Just a short lesson on what a refill is at Starbucks: I think this is valuable information for many people!
If you order a Starbucks tall latte, and then want Pike Place Roast as a refill, the answer is “yes.” I should clarify, the answer is “yes” only if you have stayed inside the store. Once you leave the store, when you return, you will be paying full price for your beverage again. The refill price is available only for same store visits. The refill only becomes free if you are paying for your beverage with a registered Starbucks Card, at the green level of benefits. And there is no refill price for any handcrafted beverages. Iced tea, iced coffee, and hot brewed coffee all have a refill price available to them. In other words, if I drink a grande Frappuccino, stay in the store, and want grande iced passion tea as a refill, then I should be charged the refill price for the passion tea, not the the full price of the iced passion tea. However, there is no way to order a Frappuccino as a refill.
I bring this up because I noticed (thanks to a comment in another blog article!) that Starbucks has finally updated their website to truly clarify the refill policy. This had been in an area, where in the past, the website had had ambiguous language. Thank you Starbucks for this! Here’s the official Starbucks page on the refill benefit.
In previous articles, I have talked about the theories behind the refill policy. As many people know, iced coffee, iced tea, and brewed coffee are beverages that are low cost to the business. Furthermore, those who stay inside the store are more likely to linger and purchase food or other items as well. Also, it makes no sense to tell customers, you must only purchase the lowest cost beverages to be able to receive the refill price. In other words, there’s no logic to saying that a customer who spends a premium for a handcrafted drink may not receive a refill because he or she didn’t start out with a cheaper beverage. And of course, there is never a refill price for drive-thru customers.
And you really do have to stay in the store to get a refill. If you have left the store, and you return later in the day with your cup, the baristas should tell you there is no refill price available.
Hope that my readers find this helpful!
444 Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Socialize
@Katelynn – The refill policy:
Stay in the store. Unlimited refills in store. Doesn’t matter what the first drink was. Can go from a Strawberry Smoothie to Pike Place Roast if you want. It’s not a “Gold” benefit. It’s green or higher. There’s NO requirement to ever use that gold card for anything. All benefits are associated with your profile on starbucks.com/card and all cards registered to that profile will be at the same level. And you can be just at “green” and still it’s a card perk.
Stay as long as you like in the store. Drink as much as you like. (Most of the store’s business is to go and the items that are available at a refill perk price are high profit margin items).
That’s it in a nutshell. Btw, there will be times it’s good to have people hanging out in your store. An empty store is never inviting and is bad for business, though few Starbucks stories ever empty out to totally empty!
Ah, Melody. While we baristas at our store have been trying to comply with the refill policy (and the add syrup one which is also another bone of contention), we have been told straight up by our DM to just give refills regardless of whether you have been in the cafe or just walked in off the street. She said she’s tired of dealing with the irate phone calls over .50. So, I don’t even know why we try if our management won’t support us.
Wow! your DM is NOT a team player. As a company that is striving for consistency across board we don’t need people like that. It’s also really sucky to be the barista that enforces policy when no one else does.
We have also been instructed to not “fight” over .50 cents. However, we absolutely do Not honor refills in the drive thru.
It’s not an eternal free coffee buffet because you have your same dirty disgusting cup from last week. Sometimes I wish I could say thay. :/
I haven’t seen this question asked here yet. If I buy a Frappuccino or ice coffee and ask for a tea refill, would they rinse the cup or give me a new cup? I ask because it’s a refill so I figure they would refill the original cup. Sorry for the dumb question!
Not a dumb question at all. We are supposed to give you a new cup every time.
Wow that is interesting i have been to 4 different Starbucks in my area and only one always gives me a new cup. I figured that they were just going the extra step, so I guess the others are just being lazy.
I know the store’s are supposed to give you a new cup when you get your refill, but I think it sort of depends on what your drink is. If you’re going from a tea to a coffee, you’d want a new cup. I’ve gone from a frappuccino to an iced coffee, but didn’t have an issue using a new cup cause I wanted that leftover caramel drizzle in my coffee. lol
@Kittybon, Valerie, and Ginny – Agreed. Not a dumb question. I wasn’t sure of the right answer. I had thought that many states/places have local health codes that require a new cup, but I really wans’t sure. About all I can is that in Seattle, you’ll always get a new cup.
Is a passion tea lemonade a free refill? What are the types you get refills on?
Lemonade is not included in the free refills. You can get a free refill on just a straight passion tea though, even if your original drink was a tea lemonade.
Will I get an email saying I have s refill coming?
Hey, Jorge. Refills are automatic. If you’re Green level or above on a Starbucks card, they are free. Anyone can ask for refills on coffee, tea, iced coffee or iced tea. If you don’t have a registered Sbux card they’re .54. The only stipulation is that you have purchased your beverage in the same store and have stayed there the entire time. Not left the premises or have gone to a different store to request a refill or request a refill through the drive-thru.
@Jorge – The answer is “no.”
The refill policy is strictly an IN STORE benefit. Think of it this way, if you were sitting inside of a restaurant, and you were told that you could get free iced coffee, iced tea (but not tea lemonades), brewed coffee, or hot tea, so long as you’re sitting in the restaurant – you wouldn’t get an email while sitting at that restaurant booth telling you that refills were available.
So today in Atlanta I asked for a refill of my iced black coffee(nothing added) and the Starbucks charged me .50 something even though I showed the barista my (gold) card…I stayed in store the whole time studying.
Next time should I say I shouldn’t be charged? (As a southern lady, I just don’t like to make scenes or come across as rude, that’s why I didn’t today.)
@Kyla – A refill is about 50 cents (there can be slight regional variation when you account for tax). You should be charged UNLESS you use a registered Starbucks card as a form of payment AND your Starbucks.com profile is at the Green Level or higher. You can’t just show a barista a card and get it as a free refill.
That refill perk has almost nothing to do with the shiny gold card in your hand. Every single card registered to your Starbucks.com will have all the benefits and rewards associated with your profile. The free refill perk will work with ANY card, so long as you’re green or higher.
But you’ve got to swipe the card, and I’m pretty sure there has to be money on that registered card too. (And you have to be Green Level or higher).
Hope this helps. But it won’t work to show a card – gotta swipe it.
Yes, there needs to be at least one cent on the card for the refills to come off as free.
The barista still needs to ring up the refill. Everything has to be accounted for for labor purposes and inventory. So just like any other purchase, you will be rung up. The barista will hit the “refill” button on their register and as long as you are at Green level on your card and have at least one penny on it, the price will change to “zero” on the register.
Honestly, customers having Gold Cards makes no difference to us whatsoever. It’s more of a prestigious thing for you on your end as the customer. As long as you use your registered card enough timesnto Get to Gold level, you can continue tonise your holiday card or birthday or whichever (as far as I’ve always noticed). All of your benefits are on the card itself, all we need to know is if you are using a reward and things like that.
People tell us all the time “I’m going to pay with my Gold card.”.
It really means nothing to us, it’s just a gift card. (it’s more for you)… There’s nothing special we do on our end …as long as you have money to pay, we’re happy.
Thanks so much for the responses! After looking at my transaction history, I actually didn’t get charged. I just saw the amount on the register and was confused. Thanks for clearing everything up!
Hi Melody,
I know this is an old post so I don’t know if you’ll see this. However, I’ve been a barista for over six years and today was the first time I had ever heard of the refill policy beings extended regardless of what the first drink purchased was. It makes sense to me, but embarrassingly enough a customer showed me the policy on the website–because I didn’t know! Moving past that, however, the customer insisted on a “refill” after she purchased her double shot. She literally paid for her first drink and then insisted on getting the refill price for her coffee that she ordered before leaving the counter. She didn’t stay in the store to enjoy her first drink, etc. I told her I didn’t think I was “supposed to” do it like that, but customers are always right blah blah blah so I did it without a fight. Still, she kept complaining about inconsistency and poor service, and that’s when she got on her phone to how my “the policy” and berate me further. So I know I was wrong about how refills work after the first drink, but I also know that her actions are taking advantage and are not in the spirit of the rewards program. Any suggestions on how to address this customer in the future?
Best,
Sara
@Melody and @Sara. Hi again. It’s been months since I’ve contributed to this feed. @Sara, Wow, what a mean lady. Sorry you had to experience that. I know when I was new, 15 years ago, customers like that would ruin my whole day. Then a very brilliant and extraordinary District Manager explained that very same thing that @Melody said. Shock them with the most phenomenal customer experience ever. Sadly, now 15 years latter and zillions of newer customers with with Gold Cards in hand (even the REAL gold metal one, LOL, I’ve got 2 customers with those) and the long term “loop-hole” regular that know how to avoid paying for items they want and how to bully Partners into giving out recovery coupons. Yes, a customer got a coupon because I didn’t smile and make eye contact with her as I wrote ALL the modifications to her very complicated drink…So, what I’ve learned is what @Melody said “your great customer service is more valuable than the twenty cent cost to the company” or to have your day wrecked by a jerk shaking her phone at you.
Thanks for the feed back everyone. I gave her the refill price even though I felt like she was trying to take advantage. I have always tried to keep a smile on my face, and do what the customers wants, because you’re right that, in the end, it’s just a cup of coffee. I guess what is hardest for me is when you try an explain your momentary hesitation, do what they ask anyway (and with a smile) and then you’re still scolded for “frustrating” her. And if you’re wondering, I apologized as everything, but I still don’t think she left happy. It was almost like she was wanting me to second guess her. The customer is always right attitude is great for customer retention, but it can be exhausting as a barista who just wants to see a happy customer
but can’t seem to satisfy them even when you do exactly what they want. But I will take you advice Melody and I’ve learned from this for next time. Thanks again.
@Sara – That’s an easy one. That’s a yes. It’s not a question. The Starbucks business has grown on gold standard customer service and exceeding the expectations of the customer. Your customer has already committed to spending the money – that’s a big deal. You may not know how much the customer is spending elsewhere. And your great customer service is more valuable than the twenty cent cost to the company for brewed coffee or iced coffee. I don’t know how to say this, and say it in the right tone of voice, but Starbucks won’t get ahead when baristas are the policy police at the register. I just asked a long-term Starbucks partner and Seattle SM what she thought and her thoughts were identical to mine. She said, “I will support my partners in whatever they do that creates the great Starbucks experience, just tell me why … And if it could be handled a better way, I’d let you know.”
Sara-we’ve only had one situation like that. The customer would come in, order and pay for his venti coffee and then immediately order his refill and leave with two full venti coffees. Some people have their own version of the refill policy so set in their mind, it’s not worth the rise in my blood pressure to explain it again. I still think that Wegmans has it right-purchase a beverage from them and you can return to any Wegmans same day with the receipt and get a coffee or tea refill.
I have a question about this refill policy. Suppose I order a frappucino or whatever drink the first time. What exactly am I allowed to refill with? In other words, is it just plain coffee? or can I refill with a latte (with milk/sugar already added)? In other words, what’s the best thing/most advanced drink I can order? Sorry, I’m quite new to starbucks drinks so I’m never too sure what I’m ordering…
The only things that you can “refill” with are Hot tea/cold tea (Not lemonade), iced coffee/hot coffee…. that’s it. Even if your first drink was a frappuccino.
I’m not sure what you mean by “advanced drink”.
Oh, so does this mean that if i were to refill with an iced coffee, it would just be plain coffee? no sugar or milk added? If so, what are the different roasts they have? I saw pike place roast up there, but what else? Can you or someone explain to me the difference between the different roasts? Thanks
Jenny-iced coffee can be plain or with a flavored syrup and milk. Mocha and white mocha are excluded since they are considered sauces and are more expensive. The iced coffee is made with a special coffee blend made especially for iced coffee. The other roasts are for hot coffee. The blonde roast is a lighter roast coffee, Pike Place is a medium roast coffee with a little fuller body, the dark roast is usually
A full bodied, dark roasted coffee ranging from smokey to chocolatey to fruity, citrusy even spicy undertones. All depends on what dark roast is being brewed.
oohh, hm, so if I were to add syrup + milk, what options are there without an extra charge [to keep the entire refill free with green/gold card status]? Thank you!
The milk and syrup are included in the price of an iced coffee so that’s free. You can mix syrups like vanilla and hazelnut to get a French vanilla taste. Soy is free because it’s being used as a condiment instead of making the entire drink with it (although, again, a lot of baristas don’t know this because they weren’t taught). Shots, sauces (mocha, white mocha, caramel drizzle, caramel brûlée, pumpkin) are extra. We had a young man (RIP, troubled soul) who would get a Trenta iced coffee with 25 pumps of vanilla and extra cream, stay in store and drink three more of the same. Twelve ounces of his drink was vanilla syrup. We had to order extra cases just for him. Once we talked to him about the sugar, he went to thirty packets of Splenda. Your refill needs to be the same size as your original drink so you shouldn’t get a Trenta refill if you had a tall latte. I love the questions, Jenn. Fire away.
Oh, wow, thank you so much valerie! 🙂 That was extremely helpful 😀 I’ve apparently been buying drinks full price when I could’ve gotten a refill O_O ….
Your barista should have told you but that’s another thread on here. If you’re getting hot coffee refill, it’s just black and the iced tea refills are plain or sweetened. On our screen it will show us if your card is registered and the barista should have known you were in the store if it wasn’t insanely busy. I’ve gone back and voided and re-rung transactions to give a refill if the customer wasn’t aware.
I understand the refill policies on brewed teas and coffees and such. Is it true that if you want a refill on a Frappachino you would have to just by the beverage again?
That is true because refills are not available for anything other than hot/iced coffee and teas.
Thanks for the explaining of the policy. I recently got a gold card and they make a big deal (in the email) about how I can NOW get free refills. The Starbucks closest to me is in a Target and I learned for my free birthday beverage, which I never got, that the Starbucks in Target “doesn’t do free birthday drinks.” A month or so ago I got an iced coffee and after shopping got a free iced coffee refill, no problem. Today when I asked for a refill the barista told me they don’t do that. They don’t have a way to process the gold cards. She said its been like a year since they last gave free refills. I told her that I had gotten a free one a month ago. She told me I could get one for the refill price. Its a little frustrating since the next closest Starbucks to me is 30 miles away. Do the shops in stores not have to follow Starbucks policy? Will I never be able to get my rewards at this location? I understand they do things differently, but if I can’t even use my rewards I don’t see the point of having a special card.
@Sami V. Sadly yes it is true. ALL Licensed Concept store locations are run by the company “Proudly Serving Starbucks” but have nothing to do with us except they licence our recipes and menu items. Think of it this way, you couldn’t use Target promo deals or coupons in a Starbucks location because we don’t have the same POS computer systems. Supermarkets, Macy’s, Targets, Hotels, Casinos, and Airports are all licencing our products and have nothing to do with rewards programs except their own.
This may be a dumb question but I just want to clarify! If I order a chai tea latte and stay in the store, can I refill my cup for another chai tea latte if I pay with my gold card? And how do customers figure out what the exceptions are for refills? Thanks 🙂
On a side note and just to be clear on HOW PROUD I AM TO BE A STARBUCKS PARTNER in a real company operated store. I truly makes me happy to reward you. I’ve been told it’s a company opportunity they’re working on. These frustrating situations you end up in (especially the Mid-West I’m told) at Target is because thats a “Target Team Member” in a Starbucks costume, so to speak. The same costume is worn by your supermarket checker or Barns & Nobel Book Seller. All of them in a Starbucks costume and are playing the part of a Barista for the store who pays them…..(IE:)Patrick Dempsy is not a REAL doctor just plays one on TV. As dorky as that all sound that kinda how it works.
Hi Maria –
There isn’t really a list of exceptions. The refill policy is straight forward. 🙂 There are only 4 items that can EVER be sold at the register at the refill price. If you’re not ordering one of these 4 things as your refill, there’s no refill price: 1) Iced Tea (this does not include the tea-lemonade beverages) 2) Iced Coffee 3) Hot Brewed coffee of the day and 4) Hot tea.
If doesn’t matter what your first drink is.
I see numerous comments in this thread about the gold card, including yours. That shiny gold card is nice but you can use ANY card you wish, that’s registered and has money on it. Your Starbucks.com/card profile must be at the GREEN level or higher. You can’t be told “NO” because you don’t use a physical gold card.
Buy a Grande Chai Tea Latte.
Stay inside the store.
Walk up to the register later, usually with empty cup in hand.
Ask for a Grande Pike Place Roast as a refill price.
Have the register barista swipe your card as the form of payment or pay with the mobile phone app.
That’s a refill.
Also note, if you look at the above many comments, there’s confusion with licensed versus company-operated Starbucks. Licensed stores don’t necessarily have to follow the same rewards perks. What I’ve written in this comment pertains to company-operated Starbucks.
Good luck!
I was just told at a Target Starbucks that my ice coffee could only be refilled once free. I am a gold card member and used the card to purchase my iced coffee. Truly confused since I have never been restricted before.
@Vanessa – Please see my comment above. Because it’s a Target Starbucks, they might not have to follow all the same refill rules. Also, that shiny gold card is nice, but it’s a green level perk. I don’t want to retype what I just wrote, so I’m hoping you’ll read my last comment just above yours. Thanks!!
Thanks for the reply. I saw the other posting after submitting mine. Funny thing is this Target has never given a limit. Crazy.
Okay… Another refill question. I recently used a reward for a hand-crafted beverage (frappuccino) … I consumed about 90 percent inside the store, sat outside to join a friend on the patio. I then went inside and asked the barista (the same one who rang me up) if I could use the refill benefit to get a cup of brewed coffee. She said that by policy, she would have to charge me full price. I was thinking that she was confused about “refills” on rewards (as I am fairly sure that I have received brewed coffees as refills on reward han-crafted beverages before, but now I think that maybe she thought I left the location rather than staying on the patio. I said “no thanks” and ended up leaving, but the experience left me a little confused with several questions:
So, in the interest of complying with the policy and saving myself future embarrassment, I have several questions:
– Are refills on award drinks allowed?
– Are “refills” of drip coffee, tea, or iced coffee allowed on hand-crafted beverages?
– Do you lose eligibility for a refill after leaving the premises of a store, or after crossing the threshold of the front door? (Are you still eligible for a refill if you bring your drink to the patio?)
Any guidance would be appreciated!
An interesting question. Initially, since the beverage price needs to be equal to or greater than the same size refill beverage and since you used a reward to purchase your beverage, I would say she is correct. We have no definitive policy on refills on free beverages so I’m merely guessing just by going on what the policy states. As far as leaving the premises-most Starbucks have a patio area. Since we extend our “No Smoking” policy to include that area, I would assume it’s considered a part of the store and if you were sitting there would be entitled to your refill. Once you leave that area, your gold status and refill opportunity disappears and you become another sad person staring at an empty cup wishing it had Starbucks coffee in it.
@Rob, I’ve only done it at one particular store, but I’ve always been able to get a free refill (of iced or brewed coffee/tea) when my original drink was “paid for” with a reward. I’m not sure if the store was supposed to be giving me a free refill since I didn’t pay for the drink, but none of the baristas ever questioned me about it or hesitated over it.
As far as what refills are allowed on, handcrafted beverages as a first beverage qualify you for a refill of the same size of coffee, iced coffee, tea or iced tea (but not iced tea lemonades). There is also a ringing procedure if you want to do a refill of a Misto. It is a coffee refill add dairy.
Cool, thanks for the responses @Valerie and @Julie. I usually take my refill beverages to go but maybe next time I will ask after I order a reward. I swear I have done it before, but not recently until my denied request. Thanks again!
Hi I recently went to Starbucks and bought a tall iced green tea with my starbucks card, which was at green level. But later when I asked the barista for a refill she explained to me that I could not get a refill of iced green tea, so I was just wondering, was it suppose to be okay for me to get a free refill of iced green tea with my card?
I mean, it is tea, and in one of the replies you said you could order passion tea, so I think that green tea isn’t any different?
Yes, ma’am. As long as it’s not a tea lemonade. Plain iced green tea is a refillable item.
@Valerie Thank you! 🙂
Maira-just read your question about Chai latte refills. While it is true that you can’t get a chai latte refill, you can get a hot chai made with a tea bag as a refill. Try adding a couple packets of honey and ask for a little steamed milk (our store will top off a hot tea with some hot milk for free). It’s pretty good. Prior to having a chai syrup the chai latte was made like that but with more steamed milk.