Starbucks is changing its rewards program, a leaked memo shows — making it harder to redeem some free drinks

The number of points needed to redeem many menu items will be increased by Starbucks.

When customers enroll in the Starbucks rewards program, they earn points that can be used to redeem for free coffee or food. The number of stars required for most of the redemption options will be changed in February when an update to the system is rolled out. The memo was reviewed by two different people.

The price of free hot coffee, tea, or baked goods has doubled to 100 stars. Customers will be able to get free iced coffee and iced tea at that tier, down from the current 150 stars. The to-go cups and packaged snacks will be available at the 100 star tier.

Cold brews, lattes, and all other "handcrafted drinks," along with hot breakfast items, which previously required 150 stars to redeem, will now require 200 stars, while 300 stars can be redeemed for lunch items. Stars can be redeemed for coffee at the 300 level.

Customers will still be able to add an espresso shot, syrup, or alternative milk to a drink at 25 stars, as in the previous system.

The way customers acquire stars will not change. For every $1 spent at Starbucks, members of the rewards program will receive one star for every dollar, or two stars for every dollar.

The updated rewards system is scheduled to go live February 13 and the changes are being made to "ensure the health of the program and meet the evolving needs of our customers."

The changes described in the memo were not commented on by a Starbucks spokesman.

Starbucks has a very successful rewards program. As of this quarter, the program has 28.7 million members, an increase of 16% over the same period last year. Over half of Starbucks sales last quarter were accounted for by rewards members.

Starbucks rewards members have strong feelings about the program. Customers took to social media to complain about the last changes to the program. Starbucks changed how many stars it required to get some food and drinks. Since that time, the rewards program has gained over 10 million members.

It has become more expensive for customers to earn rewards. The number of points required for a free burrito has been increased by 16%, while the amount of spending required for drinks has doubled.

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