While there exists some clever Starbucks menu hacks that’ll definitely save you money, it’s really hard to beat “free”. As in free Starbucks coffee, free refills, and even free Starbucks gift cards. Here are some really easy ways to earn all three from your local Starbucks.

Free Starbucks Refills

In order to score a free coffee refill at Starbucks, you’ll need either a registered Starbucks card or their mobile app on your phone.

Then use either one to order any “Handcrafted Beverage” and you qualify for a free refill on that visit.

A handcrafted beverage is anything a barista makes with their hands. So it excludes bottled water, juice, and soda.

The refill drink can only be one of the following: Brewed Coffee (hot, iced coffee, or cold brew) or tea (hot or iced).

But the cool thing is you can order a mocha or latte, for example, and on your way out you can get a “refill” of iced tea or brewed coffee.

So you can order a latte, then after you drink it, you can order a free caramel iced coffee as you walk out the door.

In the summer-time I’ll do this with brewed coffee and use it later in the day to make an iced coffee.

PRO TIP: FREE COFFEE ON MONDAY AFTER THE SUPER BOWL

In 2025, Starbucks offered a free Tall Hot or Iced Brew coffee to all Reward members on February 10th, 2025.

This was the Monday after the Super Bowl and they painted the promo as folks needing a little caffeine pick-me-up after a big Sunday.

It turned out to be a very successful promotion, so look for the same thing next year.

Free Starbucks Coffee

Here are some highly clever ways to score free coffee at Starbucks:

Free Birthday Drink

Join the Starbucks Rewards program and score a free drink on your birthday. Just present the Starbucks app to redeem.

Nowadays, the free drink gets added to your account on your birthday (used to be 2 days before) and will expire at midnight on your birthday.

Anything on the menu is open for you to order as your birthday reward, even food items.

PRO TIP: THE BIRTHDAY DRINK YOU SHOULD BE ORDERING

To maximize the value of your free birthday reward at Starbucks, you should order the largest, most expensive drink you genuinely enjoy.

Here are four tips to ensure you get the most “bang for your buck”:

1. Go Big or Go Home – Definitely choose a Venti (20 oz) or Trenta (31 oz) size if available (Trenta is only for iced drinks).

2. Customize Like Crazy – Customize your drink with UNLIMITED FREE CUSTOMIZATIONS such as:

• Extra espresso shots (adds caffeine and flavor).
• Alternative milk options like almond, oat, or coconut (normally cost extra).
• Extra syrups or toppings (whipped cream, caramel drizzle, mocha drizzle, etc.).

3. Secret Menu – Order something off the secret menu for a premium experience. Ask for complex, Instagram-worthy options like the “Butterbeer Frappuccino” or “Ferrero Rocher Frappuccino.” Tip: Be ready with the recipe for secret menu drinks since baristas aren’t trained on them.

4. Think Seasonal or Limited-Time Drinks – If your birthday aligns with the holiday season or special promotions, opt for festive drinks like the Peppermint Mocha, Pumpkin Spice Latte, or Chestnut Praline Latte (Venti or Trenta sizes).

Free Holiday Drinks

They always hand out thousands of free coffee around the holidays.

Be sure to follow Starbucks on Facebook as they’ll let you know what days and times you can come in and score free coffee drinks.

Free Coffee via Discounted Gift Card

A very easy way to get free coffee at Starbucks is by purchasing a discounted gift card.

Your best bet is to check out CardCash.com and get a $100 Starbucks gift card for only $87.50 or a $70 card for only $61.

See Also: All Places That Give You Something Free on Your Birthday

PRO TIP: ASK FOR AN EXTRA TEA BAG

When ordering tea at Starbucks, you can maximize your purchase by asking for an extra tea bag to-go.

Here’s how and why this works:

When you order your tea, simply (and politely) say, “Could I have an extra tea bag to-go, please?”

If the barista hesitates, let them know it’s for later use. This is a simple and reasonable request that works 90% of the time in my experience, especially since Starbucks allows customization of your drinks.

The extra tea bag lets you brew a fresh cup of tea later at no additional cost, effectively doubling your drink for free.

If you order a larger size, you’re already getting more hot water. The second tea bag can be saved for another time or used to double the flavor of your current drink.

If you prefer iced tea, you can use the extra tea bag to brew your own iced tea at home by steeping it in cold water or hot water and chilling it. This works especially well with Starbucks’ vibrant tea blends, like Passion Tango or Jade Citrus Mint.

Free Gift Cards

Aside from buying discounted gift cards for Starbucks, there exists some slick ways to score absolutely free gift cards.

Swagbucks – Watch videos, play games, search the web, and shop online and earn cool “SwagBucks” that you can redeem for free gift cards at Starbucks.

Ibotta – Take your grocery shopping to the next level and start redeeming Ibotta “rebates” on stuff you’ll be buying anyways.

Then once you have $20 worth of rebates (which won’t take long) and you can score a free $20 Starbucks gift card.

ShopKick – Earn “kicks” just by walking into stores in your local area. Then earn more “kicks” by browsing products and even more by making purchases.

Once you earn these kicks, you can quickly turn them into a free gift card.

Ask the Reader: How do you get free stuff from Starbucks and feed your addiction on the cheap? Or do you just stay out completely and brew at home?

By Kyle James

Photo by Bfishadow.

Kyle James( Owner/Founder )

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)