How To Get Free Coffee from Starbucks, Costa, Caffè Nero & More
Here’s how to get your early morning 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. 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.
Loading …How to get free coffee
1. Free Leon coffee
If you’re still 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 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.
2. Free Starbucks coffee
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.
Many people on TikTok have also noticed that recently, when you’re drinking in-store, Starbucks has moved to giving customers a real glass as opposed to a disposable cup— and with this are offering free refills on selected drinks. It’s worth keeping an eye out for this in your local store as this is very new and might not be available everywhere currently, but if you can take advantage of this you can easily enjoy free drinks which makes Starbucks a great study spot.
3. Free Costa coffee
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.
4. Free Caffè Nero coffee
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.
5. Free Greggs coffee
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!
6. Waitrose free coffee
One of the best free coffee deals for students is from Waitrose. Yes, Waitrose might not be your go-to supermarket on a budget but if you have a local one it’s worth stopping in just for the free coffee offer. All you have to do is bring a reusable coffee cup and scan your myWaitrose card (which you should get if you don’t have one already) and a self-serve machine in-store. You can either get a regular coffee or tea entirely for free, so it’s worth taking a detour on your way to your lectures if you have a Waitrose nearby.
If you’re more of a pub goer than a coffee drinker, check out pubs where you can get a student discount and cheap drinks.
Coffee student discounts
Looking for more coffee deals? While you might not be able to score a free coffee every single day, there are definitely some other ways you can save money on coffee at home thanks to the coffee deals we have on Student Beans.
Some great deals to check out include:
- Nespresso student discount– to help you save money on a coffee machine and save money by making good coffee at home
- Beanies student discount– save money on a range of different instant coffee flavours
- Tassimo student discount– treat yourself to a new coffee machine
- Bird & Blend student discount– Alright, this technically isn’t a coffee deal but if you love to drink tea or matcha it’s a great discount to check out
For more freebies, check out freebies you can get on your birthday and freebies all students can claim.
