Starbucks faces backlash over stricter conditions for new rewards program

Starbucks Korea is facing customer criticism over its recently updated Rewards program, which makes earning stars more difficult than before. Starbucks Rewards allows customers to earn stars by paying with the company’s smartphone app or payment card. The more they spend, the more stars they collect. Once customers reach a certain number of stars, they can exchange them for coupons offering perks like free size upgrades, food, drinks or merchandise. Under the updated Rewards program, customers now need to spend 3,000 won ($2.17) to earn a star, up from the previous 1,000 won. Many customers were especially angered that Starbucks did not publicly announce the change. Instead, the company emphasized the expanded range of benefits that customers can choose from with their collected stars. The higher spending requirement has triggered complaints from the program’s more than 14 million users. Under the previous system, customers with a free coupon for a tall-size iced Americano could upgrade to a venti by paying the 1,400 won difference and still earn a star. That reward is no longer avaWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times