Starbucks Gold Card: What Is It and Does It Still Exist?
I’m not gonna lie, I still have my Starbucks Gold Card in my wallet. Call me sentimental, but it once gave me a strange mix of excitement and guilt. After all, I had done the math and realized exactly what this card had cost me (more on that later). But I was also stoked to know I’d be drinking a FREE Venti Mocha on my next trip through the Starbucks drive-thru. Here’s a fun little breakdown of what the Starbucks Gold Card was, and how you earned it.
Starbucks Gold Card….What Is It?
The Starbucks gold card was the holy grail of reward cards that scored you some nifty free drinks and treats.
Unfortunately, as of April 2019 Starbucks is NO longer sending out Gold Cards anymore. Boo!!
So…How Did I Earn The Gold Card?
When you signed-up with the Starbucks Rewards Program you started at the Green Level.
Earn at least 300 Stars in a 12 month period and you got promoted to the Gold Level.
Not only would your Starbucks app make you a Gold member, but Starbucks would ACTUALLY mail you a Gold Card that you could show off to your friends.
The best part is you’d earn 2 stars for every $1 spent with your Gold card.
Then you could actually redeem those stars for free coffee or food.
See Also: 9 Brilliant Ways to Hack the Starbucks Rewards Program
What Exactly Did the Gold Card Give Me?
Well, first of all, you would get everything that someone at the Green Level gets:
– Free Birthday Drink – You’ll find your birthday reward on the Starbucks app starting the day before your birthday. You’ll have until the day after your birthday to redeem it. Any size, any drink.
– Free In-Store Refills – Score a free refill on your way out. You can score a free refill on any sized iced coffee, iced tea (or hot tea), or brewed coffee. So if you originally bought a Grande, you’ll get a Grande sized free refill.
– Member Only Offers and Deals – These exclusive deals include discounts on specific drinks, products, and food items.
Plus, you get these Gold Level ONLY perks….
– Monthly Double-Star Days – On certain days you’ll earn 4 stars for every dollar spent. Be sure to sign-up for emails to be notified of double-star days.
– Reward Every 125 Stars – This is where the magic happens. If you’re going to be stopping at Starbucks anyways on the way to work why not get something out of it?
– Personalized Gold Card – Yes, they’d actually mail you your own Gold Card a couple weeks after you earn it.
Do the Reward Points Expire?
Surprisingly, YES your reward stars do indeed expire.
I didn’t do the math cuz I’m a dullard, but it looks like they expire 6 months after you earn them.
Is It a Lofty Goal or Wasted Money?
If you drink at Starbucks often, like at least 4 times per month, it’s definitely worth signing up for their rewards program and shooting for Gold.
The reason is because at the introductory Green level you DO NOT earn any free drinks or treats. Boo!
So the Gold level actually pays you back with free coffee.
But let’s be honest here…in order to get a Gold Card you gotta buy $150 worth of Starbucks drinks and food in a 12-month period.
That’s a lot of $5 milkshakes that they trick us into buying by calling them Frappuccinos.
Is the Card Actually Made of Gold?
Nope, it’s just good ol’ plastic…but I sure wish it was 14 karat gold.
How cool would that be though?
Can Starbuck’s Employees Earn Stars?
Yes.
They actually earn 3 stars for every dollar spent instead of 2 that us regular caffeine addicts earn.
If you work for Starbucks make sure you register your “Partner” rewards card and start earning.
Is There a Free Starbucks for Life Card?
Unbelievably, YES.
Starbucks actually just gave one away a few years ago.
Keep an eye out for another chance to win free coffee for life soon.
Ask the Reader: Do you still have your Starbucks Gold Card in your wallet? If so, how many free drinks did it earn you?
By Kyle James
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)
STARBUCKS GOLD CARD MEMBER for many years. This has been an ongoing battle to keep the balance straight with Starbucks stores, as well as points earned. Will not be re-loading this card EVER.
I have 3 starbucks card in Gold Level. 2 of them continuously Gold Level for 2 yrs in a row.
Why I didn’t get the Gold plated ?
Is the rewards only in USA?
How about Indonesia?
Loyalty doesn’t count?
How many pictures Starbucks gold card do you have?
I unearthed a Gold Card from a pile of clutter that had developed in my spare room. I had never seen one before because I never go to Starbucks.
So, after reading what I have here I can’t imagine how I got one. I certainly didn’t purchase 150 coffees in a 12 month period. Not a single one actually. Not a coffee person. So, what to do with it now that I have found it and they don’t do anything with them anymore?
I will be happy to put it in my wallet so that if anyone who knows about these things will be impressed I will surely do so.
Was it worth anything other than coffee and food? I have also never had any food at a Starbucks – I was surprised to hear of such a thing.
I think I’ve a couple of frapachinos in my life but that’s it. Could someone have given it to me? Like made all the purchase as me? Golly who could that be? If they were valuable I must say I don’t that many selfless people who just give away such a treasure.
I earned my Gold Card in 2011 and still use it. Though recently, accessing my account seems to be difficult as logging in seems to be broken. Been working through this with Starbucks support. But, loading the card in person and using is of course working fine. Sad that they discontinued this, don’t understand why.
I remember getting mine back in 2008/2009. An additional perk back then was that logging in with your account gave you access to the internet at their cafes. I still have my gold card tucked away in an old wallet in storage ✨
I have been a Starbucks customer since the mid 90s but I earned a gold card in 2008 and still have it.
I remember earning this gold card in 2014 – I worked next to Starbucks so I’d buy as often as I could and also if you had purchased the cold coffees in the grocery store you could enter in the special code online to earn 2 stars on the acct. Since earning the card, very rarely do I go to Starbucks. Unless I’m given a Gift Card throughout the year, I’ll just transfer the funds to the gold. It still earns 2 stars per $1 so that’s fun!