Maybe you just got hired, or maybe you’re thinking of applying to be a Starbucks barista. In either case, it’s important to know all of the Starbucks benefits and perks that are offered. After all, one of these 8 benefits could easily sway your employment decision. Starbucks has been a leader in employee perks for years, especially for part time workers. Here’s a breakdown of all of their most important benefits so you can make an informed decision.

Starbucks Employee Discount

Their employee discount comes in at a very solid 30% off.

That means you get a 30% discount on all drinks and retail merchandise when you’re not working.

Plus, during the holiday season, this employee discount typically gets BUMPED to 40% making Starbucks a great place to buy gifts for friends and family.

This discount is good at ANY stand alone Starbucks location, also known as a corporate location.

But probably the coolest Starbucks employee perk is you get to take home a FREE 1 pound bag of coffee, Tazo tea, VIA Ready Brew packets, or a box of 12 K-Cups EVERY week.

Plus, when you’re on-shift, you’ll score free coffee drinks (up to 4) PLUS a free food item each shift (7 maximum per week).

Health Benefits (Even For Part-Time Work)

Starbucks will share the costs of health benefits for you and your family if you opt into one of their health plans above.

Starbucks says that the Silver Plan typically only costs employees $40 per paycheck, significantly less than other retailers.

The BEST part is that these health benefits are also available to part-time employees.

Just log at least 20 hours per week and you’re eligible.

Also, it’s worth noting that you have to be employed for 90 days before you become eligible.

See Also: Know the Starbucks Dress Code Before Applying for a Job

Free Tuition to Arizona St. University Online

Via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, both part-time and full-time employees are eligible for FREE tuition to Arizona State University via their 4-year online bachelor degree program.

Starbucks will actually “reimburse any tuition costs not covered by need-based financial aid directly in your paycheck near the end of the semester.”

Pretty awesome.

The only thing the program doesn’t cover are the cost of books or any special course fees.

It’s important to note that if you work at a “licensed Starbucks”, like in a grocery store, you’re NOT eligible. You must work at a standalone Starbucks location.

Maternity Leave

All mothers who work at least 20 hours per week, are eligible to receive 6 weeks of 100% paid maternity leave.

The same 6 week paid leave is also extended for adoptions as well as foster parent situations.

If you’re a non-store Starbucks employee, and work for the corporate office, this maternity leave is extended to 12 weeks paid.

Almost Free “Backup” Child Care

Back in 2018, Starbucks instituted the Care@Work program to help parents fill-in child care gaps.

It offers parents 10 subsidized “backup care days” per year.

Parents only pay $5 per day, per child, for child care and Starbucks pays the rest for a maximum of 10 days a year.

Prefer in-home child care? Starbucks will provide that at only $1 per hour and they’ll pay the rest of the bill.

Paid Time Off

Retail Starbucks employees start earning paid vacation after 12 months of continuous service.

Part-time employees will also earn paid vacation at a rate of 1 hour per 30 hours worked.

Salaried Starbucks employees earn 1 personal day every July 1 and January 1. They must be used within the following 6 months or they expire.

It’s worth noting that vacation benefits vary by location, position, and length of employment.

See Also: 7 Starbucks Menu Hacks Guaranteed To Save You Money

Good Commuter Perks

If you pay for transit passes in order to get to work, Starbucks has your back in a big way.

They offer “pretax payroll deductions” to all employees who fit this bill in order to “make up” for their commuter expenses.

These deductions reduce your taxable income, meaning you’ll owe less tax which more than makes up for the costs incurred during your daily commute.

Solid 401(k) Savings Plan

All Starbucks employees are eligible to throw money in a 401(k) retirement plan once they’ve worked for 90 days.

They cleverly call it their Future Roast 401(k) and you’re allowed to add up to $17,000 per year, even more if you’re over the age of 50.

The best part is Starbucks will match your contribution on the first 4% and will often bump this up to 6%.

It’s free money, you might as well take advantage of this benefit if you can.

BONUS #1: Free Spotify Premium Subscription

All U.S. based Starbucks employees also score a FREE Spotify Premium subscription.

Coming in at $10.99/month this is a great little perk for the music lovers out there.

BONUS #2: Flexible Scheduling

I was recently in my local Starbucks taking advantage of some free WiFi, and struck up a conversation with a barista on his break.

I asked him if Starbucks offered flexible scheduling as it appears most employees are in college and can have fairly random class schedules every semester.

He said “absolutely”, they have a ton of flexibility and basically let him create his own hours that fit into his class schedule.

He added that he’s worked at 3 different Starbucks locations and all of them have been the same as they realize college students need that flexibility.

Ask the Reader: Which Starbucks employment perk do you find the most enticing? Let me know in the comments.

By Kyle James

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)