The Easiest Way to Double Your Starbucks Rewards

Even with the new rewards system.

If you remember, Starbucks changed its rewards program in February making it harder for customers to redeem their Stars for free beverages. Prior to the switch, all handcrafted beverages (like lattes and cold brews) could be redeemed for 150 Stars; however, they now cost 200 Stars—which means you’ll have to spend $50 more to get one free drink.

So, with the pricier system, we’re constantly looking for ways to rack up Stars quickly so we can get our free morning coffee.

If you go to Starbucks frequently, a great way to earn more Stars is by completing Starbucks’ bonus Star campaigns. However, sometimes those campaigns lead you to spend more money on things you didn’t anticipate buying or go to Starbucks an extra time that week to meet the necessary streak.

We’re not looking to spend even more money to get those Stars, which is why we use this simple hack that gets you double the Stars every time you shop at Starbucks.

As a Starbucks rewards member, every purchase earns you Stars, but you receive a different amount of Stars depending on how you pay. If you pay using cash, credit, debit, or PayPal (either in-app or in-store), you will earn 1 Star for every $1. But, if you pay using a registered gift card or pre-loaded digital Starbucks card (either in-app or in-store), you will earn 2 Stars for every $1.

That means instead of just keeping your credit card on file in the Starbucks app and using it on your morning coffee run, you should keep a gift card in your app to use every time you go to Starbucks.

And, no, you don’t need to go to your grocery store to buy a new gift card when the funds run out. Starbucks lets you reload gift cards directly in the app. Simply go to the card, click “Add Funds,” and then add an amount between $10 and $100. Now, every time you use that gift card instead of your credit card, you’ll get double the Stars.

You might also remember Starbucks used to offer two levels of its rewards program: Green and Gold. When you reached Gold, you received a Starbucks Gold Card that could be reloaded like a gift card—but it was much cooler because it was gold and had your name on it. If you have your Gold Card registered in the Starbucks app and use it to make purchases, you will receive 2 Stars for every $1.

Next time you’re thinking about going to Starbucks and want to score extra Stars, make sure to try this hack. It’s so easy and doesn’t cost anything more than you were already planning to spend. Plus, when you open your app and see money preloaded onto the card, it feels like a little treat knowing you won’t see yet another individual Starbucks purchase on your bank statement.