Starbucks makes huge change to reward scheme leaving customers furious – just weeks left to maximise your loyalty points

STARBUCKS has made a huge change to its rewards scheme that makes it harder to claim freebies – and it’s left customers furious. The coffee giant offers free drinks, bakery items and merchandise through its “Stars” scheme. But from September 3, the number of stars – or points – you need to get a free item is going up, meaning customers will have to spend more before they’re rewarded. Fans have until this date to maximise their points before they go down in value. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Customers have been left furious by the change, with one branding it as “disgusting”. “Not to be dramatic but i genuinely think this is disgusting,” they wrote on X. “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 for anyone.” Others threatened to switch to another coffee chain such as Caffe Nero or Costa over the move. Currently, you need 130 stars, which you need to spend £13 to get, in order to claim a free filter coffee, americano or hot tea. But from September, you’ll need 150 stars – which will cost you an extra £2. Most read in Money You need 300 points – worth £30 of spending – for a free bakery items like cookies or muffins. This is going up to 350 points (£35) from September. A “handcrafted” beverage, including a latte, mocha or frappuccino, is going up to 600 points from 500. This means you’ll need to spend £60 at Starbucks instead of the current £50 to achieve it. For merchandise like mugs and cups, you’ll need to collect 1,150 stars – which require spending £115. That a £15 increase from the previous 1,000 points. You can check how many points you have in the Starbucks app. The chain lets you earn 10 points for every £1 you spend. Starbucks was contacted for comment. Comment now