While it has roots in Seattle, Starbucks’s worldwide presence makes it one of the most recognizable brands. With stores in most provinces and territories, the Starbucks Rewards loyalty program can be used across the country. Offering a premium experience compared to fast-food coffee, drinks from Starbucks are customizable with many different kinds of flavors, syrups, and coffee styles.
Acquiring Starbucks Rewards Stars
Make Purchases at Starbucks
You can earn Starbucks Rewards Stars by ordering at the register or through the Starbucks app. For most members, scanning your Starbucks membership card will result in an earning rate of 1 star per dollar spent.
However, if you digitally pre-load your Starbucks card, you will earn bonus Stars. Members will earn 10 bonus Stars for a reload of $30 or more, and 25 bonus Stars for a reload of $50 or more. There is no cap on how many times you can take advantage of this benefit, and it works with the auto-reload feature as well.
To reap as many Stars and points as possible, we recommend reloading your card via the Starbucks mobile app with the American Express Cobalt Card, which will earn you 5x American Express Membership Rewards points on each reload.
The American Express Cobalt® Card gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 5x Membership Rewards on eligible restaurant, food delivery, and grocery store purchases in Canada. With the American Express Membership Rewards® program, it makes for an everyday credit card.
See our American Express Cobalt Card Review for an in-depth review of this card.
Earn when you apply through Frugal Flyer.
15,000 Membership Rewards points
$9,000
$350+
$191.88
Yes
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If your account is based in Canada, you can also earn Stars on Starbucks orders made in the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland with their respective currency conversions.
Starbucks Kiosk locations inside large retailers, grocery stores, and some hotels may accept your Starbucks card. However, if you have an in-app offer, these purchases may not apply toward the offer goals.
Promotional Offers
In the mobile app, bonus Star offers often appear in users’ Starbucks accounts. These are most often personalized based on a member’s past purchases.
Bonus amounts can also vary, from as low as 10 points to amounts that can be redeemed for a cup of coffee. Sometimes, the app will show more than one offer at a time and are stackable on each other.
In Canada, Starbucks also hosts double-star days where orders will double the number of stars usually earned during a purchase. These are typically held between Tuesdays and Thursdays every once in a while. Double Star Days need to be activated in the app in order for members to take advantage. Like the other promotions, these can be stacked on top of personalized offers.
Partnerships for Canadian Starbucks Rewards Members
Starbucks has a partnership with Air Canada Aeroplan and TD Bank for users to earn bonus reward Stars.
Aeroplan members can earn bonus Aeroplan points when they reload a minimum of $50 onto their Starbucks card. Loading $50 to $74.99 will earn them 25 Aeroplan points, and reloading $75 or more will earn them 100 Aeroplan points. Additionally, Aeroplan members can convert their points into Starbucks Stars at a rate of 400 points for 100 stars.
Eligible TD cardholders who have their accounts linked to the Starbucks App can earn one bonus Starbucks Star per $1 reloaded onto their Starbucks Card and 0.5 bonus stars per $1 on purchases. Additionally, cardholders can earn up to 3 bonus TD Rewards or 0.75 Aeroplan points per dollar spent on purchases or reloads, depending on the credit card they hold.
To squeeze the most benefits out of both programs, holding the TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite card or the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege card will earn you the biggest return on reloading your Starbucks balance.
When using the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite card to reload your Starbucks account balance with $100, you can expect to earn 900 TD Rewards points, 100 Aeroplan points, and 100 bonus Starbucks Stars:
- 100 x 3 TD Rewards = 300 TD Rewards points
- 100 x 6 TD Rewards at 6x restaurant bonus category = 600 TD Rewards points
- 100 Aeroplan points for the load
- 100 bonus Starbucks Stars
The TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card earns 8x TD Rewards on purchases at Expedia for TD, plus a $100 Expedia for TD credit and TD Rewards birthday bonus.
See our TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card Review for an in-depth review of this card.
165,000 TD Rewards points
$7,500
$825+
$139 (FYF)
Yes
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When using the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege card to reload your Starbucks account balance with $100, you can expect to earn 325 Aeroplan points and 100 bonus Starbucks Stars:
- 100 x 0.75 Aeroplan points = 75 Aeroplan points
- 100 x 1.5 Aeroplan points at 1.5x dining bonus category = 150 Aeroplan points
- 100 Aeroplan points for the load
- 100 bonus Starbucks Stars
The TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Infinite Privilege* Card offers a variety of Air Canada benefits including priority boarding, free checked baggage, and Maple Leaf lounge access.
See our TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Infinite Privilege* Card Review for an in-depth review of this card.
85,000 Aeroplan points
$24,000
$1,785+
$599
Yes
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Partnerships for US Starbucks Rewards Members
In the United States, Starbucks has partnerships with Marriott Bonvoy and Delta Air Lines SkyMiles to drive additional value for members.
US Marriott Bonvoy accounts can earn double stars on Starbucks transactions during their stay at a participating hotel. For example, if you stay two nights at a US Marriott Bonvoy property, you will earn twice as many stars on any purchases between the check-in and check-out dates.
Additionally, Starbucks will have Marriott Bonvoy weeks throughout the year where 100 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points when three qualifying purchases are made at Starbucks. Learn more about the partnership here.
Delta SkyMiles members in the US can also earn bonus Starbucks Stars and Delta SkyMiles points. From 12:01 to midnight of the day of your Delta flight(s), you can earn double the amount of stars at Starbucks. For connecting or red-eye itineraries, you can only earn double stars on the day of your departure.
Reciprocally, reloading your Starbucks Card with your Delta SkyMiles account linked will earn you bonus SkyMiles. The earning rates start at a $25 reload, which will earn 25 SkyMiles, up to a $100 reload, which will earn 200 SkyMiles.
Starbucks Rewards Redemptions
In-Store Purchases
The only real option for redeeming Starbucks Stars is to use them towards in-store purchases that can include beverages, food items, and merchandise.
Starbucks Star redemptions are divided into six fixed amounts. Each category can vary in value; however, the 200-star level is the most typical redemption for many members.
| Number of Stars | Redemption Category |
|---|---|
| 25 Stars | $1 off a drink customization, including an espresso shot, syrup, or cold foam |
| 60 Stars | Up to $2 off your order |
| 100 Stars | Hot or iced coffee, hot or iced tea, bakery items, and packaged snacks valued up to $6 |
| 200 Stars | Handcrafted drinks and hot breakfast items valued up to $10 |
| 300 Stars | Lunch sandwiches, bagged coffee beans, and coffee grounds |
| 400 Stars | Select Starbucks merchandise valued up to $20 |
To get the most value out of your Stars, and if you travel a lot, we recommend saving up your stars for redemptions in the other countries listed above due to differences in the exchange rates. For example, when comparing Canadian coffee rewards programs, the value of a 200-star redemption increased by 2% when using Starbucks Stars for a redemption in the United States.
However, Canadian users can only redeem Stars at the counter and not through the Mobile Pickup feature when traveling. Additionally, while Starbucks Stars can be earned on purchases, members cannot use their Stars for redemptions in Mexico.
Starbucks Rewards Benefits
Free Birthday Drink or Food Item
Starbucks will treat you to a free customizable drink or free food item on your birthday. The coupon is automatically loaded into your Starbucks app.
The exclusions are Coffee Traveler bulk packs, trays of bakery items, beverages with alcohol, pre-packaged coffee, and Starbucks Roastery or Princi exclusive items.
Free Refills
Refills are available to Starbucks Rewards members, but only with hot or iced coffee and tea. For example, if you ordered a latte and you want a refill, you would only be able to get hot coffee and not another latte. Members must scan their Starbucks cards at the counter when requesting a refill.
Member Only Promotions
Occasionally, Starbucks will offer members a discount on drinks. During the summer, iced drinks were 25% off on Wednesdays with an in-app promotion, not available to those without the Starbucks app.
Starbucks Rewards Elite Status
The Starbucks Rewards program offers three levels of elite status that members can work towards: Green status, Gold status, and Reserve status.
Green status is the default member status you will receive just for opening an account. Green status members will receive a free treat on their birthday, earn 1 Star per $1 spent, and gain access to other benefits.
Members who earn 500+ Stars in a calendar year will receive Gold status, which offers a free birthday treat (with 7 days to redeem it), an earning rate of 1.5 Stars per $1 spent, no expiry date on Stars, four more double Star days per year, and more.
If you are a heavy Starbucks user who earns over 2,500 Stars in a calendar year, you will be granted Reserve status, the highest level in the program. Reserve status comes with a free birthday treat (with 30 days to redeem it), an earning rate of 1.7 Stars per $1 spent, no expiry date on Stars, six more double Star days per year, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
At roughly 100 stars for a $4 drink or 200 stars for a $8 drink, one Starbucks Rewards Star is worth about $0.04. Customizations for 200-star redemptions or redemptions outside of Canada can boost the value of each star.
Starbucks Rewards Stars will expire six months after earning, but the expiration can be extended by performing a qualifying activity. Stars do not expire for Gold status or Reserve status members.
Yes! For both 100 and 200-star redemptions, any size can be redeemed, from a Short to a Trenta, provided the total cost of the drink is under the value threshold.
Canadian Starbucks Rewards members can earn and redeem Starbucks Stars in Canada, the United States, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scotland, and Australia. You can also earn points in Mexico depending on the location; however, you may be unable to redeem them.
It depends on your Starbucks Rewards status level. If you are a Green status member, the Starbucks Birthday coupon is only valid on the day of your birthday.
If you are a Gold status member, it can be used within 7 days of your birthday. If you are a Reserve status member, it can be used within 30 days of your birthday.
Some grocery stores have Starbucks locations that operate like regular stores, with mobile ordering options and orders counting toward personalized offer requirements. However, some grocery store-operated Starbucks locations use the store’s Point of Sale system, which will accept the Starbucks Card as a payment method but cannot determine what was ordered through your order history on the app.
Particularly in Vancouver, the Starbucks inside Loblaws locations have Starbucks’ equipment, which can also accept mobile orders. In contrast, locations inside some Safeway/Sobeys cannot communicate remotely with the app. The best way to check if your order will count towards an offer requirement is to find out if the location you’re going to accepts mobile ordering. Note that if a location closes in 30 minutes or less, it will not accept mobile orders regardless.