New Starbucks Rewards Update Impacts Michigan Customers

Before we dive in, can Starbucks please bring back its Iced Cherry Chai Latte? It was so good, and I jumped on that bandwagon so late, I didn't even get to actually enjoy much of the drink.

Starbucks did announce that they would be making some changes to their rewards system, which they hope will better serve frequent but lower-spending customers, who frequently make trips to its stores.

What’s Changing in the Rewards Program?

Starbucks announced a reusable cup incentive, where a customer would receive a 25 Bonus Star for bringing in a reusable cup to order one of their products. The new system will make it so they earn double Stars on their entire purchase while bringing in a reusable cup.

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This new incentive is to cut down on waste ending up in landfills. On average, Starbucks distributes about 16.4 million disposable cups a day, which is actually about 6 billion cups annually. Bringing your own cup can reduce what goes into our landfills.

How Michigan Customers Will Be Affected

They also announced that customers who made smaller purchases may earn fewer Stars than they previously had. Those who make a $5 purchase would get about 10 Stars with the new system, compared to the 30 Stars previously.

Customers who are making larger purchases will benefit more from their reward program. A $30 purchase under their new system would now earn you up to 60 Stars, which is up from the 55 Stars they offered previously.

Starbucks’ Sustainability Goals Behind the Update

The new system seems to be directed at those who may make less frequent purchases, and possibly even increase their traffic to Starbucks stores. This will hopefully also increase the habits of regular Starbucks goers as well.