New Starbucks Gold Card Benefits Are Crap

Although not a credit card, the Starbucks loyalty rewards program is enjoyed by card connoisseurs everywhere. Or should I say, it was enjoyed.

Recently the Starbucks Gold Card rewards changed for the worse. An email was sent out to cardholders, notifying us that we should ?Get ready for a new-and-improved My Starbucks Rewards.?

The title and text of that email is nothing more than a sham by Shultz. It?s a ?new? program, but it?s certainly not ?improved.? A more accurate title for the email would be this:

?Get ready to pay 30% extra for your coffee?

Why do I say this? Well, review the old Starbucks Gold Card benefits:

• Free soy milk
• Free syrups
• Free drink every 15 stars (15 drink purchases)
• Free refills on brewed or iced coffee and tea
• Free tall beverage every time you buy a 1 lb bag of whole bean coffee
• Free birthday beverage

Now, let?s review what Howard Schultz is trying to spin as being ?new and improved? benefits:

• Free drink (or food) every 12 stars (12 drink purchases).
• Free refills on brewed or iced coffee and tea
• Free birthday beverage

Yep, that?s right. Mr. Sham Schultz is pretending that the Gold Card?s discontinued perks are an improvement.

Hoodwinked by the Howard

They try and really play up that now, there are ?no more snail mail postcards for rewards. Free drinks and food rewards will load right onto your Starbucks Card.?

First of all, the post cards arrived in a matter of days so that was no biggie. Secondly, I liked to use my postcards strategically to buy the most expensive drinks possible.

But now, correct me if I?m wrong, it sounds like every 13th drink purchase will automatically be the free one. I don?t see anything that says we will have the right to choose when we redeem the reward beverage. So unless you have the time and mental resources during the waking hours of the morning to actually remember how many drinks you?ve bought so far, you might accidentally use your freebie on something cheap, like a black coffee. What was great about the postcard is you had full knowledge of when it was being used and you could control when that would be.

Milking the customer

The worst ?new and improved? change is that there will no longer be complimentary soy or syrups.

So they will continue offering cow?s milk, but if you want to sub it for soy, you will now be whacked with a 60 cent surcharge.

That makes absolutely no sense at all, because on a per ounce basis dairy milk is significantly more expensive than soy. Plus, unopened soy milk can be stored are room temperature and has a long shelf-life, so it?s also cheaper for them from a logistics standpoint, too.

That brings us to the question? then why are they charging Gold Card holders for something that actually saves them money? Simply put, because they know they can get away with it.

Starbucks knows that the vegans, lactose intolerant, and health conscious consumers will have no choice but to cough up the difference. It?s really not much different than a mafia shakedown; they?re doing it because they know they have the power to get away with it.

?Improved? benefits = 30% price hike

For many consumers, the elimination of soy milk and syrups will lead to their beverages costing upwards of 30% of higher. Here?s an example?

Tall Caf? Americano = $1.95
+ Soy = $0.60
???????????????????
Old price = $1.95
?New and Improved? price = $2.55
(that?s 30% higher)

And I haven?t even factored in the ?new and improved? costs for the syrups. Remember that?s something else that?s on the Starbucks Gold Card discontinued list.

Verdict: The new Gold Card is rubbish

Take it out with your trash and put it at the curb. This once useful card is now just wasted space in your wallet.

From October 16th onward, I?ll be taking my business someplace else. If you also want to ditch the Starbucks Gold Card program and go for green pastures elsewhere, I highly recommend the Citi Forward card because it gives 5x on dining.

Or if you want a real Gold Card with real worthwhile rewards and benefits, then check out American Express.

Source: http://creditcardforum.com/blog/new-starbucks-gold-card-benefits-are-crap/

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