If you’ve got a stash of Starbucks stars sitting in your app, now’s the time to spend them. The coffee chain is raising the number of points needed for nearly every reward from 3 September, so anything you’ve been saving up will go a lot further if you redeem it before the change kicks in. Here’s exactly what’s changing and how to make sure you don’t lose out.
The change coming on 3 September isn’t one that customers are thrilled about.
From that date, a free filter coffee, Americano or hot tea will cost 150 stars instead of the current 130. Bakery items are jumping from 300 stars to 350, and handcrafted drinks like Frappuccinos will rise from 500 stars to 600. The full list of changes is available on the Starbucks rewards page, but the pattern across the board is the same: every reward is getting harder to reach, and there doesn’t appear to be any reward tier that’s staying the same or getting cheaper.
For anyone who’s built up a decent balance over the past few months, this is the kind of change that’s easy to miss if you’re not actively checking the app. Stars don’t expire overnight, but once the new thresholds land, the same balance simply won’t stretch as far as it does right now.
So, how much will you need to spend to get a reward?
Since Starbucks gives you 10 stars for every pound spent, the new thresholds translate directly into extra spending. Depending on the reward, you’ll need to spend somewhere between £2 and £15 more than you currently do just to unlock the same drink or snack. For someone who picks up a free coffee every so often, that might mean an extra couple of pounds spent before earning it. For anyone chasing a free handcrafted drink, the difference is far more noticeable, working out at an extra £10 or so on top of what you’d currently need to spend.
For regulars who order daily or near enough, that gap adds up quickly over the course of a year. It’s the kind of change that’s easy to shrug off as minor when you look at a single reward, but far less minor once you consider how many free drinks or snacks a loyal customer might claim over twelve months.
Starbucks says it’s making the change for good reason.
The company has pointed to its own price rises as the reason behind the change. As menu prices have gone up with inflation, customers have naturally been earning stars faster too, since every pound spent earns the same fixed number of points regardless of how much that pound actually buys. In other words, a coffee that costs more now earns you more stars than it used to, even though nothing about the drink itself has changed. Raising the thresholds is Starbucks’ way of keeping the rewards system in step with those higher prices, rather than letting the value of rewards quietly increase alongside the cost of the menu.
How to check your balance and use your stars before the deadline
Checking where you stand only takes a minute. Open the Starbucks app, head to the rewards section, and your current star balance will be displayed clearly at the top, along with what you’re currently eligible to redeem. If you’re sitting on enough stars for a free drink or bakery item, it makes sense to use them now rather than let them roll over into the more expensive system.
If you’re just short of a reward, it might be worth timing your next few visits before 3 September so you can hit the current, lower threshold rather than the new one. Even small top-ups matter here, since the difference between qualifying under the old rules and the new ones could save you several pounds worth of spending on a single reward.
Is it still worth signing up if you’re not already a member?
For anyone who isn’t part of the Starbucks Rewards scheme yet, it’s still free to join and there’s no downside to signing up before the change takes effect. You’ll simply be earning stars under the new, slightly less generous thresholds from the start, rather than getting caught out partway through building up a balance. Given how often most people end up in a Starbucks anyway, there’s little reason not to have an account collecting points in the background, even if the rewards take a bit longer to reach than they used to.
Either way, the message for existing members is clear. Don’t let stars sit unused past 3 September if you can help it because whatever you’ve saved up will simply buy you less once the new system lands.
