Starbucks has become the latest coffee chain to water down its reward scheme – with customers now having to spend 20 per cent more to get freebies. 

Customers will have to spend £60 on drinks and £35 on pastries or cakes before they rack up the same amount of points and become entitled to a free item via the coffee giant’s Stars loyalty scheme.

The change marks increases of £10 and £5 respectively as the coffee giant defends the move by saying it will ‘help ensure the programme continues to deliver value for members over the long term’.

Starbucks said it is making the changes because members have been ‘earning stars more quickly as the value of purchases has increased’. 

Loyalty scheme users are now being urged to spend their points before September 3, when the change comes in. 

By updating its loyalty programme, Starbucks has become the latest coffee chain to water down its rewards scheme – and fans have been left furious online, calling the decision ‘disgusting’. 

One person said: ‘Not to be dramatic but I genuinely think this is disgusting. Everything is going up in price, treats like Starbucks are already rare and they expect us to pay an extra £10 for a free drink, an extra £15 for the merchandise when getting these rewards were already slow.’

Another wrote: ‘I’m not a marketing genius or anything but I’m not exactly sure how this is improving the rewards scheme?’ 

Starbucks has become the latest coffee chain to water down its loyalty scheme – leaving customers having to pay more before earning the same rewards

A third said: ‘That’s ridiculous, it’s absolutely not improving at all… and it was £6.85 the last time I got a frappuccino in there, it’s got ridiculous.’ 

Meanwhile others have said they may switch to a rival coffee chain, such as Caffe Nero or Costa, following to decision. 

Sam Richardson, editor of Which? Money, told the Daily Mail: ‘Loyalty schemes can be a useful way to save money but consumers shouldn’t feel pressured to spend more than they otherwise would just to earn a reward. 

‘Our research has found that loyalty offers don’t always provide as good a deal as they first appear, so it’s important to check how much you’re actually saving.

‘Being loyal to one retailer shouldn’t mean missing out on a better deal elsewhere. Shoppers should compare prices before they buy and make sure they’re getting the best value. 

‘If you’ve already built up a stash of stars, check what you can redeem them for before the changes take effect, so you can make the most of your existing points.’

In recent years, high street chains including Pret A Manger and Leon have made major changes to their own loyalty initiatives. 

In 2020, Pret began a £20 monthly subscription which gave customers up to five ‘free’ coffees per day. 

The coffee chain upped the price to £30 in 2023 before the programme was updated again, reducing it to a £5 subscription that gives customers up to five half-priced drinks every day. 

However Pret scrapped plans last year to double the cost of their £5 monthly subscription, telling customers the Club Pret fee will not change.

The chain had told subscribers prior to this that the fee would increase to £10 a month from March 31, 2025 when a 50 per cent off deal ended. 

And last year Leon binned its Roast Rewards programme, which had been set up to compete against Pret’s initiative, in its entirety. 

For £25, Leon’s loyalty scheme gave customers up to five ‘free’ coffees per day and 20 per cent off food. 

A Starbucks spokesman said: ‘We always want to reward our loyal customers. Starbucks Rewards offers members a range of benefits including Gold membership benefits, exclusive offers, member experiences and early access to selected launches.

‘We’re updating the number of Stars required to redeem certain Rewards from 3 September, to help ensure the programme continues to deliver value for members over the long term.

‘There are no changes to how members earn Stars, existing Star balances or Gold Member qualification, and we’ll continue to invest in Rewards and bring members more benefits in the future.’

Pret A Manger and Leon have been approached for comment.