Starbucks Free Stars

Haley

I am not a robot
Starbucks has a special offer running right now for a free drink if you create a new account and sign up for email offers. Most of us have many emails, I know I have dozens. You need a gift card to create a new account, I'm really not sure if $0 cards would work or not, I just buy $5 cards for this.

Code:
 http://www.starbucks.com/promo/free-drink-msr
So buy a gift card (or 6) for $5 with the phone app or your linked to primary account gift card (your Starbucks gold card) and ask for separate receipts. This will generate 1 (or 6) star(s) in that account. Create a new account for each card and opt in for emails. This will generate a free drink in each new account (after 1-2 weeks).

After you redeem the free drink move the $5 back to your primary account by either unregistering card then adding it to account (easiest but they might frown on this if you do it too many times) OR just buy a new gift card with the card, it will have a brand new number on it so you can then add it to your primary account with no worries.

Last year the free drink emails got delivered all at once and had a short redemption period, so no need to go crazy with this. Also most airport/inside hotel/inside Target/you get the idea locations can not redeem the codes.

Pro Tip: use a sharpie to keep track of which email is linked to which card

If you need 'starter' funds the best discount w/o too many steps is to buy one off Cardpool at 12% off. Portal plus points or cash back on card you use to pay should come out to around 15% off.
 

SJCRussell

Level 2 Member
Bonus step - for states like CA where you can redeem any gift card worth $10 or less for cash you can easily empty the ghost cards for cash.

Yah for Haley and her shenanigans!
 

InstinctX

Level 2 Member
For folks that aren't aware: to eek out the most stars out of your Starbucks visit, pay for each item separately. For example, pay for your drink and a sandwich in 2 transactions....this gives you 2 stars.

And always pay attention to your email blasts for Bonus Stars events.

In January, I accrued over 60 stars -- through Dash Challenges, etc.

Use your stars on the most expensive items, e.g. sandwiches. I cringe when I see folks redeem their stars for regular coffee ($2.60) LOL
 
I found a better way to drink Starbucks coffee for lower cost. Search on Craigslist for people selling SB gift cards at 50-60% of the loaded value. Arrange a meeting at the nearest starbucks, verify the balance, exchange GC and cash and immediately load the GC balance to your SB gold card.
Buy a hot venti latte for your effort and go home satisfied.
 

Brennan

Level 2 Member
I can confirm the OP's method works for empty Starbucks cards. I "started" 2 accounts with the same zero balance SB card last week and recieved 1 free drink for each account today. Great post Haley.
 

avagyan

Level 2 Member
So buy a gift card (or 6) for $5 with the phone app or your linked to primary account gift card (your Starbucks gold card) and ask for separate receipts. This will generate 1 (or 6) star(s) in that account.
Are you sure you'll get a star for this? Because you can combine/transfer the balance later on back to your gold card. If that would be case people would buy hundreds of $5 gift cards and so far I never saw someone holding the line like that :)
 

gilapoin21

Level 2 Member
Are you sure you'll get a star for this? Because you can combine/transfer the balance later on back to your gold card. If that would be case people would buy hundreds of $5 gift cards and so far I never saw someone holding the line like that :)
Yep, I did 6 separate transactions and got my stars the next day. For some reason, I got 2 stars for each transaction. So, no complaints :)
 

Haley

I am not a robot
People do buy tons of $5 gift cards for the stars. 6 or 12 at a time. All my baristas are trained ;)
This method has been around pretty much as long as I can remember.
 

Haley

I am not a robot
I can confirm the OP's method works for empty Starbucks cards. I "started" 2 accounts with the same zero balance SB card last week and recieved 1 free drink for each account today. Great post Haley.
That is awesome.
 

avagyan

Level 2 Member
People do buy tons of $5 gift cards for the stars. 6 or 12 at a time. All my baristas are trained ;)
This method has been around pretty much as long as I can remember.
Wow, that's good to know, thanks, I will try one at a time in "foreign" Starbucks'

Any reason why 6? (I'm guessing 12 is because its a free dozen). Does it generate a look from barista? How to train a barista?
 

RRD

Level 2 Member
Awesome post, Haley - thanks! So, just to be clear I need to buy the GCs in separate transactions or just ask for separate receipts, and I can pay for these cards using my existing Gold card?
 

SSgrant

Level 2 Member
For folks that aren't aware: to eek out the most stars out of your Starbucks visit, pay for each item separately. For example, pay for your drink and a sandwich in 2 transactions....this gives you 2 stars.

And always pay attention to your email blasts for Bonus Stars events.

In January, I accrued over 60 stars -- through Dash Challenges, etc.

Use your stars on the most expensive items, e.g. sandwiches. I cringe when I see folks redeem their stars for regular coffee ($2.60) LOL
I feel you here, but most of the times I don't want any food or Venti sized drink. Last time I redeemed my free drink, I was like, 'Hey, I'll just get an extra shot of espresso in my tall size to maximize the value.' Well, I got the shot and charged and extra $.80 for it too. Ugh but they'd rather I get a $6 grill cheese.
 

druiddation

Level 2 Member
I started a diet just before a ton of my bonus stars posted last time and I had to switch from my normal experimental dessert drinks to bistro boxes. However, on my next cheat day I'm looking forward to trying a Bananas Foster Frappuccino I saw on one of those secret Starbucks recipe sites: Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, add a banana, add caramel syrup (3 for venti), line the cup with caramel drizzle, top with whip and caramel drizzle (extra espresso shots optional).
 

SanDiego1K

Level 2 Member
Beverages have been free throughout North America the last 3 hours. Computer is down at headquarters. mrpickles broke the story on his new blog.
 

RRD

Level 2 Member
This worked for me - thanks a bunch, Haley! Only problem is I have three free drinks to use in three days.
 

knarayan

Level 2 Member
does anyone know when the stars from the dashes post to your account? I completed one earlier this month but the stars still haven't posted
 

Cdog101

Level 2 Member
Okay, so this is an interesting thread. I want to add my contribution. Here are my ideas (proven and unproven) to earn additional stars, in order from most legit / proven to crazy / unproven.

1. Get something like two or three cards (or up to six like the above crazies) registered to earn stars. Remember you have to get 30 on each card before you get Gold status and start earning free drinks. In my experience those 30 I earned went away and did not automatically transfer into "earned" rewards. So for every drink you order, partially pay for each drink by putting a little bit on each card. I've done this on two cards without too much embarrassment, but it would be up to you. I always say, put $4.00 on that card and then put the rest on this one. Or put $.10 on this card and the rest on that one. Or put $.10 on these three and the rest on that one. That way you don't burn through the balances on all the cards except one really quickly. And you should get stars on each card for each purpose. Double your stars by doing this for each drink in the order rather than the entire order.
2. Earn stars by reloading cards with other cards. Basically every time you go in, have them load $5 from one card to the other. And then do it in reverse on the next visit. Of course, you could say, put $5 from each of these three cards on this one card so you get three stars each time. I have not tried this but believe it works - Viewfromthewing mentioned this one time.
3. And finally, the craziest idea. Many times I will have them load my gold card and then pay for a drink with my gold card in the same transaction. This tells me that in fact the card gets loaded with the money before the transaction is completed. I believe theoretically you could take an empty card, have them load the card with $5, and then have them pay for the load with the same card that was just loaded. And I believe you would earn a star for this "purchase." The only thing is finding a barista who would do this for you.

Those are my ideas. Hope they work...lol.
 

janetdoe

Level 2 Member
1. Get something like two or three cards (or up to six like the above crazies) registered to earn stars. Remember you have to get 30 on each card before you get Gold status and start earning free drinks. In my experience those 30 I earned went away and did not automatically transfer into "earned" rewards. So for every drink you order, partially pay for each drink by putting a little bit on each card. I've done this on two cards without too much embarrassment, but it would be up to you. I always say, put $4.00 on that card and then put the rest on this one. Or put $.10 on this card and the rest on that one. Or put $.10 on these three and the rest on that one. That way you don't burn through the balances on all the cards except one really quickly. And you should get stars on each card for each purpose. Double your stars by doing this for each drink in the order rather than the entire order.
It won't get the four stars you would earn by putting 10 cents on three different cards and paying the balance on a fourth card, but it's a lot less attention and inconvenience all around if you just keep a stack of "low-balance" cards that you load with $5 whenever they are completely empty.

You just hand them one of the low balance cards, they run it and the system automatically depletes the balance to zero, and then they will say, "OK you still owe $X.XX." Then hand them another low balance card. 2-3 stars per purchase, easily, and you almost always end up with a low balance card to seed your next purchase. Then in separate transactions or separate visits, use your primary (high balance) card to load $5 to each empty card.

Also, Starbucks loads are an excellent way to polish off old Visa/MC/Amex gift cards if you have small balances for any reason. I just sharpie the amount of the GC (e.g. $2.47) and ask the barista to load that amount to my primary card.
 

avagyan

Level 2 Member
3. And finally, the craziest idea. Many times I will have them load my gold card and then pay for a drink with my gold card in the same transaction. This tells me that in fact the card gets loaded with the money before the transaction is completed. I believe theoretically you could take an empty card, have them load the card with $5, and then have them pay for the load with the same card that was just loaded. And I believe you would earn a star for this "purchase." The only thing is finding a barista who would do this for you.
if that works, may be better to hand them your gold card and pay with the same card using starbucks app

I've never had a chance buying more than 1 GC there is always a line forming behind , I'm even intimidated to order something from the "secret" menu, how do you guys do that in SB?

BTW, I found out that the "reward" expires sometime in "expiration day", mine expired 7:30PM and starbucks says it's different each time and that they're not able to provide clear prediction and suggested to use 1 day before the expiration time.
 

InstinctX

Level 2 Member
Received promo: earn 4 bonus stars for every trans of $10 or more. Does buying a $5 GC count? Or reloading in the same trans work? (Apparently, I earn too many stars w/ my single item trans)
 
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