Starbucks Rewards Changes its Loyalty Program

In today’s inflationary environment, some programs are changing the rate at which points are redeemed and earned, and Starbucks is one of them. On February 13, 2023, Starbucks doubled the number of Stars needed to get a hot beverage or pastry from 50 to 100.

Aeroplan, which has partnered with Starbucks since March 2022, has also lowered the rate at which Aeroplan points are redeemed for Starbucks Stars, which is good news despite the devaluation of Starbucks Stars.

The following are the new Starbucks Rewards point redemption and accumulation policies.

At Starbucks, you get Stars for every dollar you spend. By using the app and funding your digital Starbucks card in the app, you can double your earned Stars per dollar of purchase.

In addition, Aeroplan members can link their Starbucks Rewards account to earn and redeem Aeroplan points. As of April 2022, select TD cardholders also earn more rewards at Starbucks.

If you have a TD Credit card or TD Access card with Visa Debit, you’ll earn 50% more Stars at Starbucks when you link your card . And depending on the credit card you hold, you can earn even more TD Points and Aeroplan Points.

Here are the different (and new) Starbucks Star redemption levels and the rewards you can earn:

As of February 13, 2023, the minimum number of Aeroplan points to redeem is 400 points for 100 Stars. This represents a 20% decrease in the initial rate, which is therefore favorable. You can do so directly on the Air Canada page here. In fact, it’s the smallest redemption available in the entire Aeroplan program.

Despite the good announcement on the Aeroplan side, it doesn’t make up for the devaluation of Starbucks.

Are you an Aeroplan member? Check your email, as Starbucks and Aeroplan have launched a customized offer on March 6, 2023 to celebrate two years of partnership.

Milesopedia team members received the following benefits:

• Up to 50 bonus points: 10 points per eligible Starbucks transaction between March 6 and March 12, 2023 for a maximum of 5 transactions in 7 days
  • You must pay with your digital Starbucks card or the barcode in the Starbucks app for the transaction to qualify.
• Until March 31, earn 1,000 bonus points, or 2X regular bonus points, when you create a Starbucks Rewards account, link it to your Aeroplan account and make a qualifying transaction within seven days.

For clarity, these are Aeroplan points that can then be converted to Starbucks Stars at a rate of 400 points per 100 Stars.

On the one hand, all TD Credit Cards and TD Access Cards with Visa Debit earn you 50% more Stars at Starbucks.

On the other hand, if you have the following TD credit cards, you will also earn 50% more TD points or Aeroplan points:

• TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card
• TD Platinum Travel Visa Card
• TD Visa Rewards Card
• TD Business Travel Visa Card
• TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card
• TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card
• TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card
• TD Aeroplan Visa Business card

Don’t forget to link your Aeroplan and Starbucks account, if you haven’t already done so.

Now, if you link your TD and Starbucks accounts, you’ll earn 50% more:

• 1 extra Star/$1 in purchases made with your TD Card
• + 0.5 extra Star / $1 purchase when paying via your app

Then, depending on your credit card , you earn 50% more TD points or Aeroplan points for every dollar you spend at Starbucks :

• A TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite card will earn 4.5 TD Points (instead of 3 TD Points)
• or a TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege card will earn 2.25 Aeroplan points (instead of 1.5)

The recent changes to the Starbucks Rewards program are not beneficial, but follow the recent trends of the moment with inflation. Tim Hortons also recently announced significant changes to its Tims Rewards program.

The only good news is that Aeroplan has lowered the rate of conversion of Aeroplan points to Starbucks Stars. If you’re a Starbucks coffee lover, be sure to follow these tips to maximize your Aeroplan and Starbucks Stars points earned for every dollar spent.