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Starbucks junkies out there, I am excited to unveil a new excuse to get your next Starbucks fix on. Right now Starbucks and Chase are running a promotion together that will earn you up to 475 Bonus Stars (Starbucks Points) towards free drinks at Starbucks, on top of your standard point earning rate.
You also earn 120 Stars after you spend the minimum required amount for a grand total of 595 stars from a $60 purchase. This is enough for current Starbucks Gold Status members to earn 4 free drinks and leaves them just 35 Stars away from a 5th free drink.
To take advantage of this promotion you’ll need to use Chase’s mobile wallet – Chase Pay – which works with cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Folks can also stack this with another Chase promotion to earn 1,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
How Does This Promotion Work?
To earn the full 475 bonus Starbucks Stars from this promotion, you’ll need to load $60 onto your Starbucks app using Chase Pay in 3 separate $20+ increments.
Reload your Starbucks App using $20 or more from Chase Pay:
- 1st Time: Earn 125 Bonus Stars
- 2nd Time: Earn another 150 Bonus Stars (275 Bonus Stars Total)
- 3rd Time: Earn another 200 Bonus Stars (475 Bonus Stars Total)
Each time you reload your Starbucks app be sure to use the Chase Pay option in the app and load $20 or more. So to earn the maximum 475 bonus Stars you’ll pay $60 total.
You also still earn your base Stars, at a rate of 2 Starbucks Stars per $1, upon spending your balance. This will earn you an additional 120 Starbucks Stars ($60 x 2 Stars per $1 = 120 Stars) for a grand total of 595 Stars from $60 in purchases.
This promotion runs now through December 12, 2018. You will receive the bonus stars within 24 hours of each deposit with Chase Pay. However, I was seeing my bonus Stars in my account less than an hour after completing the deposit. The base stars are earned as you spend the balance on eligible products at Starbucks locations.
What Are 595 Starbucks Stars Worth?
Once you have Starbucks Gold Status (which requires 300 Stars), you can redeem Stars for free drinks or food items. Each redemption costs a flat 125 Stars.
So for folks who already have Starbucks Gold status, the 595 Stars is enough for 4 free drinks and just 35 stars away from a 5th free drink.
For those that don’t already have Gold status, keep in mind that it will cost you 300 Stars to get Gold status, which is required for redeeming free drinks. That will leave you with 295 Stars toward free drinks after reaching Gold status. This means that folks without Gold status right now would earn Gold status and 2 free drinks. You will keep your Gold status until the end of 2019. This is still a great deal if you go to Starbucks even occasionally (enough to justify pre-loading $60 for future purchases).
Yes, You Can Earn 1,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards Too
This promo also stacks with Chase’s 1,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards Promotion for using Chase Pay. This promotion runs through the end of 2018 and earns you 1,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you use Chase Pay 5 times (each transaction must be $25 or more).
Just keep in mind that this Chase Pay promo requires 5 Chase Pay transactions of $25+ and the Starbucks promotion only requires a transaction of $20+. So if you want to stack the 2 promotions, you’ll need to load $25 balances onto your Starbucks account each time (which sadly won’t earn you any additional bonus stars). But it will allow you to get closer to earning the 1,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards bonus points from the other promotion.
Some Final Tips
Starbucks Stars expire after 6 months, so you need to redeem your free drinks somewhat soon after you earn this balance. Not a problem for Starbucks regulars, but it is something I wanted to point out for those that only occasionally visit Starbucks.
One last “Pro Tip” for travelers: I recommend redeeming your free drinks at airport Starbucks locations, where lattes are regularly $7 to $8 instead of your home Starbucks where they probably cost $5. This makes your free redemptions worth more and saves you money.
Lastly, I must leave you with a word of caution. This promo has not worked for everybody, so try it at your own risk. Starbucks has sent out targeted messages within the Starbucks app to some folks about the promotion. I personally never got this message (I even checked “past deals” and “active deals” in my app), but I and 2 other friends who never got the targeted message have been able to set up Chase Pay and use it to get the bonus stars successfully. So it has worked for many people who weren’t targeted, but there are reports of some people not being so lucky.
My hypothesis is that it works for anyone who has never configured Chase Pay as a payment option in the Starbucks App before.
Did this work for you? Please share your experience with other readers in the comments.
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