
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I like on facebook now
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Already like you on Facebook (and in general). I have the card registered and use the app which is really cool. They can scan the card straight from your phone. I love it because it looks cool to pay with a phone and I don’t have to keep track of the rewards. It just rings up with whatever discount automatically.
Great job on the deals, keep ‘em coming!
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I didn’t know about the bag refill. I will definitely bring in whatever I have at home. Thanks for the heads up and for the entry into this delicious contest!
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I like you on fb as Dee G.
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thanks for this great giveaway!!! also, thanks for all the deals you post!
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Very cool. I recently starting using a Starbucks card and am up to 6 stars! woohoo!
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I didn’t know you could bring in your old coffee bags and trade them in for a free coffee. That is quite cool.
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I could go for a Salted Caramel Mocha right now…
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Liked you on facebook!
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Great advice!!
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I don’t drink coffee but I LOVE their Chai Tea…my guilty pleasure ; )
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I’m also a FB fan of OBD : )
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