One week from today, you’ll be able to buy a tumbler from Starbucks that allows you to refill it in January with espresso beverages. The tumbler officially goes on sale the day after Thanksgiving, offered that Friday at a sale price of $65.00. The price goes up to $75.00 after that day. The official press release is here: Starbucks Invites Customers to Share the Spirit of the Season. (I’ve heard stories of stores putting the tumbler out early, but it is not supposed to be available until the day after Thanksgiving.)
I’ve had a number of people Facebook message me, or email me about this tumbler, so I thought that would put a spotlight on it. Everyday in January, you can refill this tumbler with your favorite Grande-sized espresso beverage, including seasonal holiday beverages, such as the Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte, and more. As I understand it, you’re only supposed to get one free drink each day with this tumbler.
When discussing this with Starbucks partners, I haven’t gotten a clear answer about whether you can get Clover-brewed coffee free in the tumbler.
When you are making your plans for the Friday after Thanksgiving, now you know you need to get to Starbucks early to get one of these!
Enjoy!
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Omgggg jenny. Lucky!
I too was able to grab one for $37.50 at target!! That’s a $1.20 pr grande espresso drink!
Does anyone know how they record your daily use of it? I got one today at Target for 37.50 too!
I got two of these at a Starbucks inside a Kroger for $10 each. I’ll never be able to stop talking about it.
I got mine for $9 and change at Target on Clearance AS IS
For those who purchased at Target, are you buying at a Starbucks location inside Target, or just in the general housewares department?
Maybe all Targets have a Starbucks within? All of mine do, but I don’t know if that holds nationally.
Thanks!
I have two of these! When I purchased it, I was told any “latte” drink, so I bought one for my husband who loves chai but does not drink espresso. Today, I went to get his and my drink. It was a different store than the one I bought it at. They told me it was only espresso drinks. Hmmm…I found your site while looking for more information. I have an email in to the company. Do you have any more on getting other handcrafted beverages with this tumbler?
I would go back to the store where you bought it and make them either give you the chai or give you your money back…$75 is too much if your husband can’t use it.
I know “my” store will give me a chai. I don’t know if anywhere else will. I have an email in to the company. If they reply and tell me it’s good for chai, I will give my hubby a copy of the letter to take with him. 🙂
Good idea! So much for Starbucks having a “say yes” policy!
Anybody try getting an iced espresso drink??? Or can you only get hot drinks?
I am loving my grande free daily tumbler. We need one for February to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
I just tried to get a black tea and was told only espresso drinks, the girl even had the nerve to begin to ring me up for the black tea. I would like it would be cheaper and quicker to let me have brewed coffee or tea, which you can get with the cheaper mug they sold.
I will try a different starbucks tomorrow. And to top it off, she gave me the smallest drink ever. Literally all foam and not even to the top.
@katp I purchase an iced drink with no problem. However, I don’t like the taste of it in the stainless tumbler. So I bring in an iced reusable tumbler and ask that they use that instead. Day 2 and no problems yet!
I wish they would do a different mug every month…at least a brewed coffee one…or have a.prepay discount thing on the good card…like pay $30ap a month for a free brewed coffee per day. they wouldn’t be it much overhead if you had to bring your own mug to have it filled and they could scan the gold card to keep track like they do for the free rewards and that would ensure people were only getting one per day. v with the mark up they have in the drinks they would come it ahead.
I must say, I’m quite impressed with the quality of the mug this year. I didn’t get the brewed coffee mug last year, and I returned the one from the year before because it was simply very cheaply designed. It wouldn’t keep the coffee hot, and it leaked. That seemed true for everyone, but I quickly lost patience. (Plus, the COD selections two years ago were terrible, back when they wouldn’t brew Bold after the morning rush…but I digress.) This tumbler not only keeps the drinks warm, but they seem super easy to clean! (Compare that to, say, the $1 cup, which never seems to get clean.) And it has a nice rubber base that keeps it solidly in place, so it won’t slide around on a table and theoretically isn’t easily knocked over. I’m glad they invested in designed a tumbler that not only works well now but will continue to be useful and look good down the road.
After ordering my mug online on Black Friday, I’m glad that I also found one at Target for $37.50. I was going to sell it on eBay, where it would’ve gone for far more than retail, but instead I opted to give it to my mom. It’s the least I could do after getting her hooked on salted caramel mochas. Hope they continue to offer them all month! 🙂
Sadly, my Target had none of the discounted tumblers. One grocery store still has them at FULL price and says they will be half-price after the first week of January. I am enjoying my $65 Black Friday purchase, though, and have had few problems getting my free daily drink.
After a barista in a grocery store Starbucks yesterday told me he’d have to check with his manager to see if he’s supposed to charge for the soymilk next time, I called Starbucks and confirmed there should be no exceptions (e.g. charges for syrup or soy) to the “free espresso drink.”
As Carl said, the design and performance of this tumbler is great. The double-walled design keeps my “extra-hot” drinks hot until I get home, without burning my fingers. I’m looking forward to using it all year so I quit throwing away so many paper cup!
I’m loving my mug as well, though after reading these comments I’m sad that I paid the full $65 for it on Black Friday. 🙁
It keeps my beverage hot all morning, and it seals nice and tight. No leaks or drips. I was also pleased to find that my extra shot is included. I was worried I would have to pay extra for that each day, but no problems.
The only thing I’m wondering about is how do they keep track of your “one” drink each day? There is no barcode on the mug, and I didn’t notice my usual store keeping any kind of notes. (Though they know me well, and they’d probably say something if I came through twice – which I do some days.)
This gift is misleading. I bought one and tried to use it at a Starbucks at the Boston Airport today and they refused to honor it. They said they weren’t participating in the promotion. Whats the point of this thing if not all Starbucks in the US are honoring it!
Paige, Fakebucks (my name for Licensed Concepts and the like) almost never participate in promotions like this. The exception seems to be that locations inside grocery stores (such as Target) do participate with the annual tumbler promotions. Never expect anything from one of the airport locations, particularly good service or products, and then you’ll be impressed if it happens. There are generally far more complaints than praise associated with those outsourced operations.
all starbucks are supposed to honor it.
good to know extra shot is free…I haven’t inserted it because I didn’t know…they do not keep track…I have been to the same Starbucks 3 times today and an going a fourth in my way home.
*ordered not inserted
Regarding use: as always, this tumbler has a generic three-digit code printed on it (TGT and other grocers have their own barcodes to scan or enter). It’s up to the stores how they want to enforce the once daily policy (or not). In my case at a busy store earlier today, the store manager rang me up both times (within about two hours) and both were free. I mentioned something to a barista at a different store about the once-a-day rule, and he was clueless, saying he figured folks would be using it several times daily.
I have used my cup multiple times per day every day every year since the first year the January cup was introduced and I have never been questioned or turned down fir a free refill
When I called the corporate number yesterday to ask about the soymilk, the customer service gal did remind me that it is one free drink per day. I suspect that they will realize that they need to institute a tracking method next year if they repeat this offer.
this is the fourth year I have had a refillable cip (others were brewed coffe, but still supposed to be only one per day) and I have always used it multiple times per day.
really dissapointed today, trying to use my tumble for a green tea latte to no avail 🙁 barista said only espresso drinks. i wonder if i got a chai tea with an espresso shot if that would count? 75 bucks, and to say no is kinda silly. its not like im asking for an espresso drink in the drip coffee tumbler. anyone experience this? i was thinking about emailing but not sure. I was thinking it was good for any handcrafted beverage, not just espresso beverages.
I am much too cheap to experiment with new drinks normally, but with the deal I got for the tumbler, who could resist! In the past I only visited Starbucks in the winter to get caramel brulee lattes, but since those aren’t carried year-round I am hoping to find a new favorite. I asked the barista exactly what I could get with it and she said anything with espresso; all extras included. In fact, she said one man came in and just asked for the cup to be filled with espresso. Normally that would cost over $10 but he got it for free. I have no interest in that but I do like the option to add extra flavors if I choose to do so.
A couple mentioned an “extra shot.” What is this?
it is when you have an extra shot if espresso added to your drink. for instance, the cup is a grande so all if the espresso drinks of that size come with two shots of espresso (syrup if you like it flavored), and the rest of the cup is steamed milk. if you get an extra shot (called a triple) they put three shots if espresso instead if two so it us much stronger. I like the flavored lattes (especially peppermint mocha) sometimes, but they are a little sweet fir me so if I get s flavored I always get atriple to cut part if the sweetness. normally, though, I just get a grande whole milk 4 equal latte…which is just the espresso and milk with equal, no flavoring.
Nicole, I already asked about chai tea. The company said no. Thank goodness when I bought it, i asked the mgr. at my regular store and they said yes. I have had no problems.
Super excited I found a mug at Goodwill….for a buck! I have 2 and share with friends. 🙂
Nicole – I sent an email to Starbucks inquiring about non-espresso drinks like a passion ice tea or hot chocolate. I am pregnant so I am trying to stay away from lattes. They said sorry, but only espresso drinks qualify. The other day someone ordered a drink with extra shots and it came out to over $10 and they got it free by using the tumbler. Then I tried to order a passion ice tea and I was told I couldn’t get it for free but they would give me a discount for using a reuseable cup. My iced tea would have been $2. It didn’t make business sense that they would give away a $10 drink but not a $2 drink. I just wasted $75 getting the tumbler. I did find a store that lets me get hot chocolate and they ring it in as a mocha. But, the thought of this promotion just boils my blood. I responded back to the email saying thank you for the many years of service but its time for me to start taking my money to Coffee Bean and Tea.
I got two in one day. One peppermint mocha with half the flavor shots, since they are too sweet. The second a decaf latte since I am pregnant and limiting the caffeine. It is too far to go everyday. There was a sign at the one I went to, next to the cups that were still $75, that said “as many espresso drinks in January as you want.” I guess to me espresso would not mean chai or hot chocolate…but I don’t mind decaf, and I got the tumbler because espresso is easy to do decaf.
I’ve been getting iced mochas in my tumbler but was wondering … If I could get an iced caramel frappuccino with an added espresso shot. Second, was wondering if an espresso frap counts as free since it has espresso????
basically everyone will just have to see what their individual stores will do…I emailed corporate and asked them what the limitations are (is it valid for cold drinks, tea drinks, are extra shots free, are extra syrups free, etc) This is the response I got:
Dear Michelle,
Thank you for contacting Starbucks.
The Espresso Tumbler is for hot drinks only, and you will be charged for extra shots of espresso. Typically drinks that include espresso can be used in the tumbler, however, these questions should be directed to your local Starbucks, because some of these decisions can be made at the store level. I hope this information helps.
If you ever have any questions or concerns in the future, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Sincerely,
Rico B
customer service
So far I haven’t been turned down for anything I have ordered. If you have been, or if you do get turned down pretty much all you can do is accept it or ask the manager.
Can you use this at stores in Hawaii? I have one and I am going to be in Hawaii for a week.
Travelling to Las Vegas this week and wondering if the Starbucks inside MGM Grand will honor the daily tumbler fill? Anyone know?
@Amie – I hope it does work inside of the MGM Grand. Let us know what happens. I’ve heard that many of the Starbucks stores associated with hotels and casinos are licensed, and so it is possible they’ll say “no,” they don’t honor the special espresso tumbler.
Just wanted to let you know that the mug also doesn’t work at the Atlanta airport. If I had read the small print on the mug “participating locations only” and not taken the word of the person who sold me the mug I would be much happier. I will still save a little money on my Starbucks habit but not as much as I had hoped. Guess I’ll be doing decaf-espresso after work instead of my morning giddy-up juice.
I bought the tumbler because I frequently go to a “non corporate” Starbucks on my campus. They were selling the tumblers too and said they would be honoring the promotion in January. I did receive a free drink last week on the 3rd but they decided this week that they will no longer be participating in the promotion. WTF?? I know they are allowed to decide to participate or not in these promotions but I was totally deceived. I wrote the directors of this store a strongly worded email…
As it relates to the corporate stores, I get extra shots and iced drinks with no charge. It’s an amazing deal!
After 5 different uses, I finally got a store manager who rudely said no. Veronica Godinez in Richmond. She refused to try a Strawberries & Creme frap. I now understand, after reading comments here, that I was sold this cup based on not-quite-accurate information. I talked to three different stores when hunting for the cup, they all said it could be used for anything Grande size. The kiosk in a Safeway where I finally found an available cup said the same thing – “you can get anything you want”. So far I’ve had two chai lattes and two fraps. For two of those, the person behind the counter had a little trouble with how to ring it up, but they eventually figured it out. Veronica wouldn’t even try. The worst part was her poor, dismissive attitude. And that right there is what will have me going to corporate to report her by name and address. If I can locate the area or regional rep, I’ll report it to them too. There’s a polite way and an impolite way to say no.
Oh this tumbler leaks so bad. I try to drink down about 1/2 way then clean the rim vefore putting the lid on (which means no drive through) and I still end up with coffee all over my hands and clothes. Only on week 2 so I haven’t even gotten my $65 worth and wanna throw it away.
While getting my free drink yesterday, a woman came up with her (full) tumbler and started up a conversation. When I complained about the occasional leakage, she shared her tip:
She sets the lid on the cup and gently rotates it backwards until she feels the “catch” – when the lid hits the end of the thread on the tumbler rim – and then screws it on right. This step apparently lines up the threads better.
I have found, however, that cleaning the rim also helps. I like to put the top on, close it, and turn my tumbler upside down once to mix the white mocha syrup into my drink. Leaks result in it spraying all over. So, now when I do that, I will follow her advice AND hold a napkin to the edge while I turn it.
HTH
Mine has never leaked.
I was actually thinking how nice it was that mine isn’t leaking like the red one last year. I have two mugs and get two every morning. I carefully put the cap on the overly full mug and it doesn’t leak anywhere. I hit the mug the other day and dumped it head first into my purse. Panic! Not a leak anywhere! I was impressed. I’m so sad some of you are having a problem with yours.
In update to my previous post about the non-corporate Starbucks declining the free espresso drink promotion:
I wrote an email to the supervisor and they wrote back immediately saying they would honor any perks that goes along with these tumblers! Sometimes all you have to do is talk to someone in charge!
Our family has 4 of these tumblers and are abusing the refill priviledge like crazy. Thanks Starbucks. Three of the four work perfectly. Mine leaks at the lid where it meets the stainless cup. Well, today I was so frustrated that I figured that I would go thru my drawer of lids and see if I could find a gasket that would fit. As I was sliding one on, it displaced an existing black gasket that was already on the lid. Low and behold there actually is a factory gasket on this lid. The problem is that the gasket had folded up from the sealing surface and was now laying verically against the lip of the lid that goes down into the tumbler. It has been this way since day 1 and I had never noticed because it is the same color as the lid and exactly the same width as the step-up in the cup lid, so it blends in and doesn’t even look like a gasket. So I am willing to bet that all those people that are complaining about it leaking have the same problem. Simply remove the gasket and reinstall it flat aginst the top sealing edge of the cup and all we be good. I repositioned the gasket on my cup and it doestn’t leak a drop not. Yay! BTW the gasket is not symetric, one side is flat and the other side has curves that fit against the stainless top of the cup. So pay attention when you reinstall it; flat side goes up against the lid sealing surface.
Thank you, Mike, for your enlightening comment on January 10th!!! I was having a problem with the tumbler leaking and sure enough, the gasket had flipped up. I flipped it down all around the cup, filled the tumbler with water, and twisted on the lid. Viola, problem solved!! Thanks again!!!!
Has anyone had any problems with the paint rubbing off the outside of the tumbler? Asides from the free espresso each day, one of the main reasons I bought it was because of the design. I absolutely love it. I’m sad to see that mine is already in ruin after only about a month of use (have not dishwashed it… handwashed only).
So glad I found out about the triple shots! Thank you Michelle! The tumblers were marked half off at my local Starbucks as of yesterday. Finally bought one today and tried the triple shot. OMG! Delish! I will be so spoiled after this promotion ends! What a great way to enjoy a cold January.