Subway's Sub Club Rewards Are Changing — And Customers Are Fed Up

One of the fastest ways for a company to squash all of the goodwill built through a customer loyalty program is to make major changes to it at the expense of the customer. Subway (which already has a somewhat controversial history) is learning that the hard way. The sandwich franchise brought back its popular Sub Club in December 2025 after it had been discontinued 20 years prior. The rewards program promised customers a free footlong sub after the purchase of either three footlong subs or six six-inch subs. It also awarded points for each purchase, which could be used for discounts on future orders.

Just a little over two months later, Subway is already making big changes to the Sub Club. According to Restaurant Business, customers will no longer be able to earn free footlong subs through the Sub Club beginning on April 1, 2026. The rewards program will instead be purely a points system in which customers earn a certain number of points per dollar on each purchase, and can convert those points to Subway Cash to save money on future Subway sandwiches. The move was made after dissenting franchisees, representing over 5,000 Subway locations, signed a petition claiming the new Sub Club was too generous to customers and they feared losing money.

As of February 23, 2026, Subway will also stop giving customers stamps when they purchase discounted sandwiches or subs from its Fresh Value menu. Any free subs earned prior to February 23, 2026, can be redeemed within 12 months from the date of the award. And any free subs that are awarded between February 23 and March 31, 2026, can be redeemed within 60 days of the award.

Subway customers are really not happy about the changes to the Sub Club, and are turning to social media to complain. The biggest sticking point seems to be that Subway continues to raise prices on its sandwiches, and the price increases don't align with the quality of the subs, which some customers think have declined in quality over the years. Without the use of digital coupons (which some franchisees are reportedly no longer honoring) and the rewards offered by the Sub Club, customers don't see the point in choosing Subway over any other popular sandwich chain or fast food restaurant.

In a February 18, 2026, post to the subreddit r/subway, a customer asked, "What will be the point of the sub club if you don't get a free foot long anymore?" One loyalty program member said, "The main reason for me to get Subway (cheap lunch 1-2x a week) is completely gone and I'm not paying $12+ for a basic sub when considering the alternatives." Another customer agreed, adding, "I get that these deals are absurd, but they're also the only reason I buy Subway. Zero chance of me buying subs for $15." 

Many customers are also doing the math on the lucrative benefits that were previously offered by the Sub Club. One Redditor pointed out that by combining rewards points and the free sub offer, customers were spending just "a little over $7 per footlong," which was much cheaper than other restaurants. Now, without that incentive, customers say they're more likely to make their own Italian sub sandwiches at home rather than purchase Subway's sub-par five-meat Italian sub.