Courtesy Starbucks Facebook page
Starbucks. What would I do without you?! And whatever you may think of the coffee chain, it’s one of the most successful businesses in the world. That’s because, since the return of their CEO Howard Schultz, the company has made smart business decisions.
One of those smart decisions: change the way their loyalty program works. Come April, the Starbucks Rewards program is going to be revenue based, which is a big change from what it is now. How is this good for customers? According to the email rewards members got, the change is to “reflect the #1 request we heard from members: more Stars awarded based on what you buy, no matter how often you visit.” Here’s a chart that breaks down the changes: 
Some of the highlights:
Starbucks also emphasized the fact that any existing Star balance you may have will be multiplied so you don’t lose out to the inflated currency (Stars) of the new program. According to my calculations, the break-even point between the old and new program is $5. If you spend more than $5 per visit, you’ll earn rewards faster. If you spend less, it’ll take you longer to earn rewards. For example:
Customers aren’t happy That's evident when you look through just a few of the tweets that mention the coffee giant:
It goes on like that over and over and over.
How is this good for Starbucks? You just saw the math. They’ll be handing out less free stuff! Less free stuff equals more money. And any revenue based rewards program will require customers to spend some arbitrary base amount before getting rewarded. In Starbucks case, you will no longer be able to get 12 tall coffees at roughly $2 each and then get a 13th free. You have to spend about $40 more. Like the tweet above says, everyone who wants one free coffee will have to spend at least $62.50. And Starbucks says thats the number one requested thing their customers wanted? Bottom line Let's face it, this move is mainly for Starbucks' benefit. They can spin it however they want. They should realize, however, their customers aren't stupid. And telling them this is what they "requested" is insulting. They should just tell the truth: "we want more of your money before you get rewarded." However, in one or two ways this can be seen as good for the customer. First, Starbucks is expensive. If you already spend $5 per visit, this really doesn't make any difference to you. Second, customers can, in theory, get a free drink in one visit (by spending $62.50), whereas before that would have been nearly impossible (unless you made 12 separate purchases, which would probably deserve a standing ovation...or something). Regardless, I'm still gonna be going to get the occasional coffee/drink there because like Starbucks and want them to be around for a while. And I'm guessing most of you will too. Now, if you’ll excuse me. There’s a Starbucks across the street I need to visit. This one is getting a bit too crowded. You may also like: -Travel for Coffee Drinkers: What Should you Order? -Tips for Staying on a Budget With Credit Cards -Beer, Bourbon, and More: Booze Tourism in America
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