The Starbucks Rewards Visa card has an introductory offer of 4,500 Bonus Stars after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.. You’ll be able to redeem 125 Stars for a free food or beverage item, this is worth about 36 items.
On top of the bonus offer, you can earn 300 Bonus Stars the first time you use your Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card to add money to your Starbucks Card. You’ll also receive eight (8) complimentary food or beverage items (“Barista Picks”).
There is also an annual fee of $49, however, there is a $0 intro annual fee.
It’s a good card for loyal Starbucks customers only. For casual customers, you should stay with a general cash back card that doesn’t have any annual fees or a top travel rewards card with a slightly higher fee included.
Starbucks Rewards Visa Card Quick Facts
| Bonus Available |
Earn 4,500 Bonus Stars after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. On top of the bonus offer, you can earn 300 Bonus Stars the first time you use your Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card to add money to your Starbucks Card. |
| Bonus Value | $180 |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits |
Earn Up to 3 Stars per $1 spent at Starbucks Stores: 1 Star per $1 when you digitally load your Starbucks Card with your Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card (excludes money added at the register), plus 2 Stars per $1 spent when that Starbucks Card is used to pay at Starbucks stores. Earn 1X Star per $2 spent at grocery stores, on local transit and commuting, and on internet, cable, and phone services. Earn 1X Star per $4 spent everywhere else Receive eight (8) complimentary food or beverage items (“Barista Picks”). |
| Foreign Transaction Fee? | 3% |
| Annual Fee | $49; $0 intro annual fee |
Recommended Free Credit Score (Get Free Score)
690 – 850 (Good – Excellent)
*The Starbucks Rewards card is issued by Chase Bank. Compare it to other credit card offers.*
Pros
- Welcome bonus
- Many ways to earn Stars
- 8 free Barista Picks per year
Cons
- Annual fee
- Good-Excellent credit needed to qualify
- Complicated rewards structure
- Limited redemption options
- Stars expire quickly
- Foreign transaction fees
Editor’s Alternate Pick
 The Chase Freedom FlexSM offers a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR. You'll earn: • Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! • 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more • 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service • Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases You cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back. This card has no annual fee. |
Starbucks Rewards Card Bonus Stars
Make use of the introductory offer of 4,500 bonus Stars. This is a value of 36 Starbucks food or beverage rewards.
Gain an extra 300 bonus Stars the first time you use your Starbucks Rewards Visa card to digitally load your Starbucks membership card in the Starbucks App.
Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement:
What are Starbucks Stars Worth?
Once you’ve gained about 125 Stars, you’ll be able to use them towards 1 food or drink item. With that in mind, building up to about 4,500 welcome bonus Stars will be worth about 36 Starbucks food or drink items.
Your Stars will be worth about $0.04 per point if you redeem 125 Stars towards a $5 coffee. This is an amazing value since the industrial average for most rewards cards will be worth about $0.01 for every point. However, your Stars can only be traded in for Starbucks items only. The 6,500 bonus Stars will be worth around $260 if you use them to redeem it for a $5 food or drink purchase.
To get the best value for your Stars, you should redeem them towards items that cost at least $5. This way you will be able to get a minimum of $0.04 from each Star. If you want to use your Stars towards items that charge less than $5, then you’ll receive a smaller Star value.
Remember, that your Stars will expire in 6 months from the day you’ve received them.
Starbucks Rewards Card Top Features
When you’re in the middle of gaining your Stars, it can be a little hard to understand. If you want to gain up to 3 Stars for every $1 used, then you will need to put money into your Starbucks membership card with your Starbucks Rewards Visa credit card. Once you’ve done that, when you get to a Starbucks, you have to use your Starbucks membership card to pay, not your Starbucks Rewards Visa card.
For each $1 you’ve put into your Starbucks membership card will be a prepayment that can be used towards Starbucks expenses.
You can even receive about 300 bonus Stars for the first time you’ve loaded your Starbucks membership card using your Starbucks Rewrads Visa in the Starbucks app. This will be enough bonus Stars to cover about 2 food or drink purchases.
Receive 8 complimentary barista picks annually. Your coupons can be used for pre-selected food or drink items. The barista picks will expire in 30 days after you’ve received them in your Starbucks account.
The value that you would receive from the barista picks is a bit difficult to calculate. However, it doesn’t matter if you don’t wish to use this option just yet.
Bottom Line
The Starbucks Rewards Visa card will only be beneficial to you if you are a regular Starbucks customer. If not, then you should consider a general cash back credit card instead. You will be able to gain Starbucks Stars with the free Starbucks Rewards Visa card program that’s open to the public.
The Chase Freedom FlexSM offers a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR. You'll earn: • Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! • 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more • 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service • Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases You cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back. This card has no annual fee. |
 The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card offers $200 Cash Back after spending $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies You'll earn: • 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day with no rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards. • Unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply. This card comes with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees which makes this card a viable option for your go-to everyday card. |
