Oh Starbucks: How I Love You So Much
For those of you that know me, it comes as no surprise that I'm a huge Starbucks fan and have raved about their loyalty program and app since its launch. As I mentioned in the Walgreens post, Starbucks pioneered the use of the barcode scanner on a mobile device to make using the loyalty program a breeze.
Perusing through my emails this morning, I opened one from Starbucks announcing new features to the program that make it faster, tastier and quicker than before. Make your calendars for Tuesday, October 16 to take advantage of these new benefits.
- Users now only have to accumulate 12 stars as opposed to 15.
- Stars will now include purchases on both food AND drink.
- The reward is loaded immediately onto your app (or physical card for those non-app users) meaning we no longer have to wait for snail mail!
With the changes happening less than a week after Apple announced their new iPhone 5 I can't help but applaud Starbucks on the strategic timing of their upgrades. According to CNET, over 2 million orders have already placed. Coincidence? I think not.
I'm a little bummed that syrup options are no longer included, but I guess it's made up for by a free drink every 12. I want to confirm that you can use the free drink when you want it, though, and not just when it gets loaded on your card. For example, I'd rather save it for an "indulgent" (er...expensive) drink rather than just a regular drip coffee.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that the redemption process will work the same. I don't know about the expiration date but I do know that even if you purchase a Pike, regardless of size, the free drink can be anything you want and whatever size you wish. If that's not the case definitely let me know!
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