Starbucks just made it harder to get free drinks - here’s what changed

It is now harder to get freebies at Starbucks. On June 24th, the coffeehouse chain did away with the 25 bonus stars for loyalty customers who bring in a personal, reusable cup for their drink orders.

In its stead, they get two stars for every dollar spent on their order as opposed to one star currently. Customers will still get 10 cents off when they bring in their own reusable cups.

Customers who order more benefit from Starbucks’ new rewards program change

This benefits customers who make purchases of over $25 when they visit a Starbucks. For example, previously, if you made a $5 purchase, you would’ve gotten 30 stars towards a free drink or merch. Now you have to spend $15 to get the same number of stars.

Why did Starbucks change the rules for its rewards program?

The initiative comes as Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol is trying to make the struggling company more profitable. He wanted to “reposition Starbucks as a premium brand while also reducing the strain on employees,” reported CNN.

Other changes Niccol has made include reducing the offerings on Starbucks’ menu by nearly a third, changing employee uniforms and restricting bathroom use to only paying customers. But the self-serve milk and sugar stations are back as well as baristas doodling on cups.

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