If you’re a frequent visitor of Starbucks, you’ve probably already been taking advantage of their Rewards program. Right now, purchases earn you stars which, depending on how many you have, can be used to get rewards like a free pastry or drink. Simple, right? Well, not for long! Starbucks has decided to shake things up like espresso, adding new tiers, rewards, and a whole lot of confusion. How will I know what tier I am? What’s the difference between the tiers? Wait, I can try seasonal drinks early? The new Starbucks rewards program starts March 10, so let’s get you loaded up with everything you need to know about the new program.
What are the 3 new tiers?
Instead of having a one-size-fits-all program, Starbucks Rewards will have three tiers of membership: Green, Gold, and “Reserve” (feels weird that it’s not also a color name, but I digress). The idea here is that the more you go, the more stars you earn, and eventually you may be able to “level up” to the next tier. And let’s just say, those Reserve members are DEDICATED.
Green is the basic tier that newcomers and occasional visitors to Starbucks will fall into. The tier-specific rewards are a free drink on your birthday, and earning one star per one dollar spent. Your stars will expire if you do not buy from Starbucks within 6 months, though adding money to your virtual app card or redeeming an award will maintain your star holdings.
Then there’s the Gold tier. You qualify for this tier by acquiring 500 stars in one calendar year. Gold rewards include being able to redeem your free birthday drink up to seven days after your birthday, earning 1.2 stars to every dollar spent, and getting access to four more “Double Star Days” (days where your purchase earns you double stars). And hey, your stars don’t expire on this tier!
Finally, we’ve got the Reserve tier. You’ll find yourself in this tier if you’ve earned 2500+ stars in a year. Reserve members have 30 days to grab their free birthday drink, earn 1.7 stars to each dollar spent, get six more Double Star Days, receive a free physical “Reserve Card,” can peruse a special selection of merch, and enter lotteries for “Global Coffee Experiences” (trips to visit a Starbucks in a different country). Stars don’t expire for these members either.
What rewards do all members get?
There are some new rewards available to all Rewards members. First, on one Monday a month (chosen by Starbucks), members of any tier can customize their drink for “free” (up to $2). Members can also earn stars when loading more than $30 onto their virtual cards on the app and when they bring their own cup to use for their drink, they earn double stars. Finally, members may be able to order special-edition and seasonal drinks before their official release.
Does everyone start at green tier?
Nope — that would be just plain unfair. Starbucks will let current Rewards members know on March 10 what tier they fall into, which will reflect how many stars they earned in 2025. To be clear, this is not based on how many stars you currently have but how many total were collected. So don’t be afraid to spend your stars for rewards.
This membership status will last a year from attainment unless they level up to the next tier, in which case that timer will reset. You will get demoted if you don’t meet the tier’s requirements in that 12-month time-frame.
What’s NOT changing?
While they may be mixing up their Rewards program more than they mix my caramel macchiato, not everything is changing. The current star system is not going anywhere. You will still be able to redeem the existing rewards that come at 25, 100, 200, 300, and 400 stars. They are adding a tier to that system, a 60 star tier that you can redeem for a $2 discount on your purchase, but they are not taking anything away.
Oh, and Starbucks made it clear that they will not be touching your current star count, so don’t worry about a reset or anything of the sort.