Starbucks Is Overhauling Its Rewards Program. Here's What It Means For Your Coffee Routine

Starbucks fans, hold onto your Stars: come March 10, the coffee chain is completely revamping its rewards program. Whereas the current program works the same way for all members, the new Starbucks Rewards program will sort members into three ascending membership tiers: Green, the default level; Gold, which can be reached after earning 500 Stars in one year; and Reserve, which requires customers to earn 2,500 Stars in one year.

All three tiers carry a base set of benefits: a free Starbucks birthday drink or treat, access to personalized deals and game events like Starbucks for Life, early access to menu items, potential bonus Stars when you reload over $30 on your Starbucks Card, and Free Mod Mondays, a new initiative that offers a free drink customization one Monday per month. Plus, while you can currently earn rewards with a reusable cup, bringing your own cup will now get you double the Stars.

Thankfully, all pre-existing points will remain on your account. The ways to obtain and redeem Stars will also seemingly remain the same, with customers earning points with purchases by scanning their member barcodes on the Starbucks app. From there, however, things diverge significantly.

Besides the base benefits, Starbucks Rewards' default Green status offers advantages not so different from the current program. You get one Star for every $1 spent, extra Stars when you reload your Starbucks Card, and a free treat on your birthday. But whereas Starbucks Stars currently disappear if you forget the deadline of six months after earning, Green members will be able to prolong the life of their Stars by performing certain monthly activities, like redeeming a reward or reloading their card.

If you earn 500 Stars in a year and reach Gold status, you not only get the basic Green benefits, but you'll also earn 1.2 Stars for every $1 spent or 12 Stars for every $10 spent. You also get the added assurance of knowing that those Stars never expire, and seven days to claim your birthday treat instead of just the day of. Plus, you'll get four extra "Double Star Days" per year where you'll earn double the Stars on your whole purchase.

The lofty Reserve tier has the most premium benefits. You get 1.7 Stars per $1 or 17 Stars per $10 that never expire, a 30-day window to claim your birthday treat, six extra Double Star days per year, a free personalized "Reserve Card," and fanciest of all, you get access to exclusive merch and Starbucks events. These may encompass free trips to global destinations, where you can party down in celebration of coffee.

That said, Gold and Reserve statuses actually don't last forever — and there are yet more changes coming to Starbucks Rewards. If a lifetime of extra Stars and free coffee vacations sounded too good to be true, know that Gold and Reserve Starbucks Rewards statuses are only valid for 12 months after you obtain them the following year. That is, unless you re-earn all of the 500 or 2,500 Stars needed to maintain them. Starbucks also plans to enact an all-new redeemable Star reward.

At the time of writing, 400 Starbucks Stars can get you any merchandise item up to $20, like a tumbler or bag of coffee beans, or multiple redeemable items that require a smaller number of Stars — such as 25 Stars for a drink customization, 200 Stars for a handcrafted drink, and more. This will stay the same under the overhaul, with one new initiative: Customers will be able to redeem 60 Stars to take $2 off any individual item at any time.

Starbucks' new membership tier system and benefits were developed in response to customer feedback. They're intended to reward fans faster in return for more engagement, and the personalized aspect — plus more premium benefits — are meant to make individual customers feel valued. The changes to the Star expiration rules are also the result of customer input, though it remains to be seen if Rewards members enjoy the new system more than the old.