Do you feel like it’s time that you’re rewarded for your repeat custom? Or are you just looking for better value for money? Then let’s take a look at the best coffee shop loyalty cards and apps available. Plus, I’ll share how you could save even more money on your favourite cup of coffee.
Which is the best value loyalty scheme?
Below is how much you need to spend before qualifying for a free drink. This is based on the average price of a flat white coffee from each outlet, although prices vary between stores and locations.
| Average cost before free drink | Do points expire? | |
| Costa Coffee | £22.50-£45 | 12 months |
| Starbucks | £50 | 24 months |
| Caffè Nero | £31.50 | No |
| Greggs | £20.70 | No |
The Best Coffee Shop Loyalty Cards And Apps
Now, I’m going to shock around 90% of you here by admitting that I don’t drink tea or coffee. Yes, I’m one of those. However, I do like to partake in a hot chocolate, soft drink or muffin. More importantly, I like to get something back for my money and what better way than a loyalty card? Below is a list of the four most popular schemes you can join.
Costa Coffee Club
Let’s start with Costa as they are by far the most popular in the UK, with over 2000 outlets and countless machines dotted all over the country.
How does Costa Coffee Club work?
You can either opt for a physical card or download the Costa app to your phone. When paying for your items, present your card or phone at the till and the barista will add 1 bean for every drink you buy. When you collect 10 beans, you’ll get a free drink. However, if you use your own cup, you’ll get 2 beans instead.
You can also collect points from Costa Express machines that you see in service stations and supermarkets.
How much do you need to spend before you get a free drink?
This really depends on your location and the size of the drink you want. However, if an average drink costs £4.50 at Costa, you would need to spend £45. This reduces to £22.50 with your own cup.
How to claim Costa points from a receipt
Of course, you might pop out in a rush and forget your phone or loyalty card so won’t be able to use it if you when you buy something. If that’s the case, return to Costa with your receipt and a barista will add your points.
Other Costa Coffee Club benefits
- You can order ahead using the app if you’re pushed for time.
- Earn exclusive rewards (such as 25% off any drink).
- Friend referral – earn extra by friends using your link.
Important to know
If inactive for 12 months, the points on your card will expire and cannot be used.
Costa referral code
Use my link below and you’ll earn 1 bean for joining and another 5 when you purchase a drink!
Also worth reading
It’s not just coffee you can earn rewards from. Take a look through some of the best loyalty schemes in the UK.
Starbucks Card
This is the 2nd most common coffee shop in the UK, but has fewer than half the number of outlets compared to Costa. Rather than points, Starbucks rewards you with stars instead. Wooooh.
How does the Starbucks card work?
Simply create a Starbucks account after downloading the app and present it when you make a purchase. You’ll then be rewarded with 3 stars for every £1 you spend.
How many Starbucks stars for a free coffee?
For a free drink, you will need to reach 150 stars. That means you will need to spend at least £50, so it’s not the most generous of loyalty schemes. But as a little bonus, if you reach 450 stars you become a ‘gold level’ member. That means extra shots of espresso, dairy alternatives, selected syrups and whipped cream – all for free.
Other Starbucks Card benefits
- Gold members will receive a free drink on their birthday.
- You can add money to your Starbucks app. That means you can order and pay all from the app.
- Selected members will receive bonus stars from time-to-time.
Important to know
Your stars will expire if you do not use your loyalty card in 2 years.
Caffè Nero loyalty card or app
3rd on the list comes Caffè Nero, which has around 200 fewer stores compared to Starbucks.
How does the Caffè Nero loyalty scheme work?
Caffè Nero provides both a physical card and an app. You can transfer the stamps from the card to the app just by asking one of the baristas in store. And, you can have more than one physical loyalty card.
The collection of stamps is pretty simple, you’ll earn one every time you order a barista-made drink.
How many stamps do I need for a free drink?
Once you reach 9 stamps you qualify for your freebie.
Can I add stamps if I forget to scan my loyalty card?
Unlike Costa, you can’t add stamps retrospectively. However, if you turn up at Caffè Nero and you’ve forgotten your phone or your card, pick up another card from the desk. You can then transfer the stamp from this card over to the app.
Other Caffè Nero app benefits
- Receive an additional stamp if you use a reusable cup.
- Earn extra stamps from promotional products.
- You can add money to the app, meaning you don’t need to take cash or a payment card with you.
- Order your drink from your phone.
Important to know
If you’re redeeming a partner offer (such as free drink from O2), you should still qualify for your stamp. But check with the barista.
Your stamps don’t expire. However, once your loyalty card has 9 stamps, you have 18 months to claim your free drink.
Also worth reading
Costa isn’t the only company that gives you a bonus for referrals. Here are some of the best refer a friend schemes in the UK.
Greggs Rewards
Not strictly a coffee shop but a very popular place where people like to pick up their morning coffee. Plus, Greggs also has its own loyalty app.
How does the Greggs app work?
Greggs Rewards is slightly more complicated compared to the other loyalty schemes due to the fact that they tend to focus more on food.
The rewards are split into 6 sections:
- Breakfast
- Drinks
- Savouries and Bakes
- Sandwiches and Salads
- Sweet Treats
- Hot Food
Stamps are added when you make a purchase from each section. For example, if you bought 5 sandwiches across the week, you will have 5 stamps in the sandwich section and nothing else.
How many stamps do I need for a hot drink
You need 9 stamps before you qualify for your free drink. This is the same for any of the sections.
Other Greggs benefits
- Upload money to the Greggs app and pay straight from there.
- Full menu available from the app.
Important to know
You are unable to earn stamps from click and collect orders.
Pret a Manger Subscription
This isn’t a loyalty scheme like the ones above, but certainly worth a mention. For a monthly fee of £5, you’ll get 50% off up to 5 Barista-made drinks per day. Be warned, this is due to rise to £10 in March 2025.
Drinks include:
Organic Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, all Iced Drinks including: Iced Coffee, Cold Brew, Frappes and Smoothies (except Cocoa, Almond Butter & Banana Smoothie, Raspberry, Mango & Ginger Smoothie, and Avocado, Mango and Ginger Smoothie) and including any milk alternatives, syrups and extra coffee shots.
However, to stop us from buying a round of drinks for all our friends, you can only order one free drink every 30 minutes.
If you’re a regular user of Pret, this could be well worth the money.
Leon Roast Rewards
This is another subscription service and a little more generous compared to Pret’s. In fact, it’s almost exactly the same as the old Pret scheme before they changed it in 2024.
For £25 a month, you can have five barista-made drinks per day (although there’s a maximum of one per hour) and 20% off breakfast and all-day food menu (excluding meal deals).
Which is the best coffee shop loyalty card or app?
This is a tough one to call. If you have a cup you’re happy to reuse, then the Costa loyalty programme is actually very good. Aside from that, Caffè Nero and Greggs are very similar, with a free drink after nine purchases. Of course, Greggs’ drinks are cheaper than its competitors, but I know quite a few people who say there’s a good reason for that.
But it’s safe to say that the Starbucks loyalty scheme is by far the worse.
Tips for saving more
Loyalty cards are great, but there are several other ways you can help to cut the cost of your purchases from coffee shops.
Discounted gift cards
There are various apps which will sell you gift cards for below their face value, which means you get a discount on your purchase. Check out my reviews of Sprive and JamDoughnut, both of which could save you up to 9% at your favourite coffee chain.
Depending on your employment, you may be able to access these discounted cards from a membership scheme. For example, Blue Light Card holders can purchase gift cards or vouchers for Caffè Nero, Greggs and Costa ranging between 6-8% off.
The Civil Service Sports Council also offers similar discounts but includes Starbucks.
Receipt scanning
This is very easy to do. Every time you make a purchase, take a photo of the receipt using your phone and earn rewards. These usually pay out using Amazon vouchers or PayPal. The good thing is, there are lots of apps available, which means you can get paid multiple times for the same receipt.
Take a look at the best receipt scanning apps.
Mobile phone rewards
A lot of mobile phone companies now offer their own rewards apps, including O2 Priority Rewards, Three Rewards and Vodafone VeryMe. You will quite often find free drinks or food in their offers, so they’re well worth downloading.
Bank account offers
Like mobile phone companies, many banks also offer their own reward schemes. These generally involve cashback of between 5 and 15% when you use your debit card to make a purchase. All you need to do is activate the offer before using it. Check your online account or app to see if you qualify.
Cashback credit cards
There are credit cards out there that will earn you cashback every time you spend. Although the amounts are small (usually between 0.25% – 1%), it soon adds up over the year.
It’s just important that you make sure that you clear your balance at the end of each month. Otherwise, the interest you pay will soon outweigh any cashback you make.
Take a look at some of the best cashback credit cards.
FAQs
Is there a Costa coffee hack?
Recently there was an article about somebody using a hack to earn over £100 worth of points. However, this turned out to be somebody sharing their referral code. There is no known hack doing the rounds at the moment.