Starbucks Philippines New Mobile App & Rewards Program

Have you been made aware of the new Starbucks rewards program that has officially started on July 17, 2020? 

If not yet or you were not able to get the notifications they sent weeks ago then read along. Here's what to expect so you won't be surprised when you visit your favorite branch.

New Starbucks Reward Program with Better Benefits

Of course, they will only highlight the good. But in truth, there are irritatingly cons to their new program. Let me enumerate what I know based on my personal experience. Alternatively, you can also check out the Starbucks website for the [kinda limited] information they disseminated.

The bad:

• All those Starbucks cards you purchased & lovingly collected from years ago will no longer be accepted. In short, the old cards we have are already expired.
• If you have not transitioned to the new program yet, you won't be able to redeem your annual birthday treat (free cake or free drinks).
• New terms & conditions to earn rewards. Say goodbye to routine and the old schemes we know by heart.
• Already a Starbucks mobile app user? You will be asked to update to the latest version & forced to reset your password to log back in. 

 

The good:

• You get a cash refund if your card balance is less than P100. If it's a hundred bucks and more, it will be transferred to the new Starbucks mobile application or the new card you will avail.
• Easier and cheaper to earn stars/points(?) Get to earn one star for every P25 spent via the mobile app or card. 
• All your purchases at Starbucks will now earn you a reward. I like this part best, as I am a fan of their pastries. Merchandise included.
• Hopefully, more promotions such as double star rewards or free drinks at the early stage of their transitioning to the new program. Marketing strategy, supposedly, but let's see. 
• So far they have these mentioned in their website as the new perks; (a) collect twice the number of stars on every purchase on your first week of registration (b) twice the number of stars on the launch of new drinks (c) twice the number of stars on a random day in a month (d) earn free drink, pastry or a slice of cake on your birthday [new terms on this one, beware!] 

My Personal Experience

Let me share my personal experience with their new system. As with other years, I anticipated receiving the birthday cake on my birth month. Upon learning that they are launching a new program through their email marketing, I followed their instructions to sort of renew my membership via the mobile app. 

What I did not know at that time is that the registration had to be done at least seven days prior my birthday (I was like two days late to register since they only launched the program eight days before my birthday!) and that I should have purchased within 30 days prior. Like hello, we are in the middle of a covid pandemic, and that day - my birthday - was the 1st time I was able to visit Starbucks since the start of the NCR lockdown. 

The gist, I was not able to claim the annual birthday treat because of these new terms. So better take note of this and register right away to their new program, if you haven't yet. I highly recommend that you download the Starbucks Mobile app and register or reset your password before going to the store to avoid long service time (because this is exactly what the Barista will require you to do).

As I mentioned at the beginning, all the cute cards I collected from many years ago, well, they are now useless. We need to purchase new cards for a minimum of P300 loaded value. Only then will you be able to sort of like activate your new membership with them and start earning the supposedly improved benefits.

You might be wondering, will the stars finally have no expiration? Nope, same old, same old. The earned stars still have a one-year validity. Claim a reward voucher for every 100 stars made, so let me do quick math on that. You still need to purchase 12 grande frappes to claim a free drink (one has to buy at least P2,500 at Starbucks to earn the required 100 stars).

So, do you think the new Starbucks program is any better than the old one..? Do share in the comments your experience, too!