coffee shop barista
coffee shop barista

How To Get Free Coffee from Starbucks, Costa, Caffè Nero & More

Here’s how to get your early morning lecture coffee for free.

If you can’t go to a lecture without buying a coffee you’re probably aware of how much it adds up. While it is cheaper to bring coffee from home, it just doesn’t hit the same. Plus, there’s nothing better than treating yourself here and there even when you know you could be saving money.

Luckily, there are some simple and easy ways to help you get free or cheaper coffee thanks to the loyalty schemes the high street coffee shops run. In case you didn’t know, we’ve rounded up the best deals and loyalty schemes from all of the big coffee shops so whichever one you find yourself visiting, you’ll know how you can save some cash and get free coffee in return.

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Leon

If you’re devastated about Pret discontinuing their subscription you don’t have to miss out, as Leon also has a coffee subscription which can get you free coffee every single day.

Roast Rewards costs just £25 a month and gives you 5 barista-made drinks for free each day— the only rule is that you have to wait an hour between each coffee. The menu includes hot and cold coffee classics like a cappuccino or a flat white as well as a range of hot chocolate and teas, including matchas.

You’ll also get 20% off food from the breakfast or all-day menus excluding meal deals, which makes Leon a great place to study and enjoy a sweet treat.

It’s also worth noting that you can get a 15% student discount at Leon with your Student Beans account and while this can’t be used with Roast Rewards, it’s a good way to save some money on coffee if you’re more of a causal drinker and you don’t want to pay £25 a month.

Starbucks

The Starbucks loyalty scheme allows customers to collect points on the app which will unlock different membership tiers. Once you have the app you’ll collect stars each time you make a purchase from Starbucks, you just need to remember to scan the app when you pay.

For every 150 stars you collect, you’ll unlock a free drink which can have as many added extras as you like, it’s truly free. The downside is that you only get 3 stars per £1 you spend, so if you spent £10 on a drink and a sandwich you’d gain 30 points, which could take a while to 150.

However, collected stars can also level up your membership status which unlocks further rewards. New memberships are at green level by default, but once you’ve earned 450 stars you’ll be a gold member meaning you’ll get a free drink on your birthday every year. Plus, gold members also get free extra shots, syrup, and whipped cream so you’ll save some money on each order.

Costa

@costacoffee

Download the Costa Club app for offers and rewards 😎 #costaclub #freecake

♬ original sound – aegontargaryenofficial

Costa’s loyalty scheme allows you to collect beans every time you order. You’ll need to download the app to start collecting and you get 1 bean every time you order. Once you collect 10 beans you’ll get a free drink, so if you’re a regular it should be pretty easy to get your free drink quickly.

Costa Club members also get a free cake on their birthday and if you bring a reusable cup to the store you’ll get an extra bean. This means if you bring a reusable cup 5 times, you’ll have earned your 10 beans and you’ll get your free drink. The app will also have plenty of additional freebies and rewards throughout the year, so if you’re a regular at Costa it’s well worth getting.

Caffè Nero

Caffè Nero’s loyalty scheme is pretty similar to Costa and Starbucks. You can sign up and download the app and collect points per order. If you buy 9 drinks you’ll get the 10th for free which is pretty decent if you’re a regular. Just like Costa you’ll get a bonus stamp on your loyalty card or point if you bring your reusable cup which means you can unlock your free drink faster.

Plus, if you refer a friend to the Caffè Nero app you’ll get a free hot drink once they’ve made their first purchase.

Greggs

@yasminecamilla

I didn’t know about this for ages! If you’re a Virgin Media customer you can sign up to O2 Priority Rewards and get all the same rewards – including a free coffee from Greggs!! Go to go 😎 Happy Sunday 💕 @greggsofficial @o2 @virginmedia #coffee #freecoffee #o2priority #budgetingtips #budgetingtiktok

♬ original sound – Yasmine Camilla 💫

The easiest way to get a free coffee from Greggs is to download the app, as all app users will receive a free coffee as a reward just for downloading it. If you’ve already done this before, you can try using a different email address to redeem the freebie again.

Once you’ve started using the Greggs app there are plenty of ways for you to earn freebies. You can win free hot food and drinks and the app will track your purchases. You have to buy 9 of something in order to get the 10th for free. So if you buy 9 sausage rolls you’ll get a sausage roll for free and if you buy 9 coffees, you’ll get the 10th for free.

Another way to get free coffee from Greggs is to be an o2 Priority member. You’ll be able to redeem a free coffee from Greggs once a week via the o2 Priority app, but you’ll have to be quick as it’s first come first served and normally sell out by around 10 am. Once they’ve given out a certain amount of free hot drinks per day, they’ll close the offer— so it’s worth checking it out before your 9am lectures.

Plus, don’t forget you can also get a student discount at Greggs with your Student Beans account!