3 Coffee Reward Programs (not named Starbucks or Dunkin’)
Nothing screams America more than coffee to-go. Or more specifically, drive-thru coffee to-go. Hence, coffee brands are growing, and in just about every market there stiff competition. A few months ago we looked into whether Starbucks was still worth it (for some consumers, yes), and how it compared to other fast-food chains such as Dunkin’ and McDonald’s.
In this post we’ll check out 3 quick-service coffee brands might be in your area, or will be soon.
(💡Helpful tip: when we talk about about “return value”, we mean how much you get back in rewards compared to what you spend to earn it. Example: If you spend $100 to earn $10 worth of points or credits, your return value is 10%. The higher the percentage, the better!)
7 Brew
7 Brew has over 450 locations in the US and is growing fast. Right now, they are in most states, save for the West Coast. They are known for highly customizable coffee, teas, enery drinks, and are even in the dirty-soda game.
Program: 7Brew Rewards
✨ Benefits:
Earn 100 points per drink
At 1000 points (10 drinks), get a free drink reward
You decide when to redeem for a free drink, not automatic
Can be redeemed for any size drink
Points don’t expire as long as you are active once in 12 months
⚠️ Watchouts:
They have no app (a fast-food rareity) but you can provide your phone # to earn/redeem at the restaurant, and their website has your reward tracking.
💰 Return Value: This can vary based on what you buy as your 10 earning drinks vs. what you redeem free. You could game this by buying all the small drinks and then redeeming them for an expensive large. But assume you’re consistent and redeem for the same drink you earn at, that’s a 10% return value…excellent.
👩🏻⚖️ Our Verdict: Very Rewarding
Super simple, yet super rewarding in its value, plus generous flexibility on the redemption and point expiration. A no-brainer.
Dutch bros
Dutch Bros has over 1000 locations across 19 states and is also growing very fast. Similar to 7Brew, they have a wide variety and customizable drink menu, and call their barista’s “broista’s” (cute, so cute), and are all about a drive-thru experience. Dutch Bros does have an app where you can order ahead and track your points and rewards.
Program: Dutch Rewards
✨ Benefits:
$1= 3 points
250 points= Free Medium Drink; 325 points= Any size free drink with choice of extra’s
Free drink for joining (good for 14 days)
Free drink for your birthday (good for 90 days)
Can share rewards with a friend
Does run point and other special promotions for members
⚠️ Watchouts:
Rewards can expire but the terms are vague
Points expire 180 days after earning regardless of activity
💰 Return Value: You’ll need to spend $83 to earn enough points for a medium drink and $108 for any size drink. If you redeem for a $5 medium drink or $7 large drink, that’s 6% return value and more expensive drinks would give you a higher value.
👩🏻⚖️ Our Verdict: Rewarding
Dutch Bros return value for your points is in line with other fast-food brands and better than Starbucks. Plus, we love the ability to share a drink with a friend.
Scooters Coffee
If you live outside the midwest, you might not be familiar with Scooter’s Coffee. They have over 850 locations and are heavily present in Nebraska and Iowa. Scooter’s likes to promote they are not only in the coffee business but “the people business”, with a mission to share love as well as caffeine.
Program: Scooters Rewards
✨ Benefits:
You earn “smiles” instead of points for every dollar spent. (A bit confusing, as I would think a “smile” was a visit, but we’ll go with it.)
Earn 5 smiles for every $1 when ordering ahead or with the app
Earn 3 smiles for every $1 when you scan and pay without the app.
Smiles can be redeemed for almost anything on the menu, ranging from a low of 80 smiles (Drink Modifier) to a high of 400 smiles (Smoothie; Nitro Cold Brew)
Generously, drink rewards are for any size.
3 Tier Levels:
Buddy
Bestie: Visit 9x in a calendar month to unlock
Ride-or-Die: Visit 15x in a calendar month to unlock
Earn extra 10 bonus smiles per order
You stay at each level for 1 extra month after earning
Earn extra 15 bonus smiles per order
Birthday Rewards: 200, 300, or 400 bonus smiles based on your highest tier status over the last 6 months.
Free medium drink for signing up (after 1st purchase)
⚠️ Watchouts:
Smiles expire 182 days after earning regardless of activity.
Limit to 35 transactions a month to earn extra smiles with Bestie or Ride-or-Die
Rewards expire after 30 days, but good news they revert back to Smiles if unused
💰 Return Value: This will vary depending on whether you take advantage of the “any size” redemption and go for the largest. But our calculations show a return value from 4% to as high as 10-12+%. If you pay with the app and order ahead, you'll earn a significantly higher return rate, so frequent users should definitely opt for this. And we also see higher return values on the most expensive items, despite needing 350 or 400 smiles. So best to try to hoard points and redeem for something rich.
👩🏻⚖️ Our Verdict: Very Rewarding
Redemption across the entire menu ✅; Strong return values✅; Good higher tier earning rate ✅; Strong birthday reward ✅
We don’t love the 182 point…um, smile…expiration policy but otherwise this is an excellent program.
🎯 summary:
Overall, these coffee brands are excelling in the Rewards arena and are among the better programs across the fast food industry.
7 Brew and Scooters: 💰 Very Rewarding. Both offer excellent return value for your points (10% or more) and flexible programs that allow you to redeem for almost anything.
Dutch Bros:👍🏻 Rewarding. Robust program with good return value (~6%+ ) and love how you can share rewards with friends.
Even if you only pop in for a drink fix 1x a week it’s worth it to join.
Leave us a comment! Do you agree or disagree? Any further tips about about any of these Reward programs?
