Starbuck’s Rewards credit card

Now this one is intriguing as a coffee fueled consumer. Let’s see what is involved here:

• $49 annual fee
• 2500 Bonus points for signing up and spending $500 in 90 days
• 250 Bonus points the first time you load your Starbucks card in your Starbucks app from your Starbucks Rewards Visa
• .25 PPD for non-Starbucks related purchases
• 3 PPD for money spent in a Starbucks store
• 8 Barrista Picks per year (you’ll get an email with details as to what and when these are available)

Now let’s do some math here. I love coffee, but do I spend enough to make this card worth while?

The sign up bonus is good for 10 free beverages. I spend around $4-5 per drink, so let’s call this $45 in value. The other bonus is good for 2 more beverages. So now I’ve got my first year annual fee covered.

For each year moving forward, I need to get 11 free drinks to break even. This means I need to earn 1375 points per year. Just looking at my Starbuck’s purchases, I would have to spend $459 per year to break even with the annual fee. That’s $38.25 per month or around 2 drinks per week.

If you find yourself in line for your Cinnamon Dulce Latte (I swear it tastes like a toasted marshmallow) at least twice a week, the Starbuck’s Reward card could be your way to maximize the return on your spending.