Starbucks is latest coffee chain to water down its reward scheme - with customers having to spend 20% MORE to get free drink

By WILL HALLOWELL, NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:30, 9 August 2026 | Updated: 09:59, 9 August 2026 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 to make customers spend more, 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.' In recent years, high street chains including Pret A Manger and Leon have made major changes to their own loyalty initiatives.  Starbucks has become the latest coffee chain to water down its loyalty scheme - leaving customers having to pay more before earning the same rewards 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.