It is time to talk about something that nearly every single person loves! Saving money at Starbucks! Coupons, discounts, and promotions at Starbucks! Starbucks has become very creative with discounts and coupons since early 2008. Since April 2008, Starbucks adopted certain rewards to save customers money with a registered card, and periodically Starbucks has offered various kinds of discount cards. We have another episode of that happening right now.
A little background:
Before I talk about the current Perfect Oatmeal promotion, I want to mention two prior discount cards in Starbucks past.
First discount card: In April 2008, baristas at Starbucks stores passed out Pike Place Roast cards which were small little cards exactly the size and shape of this Oatmeal card. The Pike Place Roast cards were brightly colored and featured the new 2008 version of the Starbucks siren. The holder of the Pike Place discount card received a free tall drip brewed Pike Place Roast on Wednesdays. As I recall, the promotion ran for about eight weeks.
Second discount card: In late December 2008, Starbucks launched several new tea beverages, including a tea-infusion, vanilla rooibos latte, and London fog latte. In conjunction with this launch, Starbucks customers could pick up tea discount cards available at participating Starbucks. These cards offered the card holder one dollar off of a Tazo tea beverage after two in the afternoon. Again, the promotional card was valid for about two months.
Now, we have a third discount card, and it is the $1 off Perfect Oatmeal or Panani card, as shown in this blog. This card wasn’t passed out in stores, but rather found in the newspapers in some cities.
I wish I had saved my old discount cards, but since in 2008 and early 2009, I really had no idea I would later be writing a blog, I tossed out many things that I now wish I had saved. I googled to come up with images of the prior discount cards. (Two images are below). The images are not mine!
My Starbucks Rewards Coupons
In addition to the oatmeal discount card, My Starbucks Rewards members are beginning to receive a flurry of coupons in the mail. So far there has been a coupon for a free tall “skinny” beverage as a coupon to promote their skinny line of beverages. Also earlier this month, I received a free Perfect oatmeal coupon. And of course, under the new My Starbucks Rewards, a “gold” level participants receives a free drink coupon after 15 “stars” have been earned and I have begun receiving these in my mail box too. An image of these three My Starbucks Rewards coupons is attached.
Yes, I do like oatmeal:
Back on the topic of oatmeal: It’s delicious! A wonderful warm breakfast at Starbucks on a cold winter day. A customer can have a variety of toppings including brown sugar, dried fruit, or nuts. This winter I also discovered that a couple pumps of Gingerbread Sauce in the Perfect Oatmeal is delicious! As you can see, I am a little more enthusiastic about the oatmeal discount than the Panani. The $1 off discount card is valid until March 8, 2010.
And now I open the floor for all of you to talk about what coupons, discounts you’ve received, and what you’re still wishing for…
Thank you again to Larry Aldrich of Seattle Custom Framing for his help with many of the photos in this blog post.
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I just got a postcard in the mail for a free oatmeal. I’m looking forward to trying it, but I much would’ve rather had a free coffee mailed to me.
I got the free oatmeal card recently. I really don’t like oatmeal so I have never tried it until I got the free one. It was ok…..LOL.
I LOVE free drink cards, though. <3
Thanks for this update Mel. You’re right. As a Starbucks Gold Card Member and a Starbucks Duetto Visa Card Member, I have started to receive a flurry of promos via snail mail.
I must admit that I am unhappy with the fact that Starbucks Gold Card Members must wait to receive their free drink once acquiring the 15 gold stars. In this era of lightning-speed technology and urge to be “Green,” is it not possible that Starbucks reward it’s members via their registered Starbucks Cards? Just a thought.
The oatmeal at Starbucks is a nutritious, filling, and a very tasty breakfast (or anytime of the day) option! It allows customization, via the “toppings.” One may choose to have nuts, dried fruit, and/or brown sugar in their perfectly portioned oatmeal. (I usually elect to have all three toppings!) I have fallen back in love with it, thanks to the current promotion.
Oh, I know that this is off topic. However, the full leaf Tazo teas are wonderful!
Happy Sipping!
I got the free oatmeal card in the mail last week. Used it, mine was really good with the dried fruit, my daughter got a sparkle donut which she loved. I had coffee she had horizon chocolate milk. I also have the $1 off oatmeal or Panini card from the NY times insert. Haven’t used it, don’t know if I will, oatmeal before coupon is like $2.59 I think (too pricey for oatmeal) maybe i’ll try a sandwich maybe not doesn’t really go with coffee which is what I go there for religiously.
Being a stockholder, duetto card holder and gold card holder i get things all the time and find it hard to keep track of why. i get pounds of coffee, a postcard to try one of each new beverage offering, and recently i also got a free oatmeal and skinny cinnamon dolche latte, i have not yet gotten the 1$ off, and have not yet gotten a free drink card.
I agree with @Brandon Gordon that there must be a better way (email? text msg? on the card itself?) to get your free at 15 drink, i really want to talk to someone in CSS IT about what on earth they’re doing, but it’ll never happen. I do believe i updated an MSI thread about it being silly to mail the free drink postcards.
I’m a bit bummed… I’m a gold card holder and haven’t gotten squat in the mail yet from Starbucks. No oatmeal, no skinny beverages, nada. I didn’t even get my birthday beverage coupon last year.
Where’s the love, Starbucks?
Its sad because in Dallas we told everyone to get a newspaper. Starbucks communications told us about this oatmeal offer, but our customers never found the coupon. When we reached the paper’s customer service about this, they told us it was only available in more metropolitan areas. 🙁
And I agree that shipping these coupons via snail mail is pretty costly and environmentally unconscious… but I cannot think of any other way for the company to effectively distribute coupons without some fake coupon spreading around the internet… On free pastry day we were told to accept people showing us their coupon on their phones!
On a slightly related thought…
Has anyone used their iphone to pay for their drink at the register who visits this site? Is it easy to use?
Mike C. – The mental picture that I got from your post was that of a steaming cup sitting in the mailbox. It is a great idea but I guess we will have to wait until the teleporter is fixed.
I tried the oatmeal the other day, using the coupon I received – It was surprisingly good! Now all I need to do is find one of those $1 off so I can keep getting it. $2+ is pricey, but $1+ is not
I’ve never received any coupons from Starbucks. To tell you the truth, I really don’t care for them anyway. They’re a pain, and they make you (me at least) feel sort of cheap.
I’ve recvd all the coupons Melody referred to….free tall drink (noting the new 3 ‘skinny’ drinks), free oatmeal (already used, and yes, I like it…..have, since it came out, and get all 3 toppings), $1.00 off oatmeal and/or sandwich….can be used repeatedly til expires, free beverage that was under the new ‘gold card’…. and have been waiting for my 15 stars 1st drink….may be getting my 2nd one at the same time as the first. So, that’s my stash.
Personally, I like coupons and free stuff. and I take advantage of all that I receive.
I received all but the $1 off one, though I wouldn’t be considered in a very metropolitan location as someone stated this is where they were distributed.
My hubby’s birthday was on the 14th but he hasn’t gotten his birthday drink card yet. I think there’s a big issue with the distribution of those since there has been no reply to the 2 emails we sent.
I’ve had a Duetto card since 2005 and was one of the few thousand people to receive a free Starbucks Gold card because I shovel so much money down the maw of the green-apron cash machine.
I received the free tall drink coupon and now the Perfect Oatmeal coupon.
Personally, I am not *all* impressed with this campaign.
With the wealth of personalized customer data that Starbucks surely has on me – based on the fact that they’ve swiped either my Gold card or Duetto card at the register for going on five years now – surely they can do better than sending me the same coupon thousands of other people received.
Moreover, their data-mining *SHOULD* tell them that in all the years I’ve gone to Starbucks, I have *never* purchased a breakfast sandwich, *never* purchased oatmeal and *never* purchased ground coffee. A single dollar off something I never buy isn’t going to prompt a sudden and miraculous change in my buying habits.
It *SHOULD* tell them that I like pastries, iced mochas and white chocolate mochas – items for which I would welcome a coupon.
Starbucks also has my email address and has done little to nothing with it by way of email coupons or at the very least notification of new products.
When you mentioned each of the coupons I didn’t remember them. Now seeing the pictures I do. I never get my coupons in the mail either, even though I use my registered card quite often…
Yet another reason for me to patronize my local independent coffee house, and not the evil empire of coffee. I prefer a punch card everyone can get, and that does not require you giving them personal information and tracking your every purchase in a database.
(Reply to Rhonan) – The previous Pike Place Roast card, Tazo Tea Card, and the current $1 off oatmeal cards were free, and do not require you to register anything.
I hate punch cards for one of the same reasons I don’t like the current “star” program – A punch card is a very limited reward. It assumes that you drink beverages, and I don’t want a reward of just beverages. If you’re the kind of person who buys a variety of things, including lots of whole bean, pastries, and merchandise being rewarded by a sea of beverages is not very rewarding.
I feel the “star” program also is not very rewarding because it just gives you a bunch of beverage coupons. However, I’ve been a Starbucks customer for years when there were no rewards, so I’m not going to suddenly stop being a customer now when they do give out some rewards.
i got so many of those tea coupons due to my proximity to a starbucks when they first came out. i think i had free tea for weeks!
haven’t seen the oatmeal one yet, but i’m working on it.
I really like and appreciate the coupons and discounts offered at starbuck (and other places as well). I am (like many) working with my budget and as corny as it sounds these coupons really give me the added bonus of saving on my favorite treats 🙂 I like them – a LOT
Just used my free tall drink card this eve. and it was kinda great since i had left my walet @ home but happened to have the free drink coupon. Mega score. The more sbux does this w/ the coupons theore customers will expect it!
Maybe a frequent sipper card that racks up brews like miles? After…say 100 coffees/lattes…perhaps you’d get a free EP of highlighted Starbucks artists?
I’m still not sure about the whole earning stars! Sending all those postcards to ppl must be expensive.
What I remember most about free drink coupons was what the company did years ago when opening new stores. Since I was there when we first went into new towns, or areas, they would use the mailing list from requests or catalog orders and mail free drink coupons to them with a grand opening announcement.
Otherwise, in my last position, I was mostly involved with dealing with the misuse of Service Recovery Coupons, so I still have a bad taste in my mouth when I see those.
“Free drink coupon” —- eye’s rolling – attitude
“Free Oatmeal coupon —– eye’s rolling – attitude
What’s gonna happen when I get my rewards coupon???
I did get the Oatmeal coupon in the NYT while in Manhattan last week. Gave it to my son- they have a Starbuck’s at Quantico where he is stationed. I hope he uses it. I will try the oatmeal some other time, cause I love oatmeal.
I am still trying to figure out how Starbucks posted such a profit — without much help from me. I spend less at Starbucks now then I did in years past. . . . As far as the oatmeal, I’ve never tried it. If I find myself at a Starbucks, it is not usually during breakfast time. That said, I enjoyed a Starbucks latte yesterday, at about 5:30 p.m. Yummy.
I am excited to try the tomato & mozzarella panini, especially with the $1 off card. I might have tried it eventually anyway, but I’ll be more enticed with the discount. I see no harm to Starbucks’ image in distributing coupons at the launch of a new product, especially if it helps make a launch more successful. I’m not sure I’ll try the oatmeal, but I haven’t ruled it out.
I received one for oatmeal which I forgot to redeem. Oh well I don’t go there for food even though you’ve reviewed some and it sounds decent. Wish I got one for a tall drink though. Rather that than oatmeal lol
Certain markets are testing a new topping for the Perfect Oatmeal — Apples & Cinnamon. It’s very good!
(My store in western PA is testing the Apples & Cinnamon, I’m not sure where else.)
OOh apple cinnamon sounds wonderful espec with the brown sugar too! I grew up in Pittsburgh! Live there for 24 years, Wendy – are you in the Pittsburgh / Monroeville area?
@Chris W When we opened the 1st and Pike store in SEA we went to local businesses and handed out cards for free drinks to our neighbors. The mailing list is great too, but actually handing them out gave us a chance to meet a lot of local business owners, and it also gave us a chance to connect with someone else from the team since we went in pairs.
I like having oatmeal on occasion, particularly on a chilly morning. Apples & cinnamon sound perfect! I’ll have to ask this morning if there’s any in this area (Pacific NW).
If you are a shareholder they send a coupon for a free coffee with the annual report!
(Reply to Mike) – Hi Mike! In order to be ‘green’ Starbucks stopped mailing paper annual reports with their 2008 report. Also, I think you’re thinking of the ‘shareholder cards’ which previously were common with the annual reports. There were no free drink coupons for 2008 or 2009.
Coincidentally, since the annual meeting is coming up soon (March 2010), I have a scheduled blog post in the next few days that touches on the shareholders’ cards and the annual meeting.
I seem to remember free drink cards in earlier annual reports. Good for one tall drink, if I remember correctly.
Alas, my $1 off oatmeal card did not survive the first purchase. The barista, not familiar with the offering, tore it in half & tossed it. He did tape it together with profuse apologies!
Oh LatteRose that is bad news!! Bad Starbucks experience!
That is one thing that really bugs the heck out of me with these repeat-use cards: Starbucks does a very poor job of telling baristas that it is NOT a one time use card.
Yesterday, I too had a bit of a struggle getting my oatmeal card back from a downtown Seattle register barista who badly wanted to toss it out, and when I had the previous tea card (displayed above) I DID have a barista tear one up too just like what you mentioned. 🙁 But the Tazo Tea cards were way more plentiful than the oatmeal cards. Since the oatmeal cards came in the newspaper, they will be harder to replace.
I’m so sorry LatteRose!!! 🙁
Well, it wasn’t >thatis< strange that they don't keep their partners up on the latest promos.
Don’t know what happened with my post. Should have read:
Well, it wasn’t -that- bad…he did apologize nicely. I just have the taped-up version now!
It -is- strange that they don’t keep their partners up on the latest promos.
One of the other ‘freebies’ I like that Starbucks has recently started to do is allowing you to turn in your empty bag of coffee for a tall brewed coffee.
It’s in essence a similar concept to the free drink when you buy whole beans in their store.
I really enjoy their Africa Kitamu coffee, but they don’t offer that blend in Starbucks. I can only find it in a Safeway grocery store here, so it’s nice to be able to enjoy that coffee AND get a free Casi Cielo when I’m done!
There seems to be an issue in regards to the latest promotional for oatmeal & panini’s. At two separate Starbucks, employees have tried to take the card. I protested and was able to keep the card. The flier states, “Get a $1 off all day, every day on Starbucks perfect oatmeal and new hot paninis. The card is valid every day through March 8.”
Someone needs to tell Starbucks Employees that it is a promotional period, not a one time deal. If it was to be taken at time of purchase, I figured Starbucks would have printed a COUPON, not a card that is MEANT to be used more than once. Why would Starbucks spend MORE on printing costs for one time usage!!!
I already received a free birthday drink coupon even though my birthday isn’t until the end of February, early is better than late, so that’s fine.
I still haven’t received the free drink coupon for accumulating 15 stars almost two weeks ago, I guess those really will take about two or three weeks to come in the mail.
Does anyone shop at Von’s? I guess it is called Safeway in some areas. When you check out at the grocery store it always shows the amount of deli sandwiches you have accumulated in order to receive an 8th sandwich free. I think that it has probably been about a year that the bottom of my receipts always say that I have “accumulated 5 of 7 Signature Cafe sandwiches”, so it is always keeping track.
I don’t understand why Starbucks wouldn’t have the same kind of system since you have to use a registered card in order to get rewards, just as you have to use your Von’s Club Card in order to get their rewards (savings off of grocery items and free sandwiches, etc.) If I ever do buy that 7th sandwich, I could come in the next day and order a sandwich and it would automatically be free, no coupons involved.
Also, I am not much of a coupon user, but I am not going to let the occasional snobby barista with attitude stop me from using these, as if I am some cheapskate. Loading money on my rewards card is showing me how much money I am spending monthly at Starbucks (too much really!), so I will happily use any coupon for a free item that they want to give me.
I have tried Starbucks oatmeal but wasn’t too impressed…it’s very watery and it’s much like what I can buy from the store and make at home. It’s nice that they offer breakfast choices though for people on the go! 🙂
I have never experienced the baristas being ‘snobby’ or condescending to me when I have a coupon or a survey receipt to use. They know how often I go in there and that its part of the gold program. I think they appreciate my loyalty all the other days that I’m not getting something free. they even save the survey receipts to give me sometimes bc they know I’m there all the time!
I’m so excited because I get to use this card everyday, all day when I visit my Favorite SF store on 3rd & Market. I had an oatmeal the other day during a cold wet afternoon, it was awesomesauce!!!!! Sorry if U thought I would speak to the negative dear. I’m trying to be more positive and thinking. Cheers for the CLOVER!!!!!!!I’m a coffee junkie and I don’t care, tra, la la la la
(Reply @Scooter) – Hey it sounds like you’re having fun in SF!! I recommend trying the oatmeal with a couple of pumps of Gingerbread syrup if by chance you can find a store that’s not out! Have you had any problem getting baristas to hand you back the card??
The Clover makes even the normal cup of Sumatra into a beautiful thing. I had an evening cup of Sumatra from a Clover in downtown, and I was very happy.
Just got a buy one Dark Cherry Mocha get one free gold coupon in the mail. Just as info!
me too, same as Hayley. today received the gold coupon buy one Dark Cherry Mocha, get one free. I’m assuming these will be wide spread…..
Wonder if they will do that with the new Frappuccinos…I was told today the stores around here are going to be rolling those out next week. I don’t drink frapps very often, but I did like the Chai Frappuccinos and it will be nice that they can be made in a light version again.
@Denise and Hayley – I didn’t get any coupon in the mail today from Starbucks. That’s a little odd. Maybe they’ve stopped sending them to me.
I am quite sure that didn’t happen! I bet you will tomorrow…I couldn’t even drink the entire tall DCM (as I commented in another of your posts) it was so sweet. I tweeted to you about the tasting. What did u think of those 2 coffees when you had them?
Melody, did you hear that Starbucks was discontinuing the Duetto card? I got a letter in the mail from Chase announcing it…nothing from Starbucks. So disappointing. I use the Visa card for all of my purchases and then it automatically reloads every month along with my 1% purchase reward transferred to the duetto card. It was a great reward program and helped me budget my Starbucks consumption.