Starbucks just announced their new rewards program and instead of being able to get anything off the menu for 125 stars (like the old program) starting on April 16th – you’ve got a lot more choices for using stars.

So between now and April 16th, the best way to use stars will be to get the most expensive item you can for the 125 stars, since that price will be going up in about a month. So if you like Starbucks’ lunch sandwiches or fancy handcrafted beverages with lots of add-ons, and you’ve got stars to burn, do it now!

After April 16th, it’s a whole new game! I’ve done these calculations based on the Starbucks that I frequent most. But as many of you know, prices vary greatly depending on which store you go to. I’ve walked just a couple of blocks before and found a whole new set of prices because, in those blocks, I went from a top tourist destination to a more residential neighborhood.

I’ve broken down each of the categories into different charts each highlighting which items you can get for that number of stars.

Items That Cost 25 Stars Each

These items are items that you’d use to upgrade your drinks. It’s an easy way to use your stars at a low level.

There are three things you can get for 25 stars: an extra espresso shot, dairy substitute or a dash of your favorite syrup.

You earn 2 stars per dollar, so once you’ve spent $12.50 at Starbucks, you can get one of these upgrades.

25 Star Items	Cost at My Store	Cents Per Star
Extra Espresso Shot	90 cents	3.6
Dairy Substitute	60 cents	2.4
Dash of Your Favorite Syrup	50 cents	2

Items That Cost 50 Stars Each

It gets a bit trickier as you get into this next category. There are three things you can get for 50 stars: a brewed hot coffee, bakery item or hot tea.

For the brewed coffee ($2.75) and hot tea ($2.65), I used the largest size option. Because why not go big if you can!

But the bakery items add a whole new area of the game. The lowest value bakery item you can get at my store is a plain bagel for $1.85. The most expensive item is the Ham and Cheese Croissant for $3.75. In the middle, you have ~15 items including the Marshmallow Dream Bar for $2.50, a Classic Coffee Cake for $2.95, and the Birthday Cake Pop for $1.95.

Once you calculate the cents per stars in these categories, it easily makes this more lucrative than the upgrades you can get for 25 stars. Even the lowest level bakery item gives you a better ratio.

50 Star Items	Cost at My Store	Cents Per Star
Brewed Hot Coffee (Venti)	$2.75	5.5
Bakery Item	$1.85 – $3.75	3.7 – 7.5
Hot Tea (Venti)	$2.65	5.3

Items That Cost 150 Stars Each

Up next is the category that makes it easiest to work the system. For 150 stars you can get one of three things: a Handcrafted Drink, Hot Breakfast or Parfait. These things used to cost 125 stars under the old program (expires on April 16, 2019). So it’s a slight devaluation, but you can still make it very worth your while.

Let’s start at the bottom, the lowest value items you can get for 150 stars are the Sausage Cheddar and Egg Sandwich ($3.75) and the smallest versions of handcrafted drinks with no add-ons (such as a Short Caffe Americano for $2.45).

The other hot breakfast items will get you a little bit better bang for your buck with the Sous Vide Egg Bites ($4.45) and most of the breakfast sandwiches at $4.95. I think this category would also count the more premium yogurt items and oatmeal bowls like the Mango & Coconut Yogurt Bowl and the Strawberry & Toasted Almond Overnight Grains which both ring in at $5.25.

Lastly, we’ve got the fancy handcrafted drinks. According to the Caffeine Informer, the most expensive drink ever recorded was $148.99. They got the cost up by adding 173 shots of espresso to a flat white. So yes, this will now cost you 150 stars instead of 125 stars but it will be the best deal you can get. But who is actually drinking that?!

150 Star Items	Cost at My Store	Cents Per Star
Handcrafted Drink	$2.45 – $148.99	1.6 – 99.3
Hot Breakfast	$3.75 – $4.95	2.5 – 3.3
Parfait	$3.75 – $5.25	2.5 – 3.5

Items That Cost 200 Stars Each

This next category is for Starbucks Lunch, for 200 stars you can get: a lunch sandwich, protein box or salad. Starbucks isn’t really known for its lunch items but under the old program, they were a great way to use your stars because the lunch sandwiches had a higher cost dollar-wise but cost the same number of stars. Not anymore.

Since the cost for these items went up to 200 stars, it isn’t really worth it anymore to me to use my stars here, but I’ve included the stats for you to decide for yourself.

200 Star Items	Cost at My Store	Cents Per Star
Lunch Sandwich	$5.95 – $7.75	3 – 3.9
Protein Box	$5.65	2.8
Salad	$6.95	3.5

Items That Cost 400 Stars Each

This last category is a huge range of products for a big number of stars. For 400 stars, you can get a bag of coffee, a signature cup, or your choice of select coffee accessories. I am not sure exactly what will qualify here.

I think it could be worth it if you used these stars to buy a one-of-a-kind cup or really anything in the $20+ range. If Starbucks accessories are your jam, this might be the way to get them.

400 Star Items	Cost at My Store	Cents Per Star
Bag of Coffee	$12.95	3.2
Coffee Accessories	¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Signature Cup	$5 – $25	0.01 – 6.25

Other Tips and Tricks

As I mentioned above, stores have different prices. You’ll always get a better ratio for stars if you redeem at stores that sell items at higher prices. So use your stars when you are at the airport or traveling to tourist-y destinations.

In Conclusion

So in conclusion, the best item you can get to maximize your stars is still a handcrafted beverage because you have the ability to do so many add-ons that it adds up to be an expensive drink.

But for me personally, I wouldn’t enjoy something like that. I normally order a grande drip coffee ($2.45 or 50 stars) and a breakfast sandwich ($4.95 or 150 stars). If I am feeling really fancy, I order a handcrafted beverage with soy milk and an extra shot of espresso ($5.45 or 150 stars). So for me, the drip coffee for 4.9 cents per star is a better bang for my buck than the handcrafted beverage for 3.6 cents per star. So it looks like after April 16, that’s how I’ll be using my stars 🙂

---

What do you all think about the new Starbucks rewards program? What will you be spending your stars on? Let us know in the comments!