The beginning of 2024 marked some big news for Starbucks chains and customers everywhere when Starbucks became the first national coffee retailer to accept personal reusable cups – not just for in-store orders, but also for mobile and drive-thru orders.
This is all part of an effort to help reduce cup waste sent to landfills in the US and Canada. Back in 2022, Starbucks set a goal to reduce their overall waste by 50% by the year 2030. And one of the best ways to achieve that is to fill customer orders with their own personal reusable, sustainable cups.
So how do you get in on this bring-your-own-cup action, regardless of how or what you order at Starbucks? We’ll walk you through the rules, hacks, and benefits that await.
How to use your own cup at Starbucks for a discount
You can bring any kind or size of reusable cup with you, whether it’s an official Starbucks Red Cup (which we’ll explain below) or your own personal cup. The only requirement is that your cup is clean and reusable, and Starbucks will use it to fill whatever your order may be.
And when it comes to your order, any type of beverage – hot drinks, iced drinks, or blended drinks – in any Starbucks cup size – short, tall, grande, venti, or trenta – is eligible to be filled in your personal cup.
Besides the obvious benefit to the environment, you get a perk for bringing your own cup, too: a $0.10 discount on any order. Ten cents may not seem like much, but if you’re a regular or frequent Starbucks customer, the amount you save on your orders will add up pretty quickly. And if you’re a Starbucks Rewards member, you’ll also earn 25 Bonus Stars each time you use your own cup.
Here’s how it works depending on how you order at Starbucks.
In-Store Orders
Simply bring your clean reusable cup with you and tell the barista when you order that you have your own personal cup. You’ll hand it over to them and they’ll use it for your order.
Pro tip: if you plan to enjoy your drink in the store, most Starbucks locations offer reusable ceramic or glass cups that you can ask for instead of paper or plastic.
Starbucks App: Order-Ahead Mobile Orders
If you’re ordering online or via the Starbucks mobile app, you’ll select your order as usual and then click on the “Customize” button underneath the menu item. Scroll down to “Cup Options” and you’ll see an option to check off “Personal Cup”. Continue with your order and place it for pickup.
Once you arrive at Starbucks, go to the pickup area and hand a barista your reusable cup (sans the lid). They’ll fill it with your drink order and hand it back over.
Drive-Thru Orders
If you’re visiting a Starbucks drive-thru location, just let the barista know while you’re ordering that you’ve brought your own personal cup (the same way you would do in-store). Once you get to the pickup window, the barista will collect your cup and return it to you with your drink order inside.
The maximum number of times you can order with your own cup and receive the discount is three orders per day.
What is Starbucks Red Cup Day?
You can certainly bring your own cup with you to Starbucks, but if you’re looking for a reusable cup you can also score a free one on Starbucks Red Cup Day. This is an annual nationwide giveaway that celebrates the holiday season at Starbucks, which typically falls on the third Thursday in November.
On Red Cup Day at participating stores across the US, you can receive a free Starbucks-branded, holiday-themed, reusable red cup when you order any hand-crafted holiday drink on the menu. That means seasonal fall, winter, or holiday drinks.
The cup comes in a grande size, which is 16 ounces. You can participate by ordering in person at the store, on the Starbucks mobile app, or even online through a delivery service like Uber Eats or DoorDash
Yes! Your personal cup can be any type or size of cup, as long as it’s reusable and it’s clean when you bring it to Starbucks.
Any drink on the Starbucks menu is eligible for a personal cup order, whether it’s hot, iced, or blended. And any size can be fulfilled as well, as long as it fits in the cup you brought with you.
Yes, just like in-person or drive-thru orders, you can fulfill a mobile Starbucks order via the app with your own reusable cup. To do this, you’ll select the “Personal Cup” option in the Starbucks app under the “Customize” section when you place your order. When you arrive to pick up your order, you’ll hand your reusable cup to a barista and they’ll fill it.
As long as you order a participating holiday beverage (any of Starbucks’ seasonal fall or winter hand-crafted drinks) on Red Cup Day, you can place your order any way you’d like: in person at a participating location, on the Starbucks mobile app, or through a delivery service like Uber Eats or DoorDash.
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