Starbucks Rewards Program FAQs

  • Part I: Join the Starbucks Rewards Program
  • 1.1 What is the Starbucks Rewards program?

    The Starbucks Rewards program is Starbucks’ customer loyalty program. You may register a Starbucks Rewards account and become a member of the Starbucks Rewards program, after which, you may accumulate Stars through purchases and receive member benefits.

  • 1.2 How to join the Starbucks Rewards program?

    You may register a Starbucks Rewards account by following relevant instructions through Starbucks China App (“Starbucks App”), other channels of Starbucks or any channels of third-party partners designated by Starbucks (“Partners”). You will become a Starbucks Rewards member (“Member”) from the date when your Starbucks Rewards account is registered (“Account Registration Date”).

  • 1.3 Is there any difference between joining the Starbucks Rewards program through Starbucks App and through other channels?

    There is no difference. You will receive the same member benefits no matter if you join the Starbucks Rewards program through Starbucks App or through other channels.

  • 1.4 How may I log into and use my Starbucks Rewards account?

    You may log into your Starbucks Rewards account and accumulate Stars, check your membership level, Stars, and rewards, use rewards or Reward Stars, etc. through Starbucks App or Partners’ Apps. The functions of Starbucks Rewards accounts that are available through different channels are subject to the actual functions that are open at the time.

  • Part II: Membership Levels and Rewards
  • 2.1 What can Stars be used for?

    After your Starbucks Rewards account is registered, each time when you purchase products at a participating Starbucks store or through Starbucks App and other channels designated by Starbucks from time to time (excluding Starbucks Rewards Kits, Gift Cards and other products, collectively as the “Excluded Items,” to be further clarified under Question 2.4 below), you may accumulate Stars in your Starbucks Rewards account.

    Stars include Tier Stars, Basic Reward Stars and Bonus Reward Stars. “Tier Stars” means reward points that are used to determine a Member’s membership level. When Tier Stars are accumulated to certain numbers, you will be upgraded from the Welcome Level to the Green Level or from the Green Level to the Gold Level, and will receive member benefits corresponding to the level. “Basic Reward Stars” and “Bonus Reward Stars”, collectively as the “Reward Stars”, mean the reward points which only Gold Level Members could accumulate in their Starbucks Rewards accounts and can be used to redeem products as might be designated by Starbucks from time to time and can be used to participate in or redeem the benefits as might be designated by Starbucks from time to time, and the validity period of Bonus Reward Stars is shorter than that of Basic Reward Stars.

  • 2.2 How to earn and accumulate Stars?

    After your Starbucks Rewards account is registered, each time when you purchase products (excluding the Excluded Items) at a participating Starbucks store or through Starbucks App and other channels designated by Starbucks from time to time, you may log into your Starbucks Rewards account through Starbucks App or other channels of our partners, click on “My QR code” on the front page of the account and present to the barista the dynamic QR code generated on the page, or present any one of the Starbucks Gift Cards or the active My Starbucks Rewards Card in your Starbucks Rewards account. When the POS machine successfully reads the QR code, the Starbucks Gift Card, or the active My Starbucks Rewards Card, your purchase amount will be recorded into your Starbucks Rewards account.

    When you use eligible payment methods, the amount you paid divided by 50 and rounded to the fourth decimal place is the number of Tier Stars and Basic Reward Stars (if you are a Gold Level Member at the time) that can be recorded into your account. Stars will be recorded into your Starbucks Rewards account within 24 hours after the transaction is completed.

    Starbucks may from time to time formulate one or multiple activity plans to help a Member accelerate accumulation of the Stars. If your Purchase is applicable to such activity plan, Starbucks will increase the corresponding number of extra Tier Stars or Bonus Reward Stars in your Starbucks Rewards Account according to the corresponding calculation rules of such activity plan.

    Please note that if a purchase that resulted in Stars is reversed for any reasons, such as a dispute or return of a purchased product, Starbucks is entitled to remove the corresponding Stars from your Starbucks Rewards account.

  • 2.3 Through which channels may a purchase result in Stars?

    Stars could be accumulated when you purchase products (excluding the Excluded Items) at a participating Starbucks store, through “Starbucks Delivers” and/or “Starbucks Now” within Starbucks App or via Starbucks official cooperative partners (excluding Hema Fresh), or through Starbucks Tmall store. Please note that purchases are eligible for accruing stars only after you bundle a cooperative party platform account with your Starbucks Rewards account through Eleme.com, Taobao or other channels of cooperative parties.

  • 2.4 What purchase amounts are ineligible to be recorded for the collection of Stars into the Starbucks Rewards accounts?

    The purchase amounts of Starbucks Rewards Kits, Starbucks Gift Cards (including the amounts of reloading Starbucks Gift Cards), various kinds of gift certificates, and coupons are ineligible to be recorded into Starbucks Rewards accounts; the amounts of bulk purchases with discounts are also ineligible. When you purchase prepaid cards and coupons at Starbucks Tmall store, the Say It with Starbucks Platform, and other online channels, the purchase amounts are ineligible. However, when you use the prepaid cards and coupons to make a purchase or redemption at a participating Starbucks store or through the channels designated by Starbucks, the relevant purchase or redemption amounts are eligible. A complimentary drink in any form (such as a complimentary drink from a “Buy One Get One Free” promotion for credit cards, a complimentary drink redeemed from credit card points, or a complimentary drink by coupon redemption) is not deemed as purchase, and is ineligible to be recorded into Starbucks Rewards accounts for Stars. Starbucks may, from time to time, designate products as ineligible for being recorded into Starbucks Rewards accounts to accumulate Stars.

  • 2.5 Will Stars expire?

    Tier Stars: Assuming you are a Welcome Level Member, if you fail to accumulate at least 4 Stars or meet other conditions for an upgrade within three consecutive calendar months, the Tier Stars accumulated in your account will be reset to zero on the next day when every three consecutive calendar months expire.

    If you are a Green or Gold Level Member, the Tier Stars accumulated in your account will be reset to zero on each Account Anniversary Date of your Starbucks Rewards account. Account Anniversary Date means each anniversary of 12 calendar months starting from the date when you are upgraded from the Welcome Level to the Green Level, or directly from the Welcome Level to the Gold Level.

    Basic Reward Stars: if you are a Gold Level Member, the Basic Reward Stars accumulated in your account will be valid from the date when they are recorded into the account, and will expire and be removed on the last day of the same month in the next calendar year after the Basic Reward Stars are recorded; however, if you are downgraded to the Green Level on an Account Anniversary Date, the Basic Reward Stars accumulated in your account will expire and be removed on the Account Anniversary Date.

    For example, Ms. Wang, a Gold Level Member, accumulates a Basic Reward Star on April 1, 2020, the Basic Reward Star shall expire and be removed on April 30, 2021. However, if Ms. Wang is downgraded to the Green Level on March 9, 2021 (i.e., the Account Anniversary Date of her account), the Basic Reward Star recorded into her Starbucks Rewards account on April 1, 2020 will expire and be removed on the Account Anniversary Date.

    Bonus Reward Stars: Starbucks may from time to time formulate one or multiple activity plans to calculate Bonus Reward Stars. Such activity plans and rules for calculating Bonus Reward Stars shall be published on Starbucks China Official Website and/or Starbucks App. The validity period of the Bonus Reward Stars shall be subject to the activity rules published on Starbucks China Official Website and/or Starbucks App. The validity period of Bonus Reward Stars is shorter than that of Basic Reward Stars.

  • 2.6 How to upgrade my membership level?

    After you successfully register a Starbucks Rewards account, you will be a Welcome Level Member. From the Account Registration Date, when 4 Tier Stars are accumulated in your Starbucks Rewards account within three consecutive calendar months, you will be upgraded to the Green Level; in the meantime, 4 Tier Stars will be removed, and the remaining Tier Stars (if any) will stay.

    In addition, a Welcome Level Member could be upgraded through other methods. For example, the first time a Starbucks Gift Kit is bundled into a Welcome Level Member’s account, he/she will also be upgraded to the Green Level. All Tier Stars accumulated in his/her account will be reset to zero at the time of upgrade.

    When a Green Level Member accumulates 16 Tier Stars in his/her Starbucks Rewards account in an Account Year, he/she will be upgraded to the Gold Level.

  • 2.7 How to keep my Green Level status?

    Once you become a Green Level Member, you will not be downgraded to the Welcome Level during the existence of your Starbucks Rewards account; however, if a member returns his/her purchased products or a member is unqualified for the Green Level due to certain reasons, Starbucks may downgrade the Member from the Green Level to the Welcome Level on the day when a purchase is cancelled.

  • 2.8 How to keep my Gold Level Status?

    On each Account Anniversary Date of your Starbucks Rewards account, Starbucks will check the number of Tier Stars accumulated in your account during the Account Year preceding to an Account Anniversary Date. If 16 or more Tiers Stars are accumulated, you will stay on the Gold Level for the next Account Year. Below is an example:

    • On March 10, 2019, Mr. Zhao is upgraded to the Green Level;

    • On July 19, 2019, Mr. Zhao accumulates 16 Tier Stars and is upgraded to the Gold Level;

    • On March 10, 2019, Starbucks will check the number of Tier Stars accumulated in Mr. Zhao’s account during the previous Account Year. If 16 or more Tier Stars are accumulated, Mr. Zhao will stay on the Gold Level during the period between March 10, 2020 and March 9, 2021; however, if fewer than 16 Tier Stars are accumulated, Mr. Zhao will be downgraded to the Green Level on March 10, 2020. All Tier Stars accumulated in his account will also be reset to zero on March 10, 2020.

  • 2.9 What is Gold Level’s Digital Starbucks Gift Card? How can I use it?

    When the first time you are upgraded to the Gold Level, a Gold Level’s Digital Starbucks Gift Card will be automatically bundled into your Starbucks Rewards account within 24 hours after the upgrade. The Gold Level’s Digital Starbucks Gift Card will be set as the default Starbucks Gift Card in your account. A Gold Level’s Digital Starbucks Gift Card is a reloadable prepaid card. After the card is reloaded, you may use it for payment at designated Starbucks stores in mainland China (you may refer to Starbucks Gift Cards FAQs for details).

  • 2.10 Where may I redeem the rewards in my Starbucks Rewards account?

    When you visit a participating Starbucks store in mainland China, you may log into your Starbucks Rewards account through Starbucks App, click on “My QR Code” on the front page of the account and present to the barista the dynamic QR code generated on the page, or present the active My Starbucks Rewards Cards in your Starbucks Rewards account. When the POS machine successfully reads the QR code or the active My Starbucks Rewards Card, you may redeem the reward e-coupons in your account. In addition, you may log into your account through a Partner’s channel. When the barista is able to identify your membership through the methods available in such channel, you may redeem the e-coupons in your account.

    Please note that the applicable channels and stores of different e-coupons might be different, please refer to the rules of such e-coupons for details.

    Please check the expiry dates of the rewards in your Starbucks Rewards account, and use the rewards before they expire. If you have any questions, please call our customer service at 400-820-6998.

    To protect the security of Starbucks Rewards accounts, Starbucks stores do not accept any methods of using Starbucks Rewards accounts and/or My Starbucks Rewards Cards which are not set forth herein (including but not limited to photos or scanned copies of the barcodes or QR codes of the physical Starbucks Rewards Cards, and the barcodes or QR codes displayed through third-party software or generated in third-party software, etc.).

  • 2.11 How may a Green Level Member receive a Welcome to Green Free Drink Coupon?

    To celebrate your upgrade, when you are upgraded from the Welcome Level to the Green Level, Starbucks will add a Welcome to Green Free Drink Coupon (in the form of an e-coupon) to your Starbucks Rewards account within 24 hours. This e-coupon will be valid for 7 days from the next day after it is added into your Starbucks Rewards account. During the existence of your Starbucks Rewards account, only one complimentary Welcome to Green Free Drink Coupon may be added to the account.

  • 2.12 How may a Green/Gold Level Member receive a Birthday Drink Coupon?

    To celebrate your birthday, on each Account Anniversary Date after you are upgraded to the Green Level, if you have accumulated one Tier Star in your Starbucks Rewards account through purchases during the preceding Account Year (excluding Bonus Stars) and you have filled in your birthday information in your Starbucks Rewards Account, Starbucks will add a complimentary Birthday Drink Coupon (in the form of e-coupon) into your Starbucks Rewards account on the Account Anniversary Date. This e-coupon will be valid for 7 days from your next birthday. For each calendar year, only one complimentary Birthday Drink Coupon may be added to your Starbucks Rewards account.

  • 2.13 How may a Green Level Member receive a Taste of Gold Free Drink Coupon?

    After the first time you are upgraded from the Welcome Level to the Green Level, when the first time your Starbucks Rewards account accumulates 8 Tier Stars, Starbucks will add a complimentary Taste of Gold Free Drink Coupon (in the form of an e-coupon) into your Starbucks Rewards account within 24 hours. This e-coupon will be valid for 7 days from the next day after it is added into your Starbucks Rewards account.

  • 2.14 How may a Gold Level Member receive a Green to Gold Free Drink Coupon?

    To celebrate your upgrade, every time when you are upgraded from the Green Level to the Gold Level, Starbucks will add a complimentary Green to Gold Free Drink Coupon (in the form of an e-coupon) into your Starbucks Rewards account within 24 hours. This e-coupon will be valid for 7 days from the next day after it is added into your Starbucks Rewards account. For each calendar year, only one complimentary Birthday Drink Coupon may be added into your Starbucks Rewards account.

  • 2.15 How may a Gold Level Member receive an Anniversary Drink Coupon?

    To celebrate the anniversary of your account, if you have accumulated 16 Tier Stars in an Account Year prior to an Account Anniversary Date, Starbucks will add a complimentary Anniversary Drink Coupon (in the form of an e-coupon) into your Starbucks Rewards account on that Account Anniversary Date. This e-coupon will be valid for 7 days from the next Account Anniversary Date after it is added into your Starbucks Rewards account.

  • 2.16 Are the drink related member rewards redeemable for all Starbucks drinks?

    Member rewards and other offers of the Starbucks Rewards program are subject to the complete Starbucks Rewards Program Terms and Conditions posted on www.gdg-coworking.com. All complimentary member rewards received from the Starbucks Rewards program cannot be used at the Excluded Stores, nor be used to redeem certain Starbucks beverages (i.e. the beverages designated by Starbucks that cannot be redeemed by the rewards in a Starbucks Rewards account include but are not limited to bottled water, bottled drinks and other pre-packaged beverages, Starbucks Reserve coffee products, siphon coffee, Starbucks nitro cold brew coffee products, Starbucks coffee plus ice cream products, etc.)(for more details, please check /help/legal/stores-that-do-not-sell-specific-beverage ).

  • 2.17 How can a Gold Level Member use Reward Stars?

    You may use Basic Reward Stars and Bonus Reward Stars accumulated in your Starbucks Rewards Account to redeem Starbucks designated beverage or food at participating Starbucks stores, or through “Starbucks Now” within Starbucks App; you may also use Basic Reward Stars and Bonus Reward Stars accumulated in your Starbucks Rewards Account to redeem the coupons which are exclusively applicable to Gold Level Members within Starbucks App. Starbucks will update the designated products and designated benefits which can be redeemed by Basic Reward Stars and Bonus Reward Stars. Please refer to the Redemption Rules of Reward Stars for details.

    Other than the products specified in the Redemption Rules of Reward Stars, Starbucks will also from time to time launch some short-term promotions for stars’ redemption. Please pay attention to details of relevant activities within Starbucks App and other apps of cooperative partners at any time.

    After redemption, the corresponding number of Basic Reward Stars and/or Bonus Reward Stars required for such redemption will be removed from your Starbucks Rewards Account. Please note that we will remove the Basic Reward Stars and/or Bonus Reward Stars in your Starbucks Rewards Account on a first-come-first-out basis.

  • 2.18 Can a Gold Level Member redeem Reward Stars for any kind of products at Starbucks stores?

    No. Some products cannot be redeemed by Reward Stars. Please refer to the Redemption Rules of Reward Stars for details.

    Reward Stars cannot be used to directly redeem Starbucks cups/coffee utensils/coffee beans/Starbucks VIA/Starbucks Origami; however, a Member could use Reward Stars to redeem coupons for relevant products through Starbucks App. Please go to Starbucks App for details of the specific redemption rules.

  • 2.19 After using Reward Stars to redeem coupons, can such redemption be cancelled?

    Yes. After using Reward Stars to redeem coupons, if such coupons are still within validity period and have not yet been used, a Member could find relevant redemption history in the Stars history and click the button of “Redemption Cancellation” for cancellation. After cancellation, Stars will be returned to your Starbucks Reward Account within 24 hours. If you are not a Gold Level Member, or part of or all the Reward Stars used for such redemption have expired when you cancel such redemption, such part of or all the Reward Stars cannot be returned to your account.

  • 2.20 Whether the Reward Stars can be used in all Starbucks service channels?

    No. Currently, you can only use Reward Stars at Starbucks Stores and through “Starbucks Now” within Starbucks App. In the future, we will develop more service channels where Stars can be used for redemption. Stay tuned for more.

  • 2.21 How may I check my membership level, Star count and the volume of e-coupons in my Starbucks Rewards account?

    You may log into your Starbucks Rewards account at www.gdg-coworking.com/en/account/ or through Starbucks App to check your Star count, membership level, and e-coupon volume.

    If your Starbucks Rewards account is bundled with the account that you have established at a Partner’s channel, you may also log into the Partner’s channel and enter into relevant pages to check Star count, membership level, e-coupon volume, and other information of your Starbucks Rewards account.

  • Part III: Membership Services
  • 3.1 When my Starbucks Rewards account is verified, I find that multiple accounts corresponding to my mobile phone number are not created by myself. Why does this happen? Does this mean my account is not secure?

    In the above situation, it seems that your mobile phone number was used by other users to register Starbucks Rewards accounts before. Generally, this does not affect your registration of a new Starbucks Rewards account. Also, you do not have to worry as a password is required for logging into a Starbucks Rewards account. If you have any questions when you register or log into a Starbucks Rewards account, please call our customer service at 400-820-6998.

  • 3.2 Why can’t I see the dynamic QR code in my account after I log into my Starbucks Rewards account through Starbucks App?

    Please check if your mobile phone is connected to a mobile or wireless LAN. If your mobile phone is not connected to a mobile or wireless LAN, you will not see the dynamic QR code in your Starbucks Rewards account.

  • 3.3 May I log into the same Starbucks Rewards account through multiple devices at the same time?

    To protect the security of Starbucks Rewards accounts, Starbucks App does not allow you to log into and use the same Starbucks Rewards account through multiple devices at the same time.

  • 3.4 How do I protect the funds in the Starbucks Gift Cards bundled into my Starbucks Rewards account and member rewards from being stolen by others?

    Please protect your Starbucks Rewards account password and, from time to time, change the password. We also strongly recommend you to set up and enable a PIN password for your Starbucks Rewards account in Starbucks App. In addition, please take proper care of your physical MSR Cards and Starbucks Gift Cards.

  • 3.5 What should I do if the information in my account is not accurate or complete, such as purchase records, Star count, or membership level?

    If you have questions in any respects, please call our customer service at 400-820-6998.

  • 3.6 What should I do if I lost a physical Starbucks Gift Card that has been bundled into a Starbucks Rewards account?

    After a physical Starbucks Gift Card is lost or stolen, you may visit www.gdg-coworking.com/en/account/ to apply for freezing and transferring the balance of the lost or stolen Starbucks Gift Card (“Balance Protection”). As it takes time for us to handle your application, your application will not take immediate effect. Upon approval of the application for Balance Protection, we will generate an electronic Starbucks Gift Card for free and bundle it into your Starbucks Rewards account. We will transfer the entire balance of the original physical Starbucks Gift Card, for which the Balance Protection has been applied, to the digital Starbucks Gift Card. At the same time, the lost or stolen physical Starbucks Gift Card will no longer be in use. The newly generated and bundled digital Starbucks Gift Card will have the same validity period as the original physical Starbucks Gift Card. You will be solely responsible for the loss of funds arising from the theft or loss of the original physical Starbucks Gift Card.

  • 3.7 What should I do if I have other questions regarding the Starbucks Rewards program?

    Please call our customer service at 400-820-6998.

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