Starbucks Rewards

I'm probably a little late to the game, but I discovered Starbucks Rewards this morning!  A friend of mine mentioned this to me a few weeks ago, and I didn't get around to checking it out until this morning.  I am a caffeine addict, so this is right up my ally!

All you have to do to join is purchase a gift card for yourself.  Then, go to Starbucks.com, register for an account and put in your gift card number to start earning "stars".

You will automatically be at the Welcome Level, which gets you a free drink on your birthday.  Once you earn 5 stars (5 purchases), you will be upgraded to Green Level.  The benefits for Green Level include free syrups and milk upgrades (like vanilla or soy milk), free refills on coffee or tea, free drinks with the purchase of whole beans, and other special offers.  When you reach 30 stars, you are upgraded to Gold Level.  At Gold Level, you keep all the benefits of Green Level, but you start earning free drinks for every 15 stars, and receive special offers and coupons.

It seems like it would take a while to reach 30 stars, but even if you only go to Starbucks once a week, it will only take 7 months to reach Gold Level.  Once you achieve this level, you keep it for a year.  Just earn 30 stars within that year, and you keep your status as a Gold Level member.

It is easy to reload your card on their website or in the store.  You can even set it up to automatically refill once it gets down to a certain dollar amount. You can earn stars at all Starbucks locations in the US and even at most Target and Barnes and Noble locations!

Even better, if you own an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry, there is an app for that!  You can even use your phone to pay for your purchase.  When you click on the app, a barcode will come up that the cashier can scan, so you don't even have to search for your Starbucks card!

I can't wait to start earning free drinks at Starbucks!