09 September 2023 , 06:00
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We’re a nation of coffee lovers - in fact, apparently us Brits now prefer it to tea.
Research from the Statista Global Consumer Survey found 63% of Britons drink coffee regularly, while only 59% regularly drink tea. We’re buying more of it in the supermarkets as well. A staggering 533 million packs of coffee was sold in the year to March 2023, according to Kantar, compared to 287 million packets of tea.
But if takeaway coffees are your weakness, this can soon add up and become expensive. On average, it costs around £3 to £4 for a regular latte at most of the popular cafe chains.
Making your own at home is obviously the cheapest way to get your caffeine fix - but if you can’t resist a Caffe Nero, Costa, Pret or Starbucks, then you should make sure you take advantage of their loyalty schemes. Here’s how each one works.
Costa Coffee
Costa customers collect one “bean” for every drink they purchase through the free Costa app. You need to download the app, sign up to the Costa Club and then scan your barcode to collect your beans.
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If you’re using a reusable cup, you’ll get two “beans” for every drink purchased. Once you reach ten “beans” you’ll get a free drink.
Costa Club has also recently launched a new “Treat Drop” feature, where you’ll be sent personalised offers every month - for example, discounts on Costa food.
Pret A Manger
Pret A Manger offers a free loyalty scheme and a paid-for coffee subscription service. Pret Perks is free to join - you just need to download the app - and allows customers to collect one “Star” per transaction.
Once you reach ten “Stars”, you’ll be given a free treat from Pret. This is picked for you by Pret, but you’re given a few options to choose from.
Pret Perks is separate to the paid-for subscription offered by the coffee chain, which is called Club Pret. This costs £30 a month and gives members five free "barista-prepared" drinks a day, as well as 20% off food, drink and snacks.
If you’ve got both schemes, you won’t collect a “Star” via Pret Perks on the free drinks you get through Club Pret.
Starbucks
Starbucks Rewards members get three “Stars” for every £1 spent on drinks, food, coffee at home products or merchandise. Once you get 150 “Stars”, you get a free drink.
People who earn 450 stars over a year reach gold level status. This means you get extra perks such as free extra espresso shots, syrups and whipped cream, plus a free drink during your birthday month.
Starbucks Rewards is free to sign up to and you can download your digital loyalty card through its app.
Caffe Nero
Caffe Nero allows customers to collect stamps for each handmade drink that’s prepared by your barista. When you collect nine stamps, you get a free drink.
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You can pick up a Caffè Nero loyalty card in stores, or get a digital version by downloading the free app.
Waitrose
Waitrose isn’t a cafe chain - but shoppers who are signed up to the myWaitrose loyalty scheme get a free coffee or tea when they bring in a reusable cup and make a purchase in stores.
It is free to sign up to myWaitrose.