11 Creative Ways To Save Money At Starbucks

If you are anything like me, then you need your daily caffeine fix just to function. The fact that Starbucks is the second biggest restaurant chain on earth makes it a fairly popular option for those who are looking to satisfy that need. It helps that the coffeehouse has such a wide variety of caffeinated beverages — including the Starbucks Refreshers, which do actually contain caffeine. In case you're wondering, a grande Starbucks Refresher has around 45 milligrams of caffeine in it.

Whether you are someone who makes a daily run to the coffee chain or only stops by occasionally, it can be expensive. Also, I think we can all agree that it never hurts to save a little money. That is why we decided to create a list of different ways that you can cut costs at Starbucks. 

As someone who worked at the coffeehouse for three years in college, I definitely learned a couple tips and tricks along the way to help save some money. To ensure that the list is well rounded and up-to-date, I also researched some hacks that people online recommended.

Let's start off with one of the easiest ways to save money at Starbucks — which has a fascinating story for how it was named. All you have to do is sign up to be a rewards member and download the app. Being a rewards member will allow you to earn one star per dollar every time you go to the coffeehouse and buy something, just make sure to scan your membership.

When you accumulate a certain amount of stars, you unlock different perks. Breaking down the different rewards, the lowest one only requires 25 stars and once redeemed allows you to add an extra shot of espresso or syrup for free. Meanwhile, 100 stars allows you to get a hot or iced coffee or tea, a bakery item, or a packaged snack. A free handcrafted drink of your choice, breakfast sandwich, or oatmeal is 200 stars. The final rewards need 300 and 400 stars and get you a free lunch protein box or bag of coffee, or coffee merch that costs up $20, respectively.

In addition, being a rewards member and having the app will keep you informed about any promos or specials that the coffee chain is having, such as discounted drinks or double star days. In the app, rewards members are also given specific challenges to earn extra stars. For example, it might say buy these three things to earn an extra 100 stars. One Facebook user said that each member gets different challenges based on their purchase history.

This next one is not only good for your wallet, but also the environment — so you can feel extra good while saving a little bit of money and working toward rewards. Instead of having your drink made in Starbucks' typical disposable plastic cup, bring your own reusable cup or thermos and ask the barista to make your drink in that.

When you do this, you will receive a 10 cent discount on your order. I know that 10 cents doesn't sound like much, but every penny counts. In addition to the discount, bringing your own cup will get you stars and help move you closer to earning enough for freebies. When I worked there, it used to be that you would get 25 stars for having your drink made in a reusable cup. However, in June of 2025, Starbucks changed it so when rewards members bring in their own cup they get double the stars on their entire order instead. There were some customers on Reddit who complained that the change only really benefited big spenders, not those who are just buying one drink.

At the beginning of 2025, Starbucks granted members' wishes with the return of its dine-in benefits. This change requires baristas in the United States and Canada to ask customers if they want to enjoy their order in the cafe or are taking it to go.

This perk is extra beneficial for those who order hot and iced coffee or tea, because if they dine-in they can get free refills on their drink. It is important to note that the refills don't include the cold brew, nitro cold brew, iced tea lemonade, and flavored iced tea and Starbucks refreshers base. According to a customer on Reddit, the coffeehouse chain also started requiring that in order for members to get the free refills they have to use a reusable cup or for-here ware — which is its glass or ceramic cups. Starbucks also notes on its website that the refills will only be for the same size as the beverage they originally purchased. 

Customers are able to get as many refills as they want during that one visit, but once the member leaves that perk ends. So whether you are going to the coffeehouse to work, relax, or talk, stick around for a while and make the most of your free drinks.

As a Starbucks rewards member, you are also eligible for a birthday reward that can be used for a free drink or food item. It appears that many people like to use it for a more expensive or large-sized free drink. It is important to note that the reward is only redeemable on the day of your birthday.

One of the most common mistakes that I saw when I was working as a barista was people downloading the app and signing up to be a member the day of their birthday, expecting to immediately receive the reward. There was also a customer who took to Reddit confused as to why they didn't get the reward when they did this. Starbucks requires that rewards members make at least one star-earning purchase before their birthday each year. It's also worth remembering that you must be signed up for Starbucks rewards at least seven days prior to your birthday in addition to making one star-earning purchase. 

The reward allows customers to get any size drink. However, you need to be careful what you order — and not just because they're a drink Starbucks baristas wish you'd stop ordering — as not all customizations are covered under the reward.

This is a useful flavor boosting ice tea hack that I actually started doing myself when I was a barista at Starbucks, but for a different reason. If you order an iced tea with no water then you can use it as base to make another iced tea and get two for the price of one.

All you have to do is order two iced waters of the same size, and then drink or dump some of the water and evenly split the tea between the two waters. I did this when I knew I was going to want another tea later in the day, or when I wanted one the next day when I wouldn't be at work. Apparently, I am not the only one who does this as other bloggers and social media users have also written about it and recommended it. My only note would be to make sure that you also grab any sweetener that you might want. My go-to tea to order was black iced tea with liquid cane sugar before Starbucks discontinued the liquid cane sugar in the summer of 2024; now I get Splenda instead.

This one may seem like common sense to some people, but instead of buying one of the water bottles that are in the fridge, just ask the employee at the register for whatever size water that you want and get it for free. I used to recommend this to customers all the time when they were buying the water bottles. Sometimes they would still want the water, which is perfectly fine, but there's nothing wrong with asking.

Just keep in mind that despite how easy an iced water is to make, it might not come out immediately depending on how busy the baristas are. Also when you are in the cafe always try to order the water from the register if you can — this is helpful for the baristas to remember to do it because they will have a sticker for it. Just asking the baristas at the bar for water risks them possibly forgetting and it getting lost in the sea of other drinks that they have to make if they are busy.

This way to save money is for those who don't drink a lot, and want to save another drink for later or share a drink with your friend. Starbucks' venti iced drinks are 24 ounces, versus their venti hot drinks which are 20 ounces, and its iced tall drinks are 12 ounces. For those of you wondering, why not get cold drinks in a trenta size (31 ounces) so you can have more? Just keep in mind that there are some drink orders baristas won't serve in trenta cups, such as any hot drink.

Just order whatever iced drink you want, and then ask for two tall cups on the side either at the register or when the barista gives you your drink. Then split the drink into two tall cups and enjoy. Some customers say that they do this in order to have a drink for later, although others may feel that they wouldn't be able to wait and would just drink the whole thing in on sitting. Employees on Reddit have complained about customers ordering a venti iced drink or frappuccino and then asking for it to be split into two tall cups, noting that they are happy to give the customer the cups to do it themselves, and stating that it is against Starbucks' standard for them to split.

Whether you are a habitual tea drinker or someone who has a cup every once in a while, something you should know about ordering hot tea from Starbucks is that it comes with two tea bags. The exception to this is tall hot teas as they only come with one tea bag, unless it is a Honey Citrus Mint Tea which is also known as the Medicine Ball.

One way that you can get more bang for your buck, is to ask for the second tea bag on the side or to-go. Doing this will allow you to use that second tea bag to make another cup later in the day, getting you two hot teas for the price of one. Now, I know you might be concerned that taking one of the tea bags out will make the tea weak. However, it shouldn't affect the taste or strength of the tea too much. 

If you are taking a grande hot tea to go or allowing it to steep for a little bit, the Sweet Steep Tea Blog recommends ordering the grande tea in a venti sized cup so that it doesn't soak up and leak out from the tea bags' string and tag. The writer emphasized she's had Starbucks' teas leak on her multiple times, and noted that ordering the tea this way will not affect that amount of water baristas give you or the price of the tea.

This next money saving hack is for Starbucks customers who are looking to get more caffeine in their drinks without having to pay the added fees for it. Something customers might not know is that besides Starbucks Signature Espresso, the chain also has its Blonde Espresso and Decaf Espresso. When I was being trained, I learned that the Blonde Espresso not only has a smoother taste, due to not being roasted for as long, but also a higher caffeine content.

While most Starbucks espresso coffees are made with the signature beans, there are some made with the blonde beans, like the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso. When I worked there, the coffeehouse chain used to charge 90 cents to change the type of espresso that your drink is made with. However, it appears that since Starbucks updated its policy in June of 2025, customers are no longer being charged for switching out the signature espresso for blonde. This means that you can get the blonde espresso, and therefore more caffeine, without paying more than you already planned to. Meanwhile, it costs $1.25 to add an extra shot to a drink, no matter what type of espresso it is made with. 

People who have caffeine restrictions can also use this trick to have their drink made with decaf espresso at no extra charge. Just keep in mind that Starbucks' Decaf Espresso still has 15 milligrams of caffeine in it, which is still significantly less than the 75 milligrams in the regular espresso.

OneTikToker shared a life hack that she uses to save a couple of dollars when getting coffee from Starbucks. She recommended ordering a double or doppio espresso over ice in a venti cup with oatmilk and vanilla syrup instead of getting an iced vanilla latte. Comparing the difference in price, the total for the venti iced vanilla latte comes out to $6.45, while the iced doppio espresso with the add ons ends up being $3.75 at the time of writing.

This seems to be a fairly common hack, as other customers on Facebook have recommended it as well. However, keep in mind that you don't have to order the drink the same exact way that they did. You can absolutely pick your preferred milk, flavored syrup, sweetener, or other type of add-on. It's important to note that adding the syrup does have an 80 cent fee, and other add-ons will be accompanied by charges as well. It is free, however, to add any sweetener packets or liquid sweeteners, like classic and honey blend.

If you need any recommendations for how to customize the espresso drink, there are plenty online. One Facebook user shared that they get theirs with light ice, oat milk, cream, and extra whipped cream, and emphasized how affordable it is. Meanwhile, a barista said they get caramel drizzle in the cup, two pumps of caramel, two pumps of brown sugar, a splash of vanilla sweet cream, and brown sugar cold foam.

This final hack will help you rack up more stars so that you can unlock freebies quicker. Instead of just earning one star for scanning the app and paying with your credit or debit card, you can pay with a gift card and get double the stars on each order. All you have to do is preload money onto your digital Starbucks Card using whatever payment option you prefer, and then pay with that gift card. The reload options you can choose from on the app start at $10 and then go up in $5 increments to $100.

A customer took to Reddit wondering if on double star days when she pays with the gift card, she should get four times the stars on her order. A supervisor answered that she should get four times the stars, but reminded her that, due to recent changes by the coffeehouse chain, customers now have to activate promotions on the home page before they make a purchase in order for them to be applied.