Changes to the Starbucks Gold Card Program
Starbucks to Introduce My Starbucks Rewards Program in December
Changes To The Starbucks Gold Card Program - What changes?
For starters, Starbucks will be combining their Gold Card membership program with a loyalty program and calling it My Starbucks Rewards. This new program will begin on December 26, 2009. My Starbucks Rewards will be a free program where you can earn 'stars' for every purchase you make at Starbucks with your membership card.
Changes To The Starbucks Gold Card Program - What are the benefits?
There will be three tiers to the My Starbucks Rewards program. The first tier requires you to register your Starbucks Rewards card online. This will earn you a free drink on your birthday. After 5 purchases, you will earn 5 stars and advance to the Green Level. Benefits at this level include free wi-fi for up to two hours, free syrups, free brewed coffee refills, and free trial offers. After you earn 30 stars, you advance to the highest tier called The Gold Level. At this level, you get all the benefits a Green Level member gets as well as the following additional perks: a free drink after every 15 purchases, a personalized membership card, and personalized free trial offers.
Changes to the Starbucks Gold Card Program - Existing Gold Card Members
As I mentioned in a previous article here on Associated Content, I was selected randomly last year to be one of the first people to receive a complimentary membership to the Starbucks Gold Card Program. The card was $25 for a one year membership, and that entitled members to get a 10% discount on each purchase as well as free drink/food coupons and free syrups. As existing Gold Card members, our 'loyalty' will be rewarded by automatic entry into the Gold Level of the My Starbucks Rewards program.
Changes To The Starbucks Gold Card Program- Do I still get 10% off my purchases?
Well, no. That 'perk' is going away in favor of the free My Starbucks Rewards program. However, Starbucks will extend the 10% off until January 5, 2010 to existing members of the Gold Card program.
Changes To The Starbucks Gold Card Program-Is change good?
The good news is that My Starbucks Rewards is free. I suspect many Starbucks customers did not like the idea of paying for a membership even if it did pay for itself throughout the year. But to get something free, we Gold Card members will be giving up the 10% discount we always got. Sure I'll get a free drink for every 15 purchases I make at Starbucks, but it was nice to get the 10% discount automatically. Since my membership was complimentary to begin with, I can't complain too much. Time will tell if My Starbucks Rewards program will work to the customer's advantage.
Published by J Budd, RN - Featured Contributor in Health & Wellness
I am a registered nurse and former radio broadcast journalist in the NYC/NJ area for over a decade. Some of the stations I have worked with include Bloomberg News Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio, Fox News Rad... View profile
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11 Comments
Post a CommentGreat article. I have a registered Starbuck's gift card I use regularly and I got grandfathered into the Green level when the program started instead of the Welcome level. Once I realized you could earn stars more quickly by making your purchases in multiple instances (go up once for coffee go up a bit later for a snack) I racked up about 10 stars in less than a month (only going about 5 visits). I'm hooked now and have a Starbuck's around the corner and I expect to be at Gold level by the end of this month. Another plus is you can buy cheaper items and still get stars; no reason to spend 4.50 on a drink when you can get a coffee for 1.60 and still earn the same star. I'll be spending more time in store because of the free brewed refills as well. I feel bad for the Gold members who paid and are now out of their discount, if I was Starbuck's I would have either grandfathered them in and let them keep the discount program or refunded them their $25. They also canned the Starbuck's Visa r
Feel betrayed by this new 'rewards program'? Visit http://www.facebook.com/boycottSBUXGoldCard and show your true feelings. Boycott Starbucks at least the sixth of every month (anniversary of new program), or at least do not use your new 'gold card' for the purchase. Do something! Thanks!
Here is why I have decided to boycott Starbucks until they bring back a meaningful 10% discount gold card: *They took away something they had promised, I thought forever (10% discount for $25/year). *They did it without warning - I just got a nice personalized card in the mail a few weeks ago that said nothing about how I was losing the 10% discount. *They did it dishonestly. I thought for weeks I was getting the same 10% until it did not work. Then I read about it here and realized they have spun this and changed the deal to our serious disadvantage. *They took away any choice. Now I have to use their personalized 15 transaction gold card (or nothing). I have gone to Starbuck most days for years, but what they did and how they did it was wrong. Some bean counter figured that they were losing 10% on their most loyal customers and wanted to change it to probably 3% or 4% to increase profits (15 transactions for one free drink is 6.4% but who only buys one item at each transaction?). The
15 drinks per reward? The 10% off was a better deal.
McDonald's Lattes are quite good and they have a reward punch card, 1 free for every 5 - but you have to ask for them.
Thanks for keeping us up with their program. Although, I'm drinking more coffee at home now. Hey, I'm going to nominate this for the media awards. Good luck.
Great review. I love Starbucks but I'm too cheap to buy coffee very often compared to making it at home.
Good to know.
Good info. Our only Starbuck's closed.
I don't really visit here nor need any card program for frequent purchases, but thanks for the info!
Thank you. What's a Starbuck's?