How To Get Starbucks Coffee for Free & Cheap (from an Ex-Barista)

Since 2017, I have been a Starbucks barista turned shift supervisor and I have worked in over 20 different stores within two different countries. There are several ways you can get free Starbucks coffee that I know has worked. I can also give you a few tips on how to get on our good sides so that you can maybe get a nice surprise next time you're around. 

Use the Starbucks Loyalty App

Yeah, I know. Its the basic way to get free drinks or at least cheap Starbucks. If you don't like it, check out my other points below. However, You will miss out on some secrets I have that Ive seen many partners use when using the Starbucks app.

Just so you know as well, Starbucks US gets way more rewards than other countries (with way more recipe options). And if you aren't using all of the campaigns and offers, you're really missing out big time. I promise, its like a snowball that just keeps getting bigger. 

Here the top tricks that get you the best discounts on the Starbucks loyalty app:

If you keep up with this, I have seen some hardcore Starbucks loyalty clients who have literally hundreds of thousands in points just because they use these tricks. They laugh, because they know others won't do it. However, Im here as your savior barista, and Im telling you, try these tricks. 

Reword How You Order Your Drink

This happens every day. Literally every other order I would get at Starbucks was ordered wrong by the customer. And if I was a mean barista, which Im not, I would register the drink how the customer requests, and overcharge them. 

But you deserve better, and I'm to give you a few popular tricks on how you can order your favorite drinks but for cheap (without pissing off the barista):

Of course there are a few other mixes and ways to order other favorite drinks, however these are the most popular that I would get daily. 

Order a Tall Tea and Ask for Refills

If you are a big tea fan, and don't want to pay those really high prices for a large tea, hear me out. Especially if you are planning to stay in the cafe and work, you can literally just spend $2,50 for a tall of your favorite tea, and get free hot water refills to top it off. 

Sometimes, this can potentially piss of particular baristas. Not sure why, but if they are upset, just remember water cold or water hot, its free. What is not supposed to be free, is the tea bag. So don't let a grumpy barista tell you you cant have free water, ask for as many refills as you need. 

Make Friends with the Baristas

This is the best way to get free or cheap Starbucks drinks. I am a bit biased here, but if you make yourself a regular who comes in almost everyday, your barista will start to get to know you. Just like you, they are spending their whole day at the store, and making sure you feel comfortable is one of their main priorities (or should be). 

Whether its free drinks, or even if the barista gives you their employee discount, they want to make your day better. So make sure you are friendly and maybe compliment on their style every now and again. 

Here are a few reasons I as a barista always would have an excuse to give free drinks:

Anything that can make someones day brighter, Starbucks baristas always want to make every moment right. The longer you stick around, the more likely they will start to bond with you, or even miss you if you don't show up! 

Earn Starbucks Gift Cards on Freecash

Maybe this all sounds too difficult, and you just want a free drink (like right now). That's cool, because I have a legit option that could get you a free Starbucks gift cards in a matter of a few minutes. Freecash offers users up to $25 an hour for signing up, completing tasks, and testing out digital products. There are hundreds of users always cashing out Starbucks gift cards daily, and you could too. 

To use Freecash, you just need to sign up with your email, play a game or answer some survey questions, and you will already have from $5 to $10 ready to withdraw towards your first Starbucks gift card.

Here is how I got started:

This is one of the easiest ways to earn some free and cheap Starbucks coffee, however as a barista, I have a few other tricks up my sleeve.

Take Advantage of Promotions

Starbucks is constantly offering promotions on their loyalty app (strictly for members) and for new comers. There are so many promotions that happen on a consistent basis, it can be hard to keep up with. Here are some that are always passing by, that you can take advantage of on a regular basis:

I use Delta frequently since I am always travelling, however, if you have the opportunity to connect the Starbucks app with a Bank of America account, I highly suggest you give it a shot to earn some extra rewards. 

Bring Your Own Reusable Cup

While it is not necessarily a way to get free coffee, bringing your own reusable cup makes the drink slightly cheaper, and adds extra stars to each purchase you make using a reusable cup. This is one of my favorite incentives, because you really need to know just how many cups we go through in one day at Starbucks alone. 

From the very last time I did an inventory count, we sold about 600 cups a day, thats only including the paper cups. In total, Starbucks sells over 8.2 million cups per day worldwide, and Im sure you can imagine that a majority of those cups just go straight to the trash. 

Because of this, Starbucks rewards you to bring your own cup with extra points, this is to hopefully reduce the amount of cups used daily (and probably, lets be real, save them some money). 

Use the Starbucks App on Your Birthday

So this is a short answer, but basically if you use the Starbucks app regularly BEFORE your birthday, you will receive a free birthday drink of any size, and for any signature drink. Add extras, make it a Trenta, whatever you want: its free!

To make sure you actually get your free birthday reward, however, there are a few limitations:

While some of these rules can fluctuate, the one rule that has always remained: You need the account activated atleast a day before. 

Work as a Part-Time Barista

So this is an obvious one, but being a barista at Starbucks definitely has its perks! Even if its just 10 hours a week, you will have access to huge discounts on Starbucks drinks and food. As long as you were working, you can always have as many free drinks as you wanted, you just need to make sure to register each drink in the system. 

If you want to work for Starbucks, and be a part of a fun, friendly environment, I highly suggest checking out some open roles near you. You could be the next friendly barista a client is hoping for (me, you better give me free drinks).