Starbucks Bingo Is Back; Is Playing Worth Your Time?

by joeheg

Starbucks has been recycling its promotions for the last several years. Right on schedule, the Bonus Stars Bingo promo returned on October 4 and lasts thru October 31, 2019. I pay attention to these offers but I’m not expecting to earn a bunch of bonus stars. However, someone must be going to Starbucks because of these promotions or they wouldn’t keep bringing them back every year in almost the exact same format.

Starbucks Bingo awards bonus stars for completing tasks, finishing a line and a kicker bonus for filling the whole board.

  • Collect five bonus stars every time you fill a circle
  • Collect an additional 10 bonus stars with you complete three in a row. You’ve already got a head start with your free space
  • Collect 305 bonus stars when you conquer the entire board

In total, you can earn 425 bonus stars if you complete all the tasks, but how hard are the tasks and is it worth it?

Here is my game board and the tasks I’ve been assigned:

Screenshot 2019-10-09 13.37.14

  • Order On The Way – Make six separate purchases by ordering ahead using a registered Starbucks Card in the Starbucks app
  • Two for Yum – Pair any handcrafted beverage with any bakery item after 2 p.m. on two separate Fridays
  • All Day – Make a purchase before 12 p.m. and another after 12 p.m. in a single day
  • Coffee with friends – Purchase four handcrafted beverages in a single order
  • Great Morning – Pair a handcrafted beverage with a breakfast sandwich or sous vide egg bites in a single order, once during the week and once during the weekend
  • Weekender – Make a purchase on four different weekend days (Saturday or Sunday)
  • Lunch Break – Purchase any lunch item (salad, sandwich or protein box) after 11 a.m.
  • On a Roll – Make a purchase four days in a row after 12 p.m.

I’ll accomplish some of these without any effort, like the Order on the Way and Great Morning. However, some of the once like the On a Roll or Coffee with Friends aren’t happening.

Let’s say that somehow, I managed to complete all the circles and fill the board. I’ll earn 425 bonus stars. If I use the sweet spots of the Starbucks Rewards program and redeem my stars for the maximum return of 7.5 cents/star, the promotion has a potential value of $31.88.

Using that same value per star, completing a line is worth 75 cents and each task is only worth 37 cents. Unless you’re sure you can fill up the card to get the 300 point bonus, it doesn’t pay to spend more than usual at Starbucks for this promotion.

You should sign up at this link because it’s free and why pass up on free stars. Just make sure to go the game board every once in a while to claim your bonus stars.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

2 comments

Tda October 9, 2019 - 7:04 pm

It seems the promo is more personalized than your post suggests. I get 15 stars for completing a row, but can only earn up to 350 by completing the whole card. Also, all of my tasks are easier than yours—such as only two days in a row for “on a roll.”

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B hall October 14, 2019 - 5:36 pm

I think this is a waste of time especially if you happen to buy Starbucks at a grocery store/target etc as they don’t even count

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