This offer is no longer available on our site: Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card
The Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card is no longer available. For another option, shop for cash back cards on Credit Karma.
If you love Starbucks, this could be the card for you.
The Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card helps you earn rewards and free drinks for your morning routine.
In addition to rewards for Starbucks purchases, this card earns you special cardholder perks at Starbucks, like eight complimentary Barista Picks (curated food or drinks) in each 12-month period, with one awarded every six weeks beginning 45 days after account opening.
But there are some drawbacks to the card.
You only earn one Star for every $2 spent at grocery stores, on local transit/commuting, or on internet, cable and phone services. Other than that, you can only earn one Star for every $4 spent on eligible purchases outside of Starbucks stores, which is a very low rewards rate.
You’ll also only earn one Star for every $4 spent if you use the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card to load funds to your registered Starbucks card in the store. The Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card is more beneficial when you use it to load funds onto your registered Starbucks card via the app or online, which earns one Star per $1 spent.
If you’re not a bona fide latte-sipping Starbucks super fan, it might make sense to get another rewards credit card — perhaps one that offers extra rewards for restaurant purchases.
Below we cover some of the pros and cons of the card to help you decide if the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card is right for you.
The rundown: Everything we like about the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card
The Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card could help you tackle your coffee cravings while earning rewards. Here are some of the perks of the card.
Free rewards drinks
The Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card features a sign-up bonus of 6,500 Stars after you spend $500 or more on eligible purchases during the first three months from account opening.
You could earn another 300 Stars the first time you use the credit card to add money to your Starbucks account.
Paying for those lattes at participating Starbucks locations with your registered Starbucks card — loaded via your Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card through the app or online — can earn you a total of three Stars for every $1 spent. That’s two Stars for being a Starbucks® Rewards member and one extra Star for every $1 you load onto your registered Starbucks card through the app or online with your Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card.
You can start redeeming your Stars at participating Starbucks locations once you’ve earned 25 Stars, although some locations may only let you start redeeming once you’ve hit 150 Stars.
More coffee on the house
The Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card includes coupons for eight complimentary Barista Picks each year, beginning 45 days after account opening. These specialty food items or drinks will come your way about once every six weeks, as coupons loaded to your Starbucks® Rewards account.
The Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card will enroll you in the Starbucks Rewards loyalty program, which features free refills on brewed coffee and tea that you order during the same visit, along with a birthday reward each year and other special offers.
Heads up: What you should consider before applying for the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card
Don’t get caught up in the Starbucks brand hype.
We wouldn’t be surprised if coffee aficionados flock to the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card simply to prove their brand loyalty, but make sure you read the fine print before deciding whether the card is a good fit for you. Here are a few things to consider.
Low rewards rate for purchases
Don’t bother pulling this card out of your wallet unless you’re loading funds to your registered Starbucks card using the app or online, and then using your registered card to make a purchase in a Starbucks store, which is the combo that gets you those extra Stars. But wait — let’s take a look at those rewards to see if it’s actually a good deal.
Remember that you can earn three Stars for Starbucks purchases … but two of those points are from being a Starbucks Rewards member, and you don’t need the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card to become a member. This means that if you’re already a member of the rewards program, using the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card really only allows you to earn one extra Star, and only if you’ve used it to load funds through the app or online onto your registered membership card.
Limited options for earning rewards
If it sounds as if it’s a lot of trouble to earn the maximum rewards with the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card, then it may not be the card for you.
Earning those three Stars per $1 requires using the credit card to load funds onto your registered Starbucks card, which you can then use to make your in-store purchase — and the catch is you must load those funds using the mobile app or online. Loading funds in store, rather than digitally, earns you one Star per $4 spent.
Limited options for redeeming rewards
Stars can only be redeemed at participating Starbucks locations.
That may not be a problem for devout coffee-loving Starbucks loyalists. But if you like travel rewards or cash back, you’re out of luck, because you’re not allowed to transfer Stars to another rewards program or redeem rewards in other ways.
To make matters worse, not every Starbucks participates in the company’s rewards program.
Annual fee
The Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card comes with a $0 intro, then $49 after first year annual fee. So the card might only be worth it if you visit Starbucks frequently.
Bottom line: Is the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card right for you?
The Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card is geared toward customers who frequently stop by Starbucks to get their coffee fix.
But if you’re more of a casual Starbucks customer, you may find better value from another rewards credit card.