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You Can Get a Free Starbucks Drink on Your Birthday, and Here’s How It Works

The Starbucks Rewards program comes with many benefits, one of which is the birthday reward. Rewards members can receive a free birthday drink or food item at any participating Starbucks location when they go in on their birthday.

Key Takeaways

  • To get a free Starbucks birthday drink, you must be a Starbucks Rewards member for at least seven days before your birthday and earn one Star.
  • You can get nearly any menu item free on your birthday, including standard-sized drinks and food.
  • To redeem your birthday reward, present your Starbucks app or valid Rewards card to the barista on your birthday.

Do you want to celebrate your next birthday with your favorite treat from Starbucks? Keep reading to learn more about Starbucks birthday rewards!

How to Get a Free Starbucks Drink on Your Birthday

To get a free birthday drink at Starbucks, you must be a Starbucks Rewards member for at least seven days before your birthday. In addition, you must also have earned at least one Star in the year leading up to your birthday.

To sign up for Starbucks Rewards, download the Starbucks app or go to starbucks.com/rewards.

Enter your name, email address, and password to create an account.

Then, enter your birthday under “Personal info” on the account page by tapping the man icon in the top right corner of your app or selecting it from the drop-down menu on the website.

If you do not list your birthday on your Rewards account page, you will not be eligible for a free birthday drink.

To receive a free Starbucks drink on your birthday, you’ll have to sign up for Starbucks Rewards at least seven days before your birthday.

You’ll also have to make at least one Star-earning purchase in the year leading up to your birthday.

To make sure you earn Stars on your Starbucks purchases, order ahead on the app or use the “Scan” or “Scan and pay” feature in a participating store.

The Starbucks Rewards program allows you to earn rewards, or Stars, on every dollar you spend at participating locations.

You can then redeem those Stars for free Starbucks drinks, food, drink modifications, and Starbucks merch!

Rewards members are eligible for additional benefits, such as free refills, early access to promotions, and personalized offers.

Can You Get Any Size Free Birthday Drink at Starbucks?

You can get any standard-sized Starbucks drink for free on your birthday.

That means if you want a venti iced mocha, go for it!

Almost every Starbucks menu item is fair game when you have a birthday reward, including handcrafted beverages and food.

The standard Starbucks drink sizes are short, tall, grande, venti hot, venti cold, and trenta, though not every drink is available in each size.

For example, only certain iced beverages, such as iced coffee and Starbucks Refreshers, are available in the trenta size.

As long as your beverage of choice is offered in a particular size, you can order that size as your free birthday drink.

You can redeem your Starbucks birthday reward for any standard-sized drink with up to two modifications.

However, you cannot redeem your birthday reward for a size not offered on the Starbucks menu or for a particular beverage (so no trenta frappuccinos, unfortunately.)

You also cannot redeem your birthday reward for multi-serve-sized items, like Starbucks coffee traveler-to-go carriers, which serve up to 12 people.

What Can You Get for Your Birthday Reward?

If you’re a Rewards member, you can get nearly any Starbucks menu item for free on your birthday, including food, standard-sized handcrafted beverages, and bottled drinks.

However, you cannot redeem your birthday reward for more than one item or a “multi-serve” item such as a coffee traveler.

Almost all Starbucks menu items, including food and handcrafted espresso drinks, are eligible for birthday rewards.

Some popular Starbucks menu items you can get for your birthday reward include:

Your Starbucks birthday reward cannot be redeemed for items such as:

  • A tray of pastries
  • A coffee traveler
  • Beverages that contain alcohol
  • Packaged coffee (such as whole-bean coffee)
  • Starbucks merch

How to Redeem Your Birthday Reward

To redeem your Starbucks birthday reward, present your Starbucks app or valid Rewards card to the barista on your birthday.

Keep in mind that your birthday reward is only valid on the day of your birthday.

In addition, you must be a Starbucks Rewards member for at least seven days before your birthday to receive your free drink.

You must also make at least one Star-earning purchase leading up to your birthday each year that you want to redeem a birthday reward.

Make sure that you add your birthday to your Rewards account by selecting “Personal info” under your profile on the account app.

Otherwise, you won’t be eligible for a birthday reward.

Starbucks will send you a reminder about your birthday reward via email and on the app two days before your birthday.

You can view your birthday reward on the app by selecting “Offers” in the bottom right corner of your screen.

Your barista will scan your member barcode on your app or valid Starbucks Rewards card when you go to redeem your free birthday drink.

You can view your member barcode by selecting “Scan” at the bottom of your Starbucks app.

Where Can You Redeem Your Birthday Reward?

You can redeem your birthday reward at any participating Starbucks location.

To find out if your local Starbucks accepts Rewards, go to the Starbucks store locator online or call the store directly.

You can visit the store locator on the Starbucks website.

Type in your zip code or share your location to see a list of Starbucks stores near you.

If a store participates in the Starbucks Rewards program, “Redeem Rewards” will be listed under the store’s amenities.

You can also filter your search by amenities, selecting “Redeem Rewards” to only view participating stores in your area.

What If Your Birthday Is Incorrect?

If your birthday is incorrect on your Rewards account, you can contact Starbucks customer service to update it for you.

You can only change your birthday once, so make sure the information is updated correctly!

You can contact Starbucks customer service here and request them to change it.

If your request is approved, Starbucks will update your birthday on your account within 48 hours.

According to their website, they will only make this change one time, most likely to prevent people from getting multiple free drinks throughout the year!

Another Way of Getting a Free Drink at Starbucks

If you don’t want to wait until your birthday, you can enjoy a free Starbucks coffee on National Coffee Day, September 29.

Starbucks celebrates its own birthday each year by giving free brewed coffee to anyone who brings in a clean, reusable coffee cup on National Coffee Day.

You can also earn Stars through the Starbucks Rewards program and redeem them for a free drink.  

Starbucks’ National Coffee Day offer is generally limited to brewed hot or iced coffee.

Unlike the Starbucks birthday reward, it excludes food and handcrafted beverages, such as lattes or frappuccinos.

You must bring a clean, reusable cup that is 20 ounces or less to receive your free coffee.

You can also bank Starbucks Rewards or Stars and redeem them for a free drink at Starbucks.

50 Stars will get you a free hot brewed coffee or tea, and 150 Stars can be redeemed for a handcrafted beverage.

In addition, you can use Stars to get other free items not eligible for birthday rewards, such as packaged coffee or Starbucks merch.

Conclusion

There are really no disadvantages to becoming a Starbucks Rewards member since it’s free to sign up for the program.

Once you’re a member, it’s easy to earn Rewards like a free drink on your birthday!

If you drink Starbucks even once or twice a year, consider signing up for Starbucks Rewards. You might just want that free birthday treat to celebrate your next trip around the sun!

For more information about Starbucks, check out the articles below.

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About the Author

Lauren Vigdor is a creative writer and hospitality professional with over a decade of experience in the food and beverage industry. She specializes in food and beverage writing.

Her book, “Drink Like a Bartender,” was written as a guide to help novice drinkers navigate the beverage world and was rated one of Forbes Magazine’s Best Bar Books of 2017.

November 16, 2022