You can register a physical gift card or an eGift card. You must have a minimum balance of $5 on your card to register.

To load money onto your virtual card, press the “cards” icon in the toolbar at the bottom of your screen. Enter your payment information, then pick a pre-set amount of cash to put on your card. To use your virtual card, press the “cards” icon on the toolbar at the bottom of your phone screen. Then, press the “Pay in Store” button in the bottom right corner of the screen. A barcode will appear, and the cashier will scan it just as they would scan a physical card.

The field where you can enter your Star code is close to the bottom of the page, under the heading “Easy Ways to Join. ”[5] X Research source The prompts will guide you to select a physical or virtual Starbucks card that you will use to purchase products and accumulate rewards.

You must use the exact card that you registered to earn stars. If you are using another card, it must be registered to the same rewards account as your original card. You can’t earn Stars while loading new money on your card, or while purchasing alcoholic beverages. Products sold in other countries will earn Stars as if their value were expressed in US dollars. For instance, if you spend 1 Pound at a Starbucks location in the United Kingdom, you will earn two stars (the same amount you would have earned if you had spent 1 dollar).

You can only enter 2 Star codes online per day to earn Stars. The amount of Stars that you earn by entering Star codes from purchased products will vary depending on what you bought and how much you paid for it. Star codes expire about a year after the product’s “Best by” date. Be aware of this if you’re trying to enter a code from a product that you purchased a while ago. [8] X Research source

You can submit your receipt up to 60 days after your purchase and still earn rewards. Make sure the entirety of the receipt is visible and legible in the picture that you upload. If not, your submission may not be approved, and you may not earn any Stars.

Because you earn 2 stars for each US dollar you spend at Starbucks locations, you’ll need to spend about $150 throughout the year to reach Gold status.

Before you receive your Gold card, you will continue to earn all the rewards associated with Gold status – including a free drink or snack every time you earn an additional 125 Stars – by using your regular, non-Gold registered Starbucks card.

You can easily transfer the balance of your old registered card to your new gold card by logging into your Starbucks account, selecting “Manage”, then following the transfer prompts. [12] X Research source You can also transfer money to your new card by selecting “Pay” and then “Manage” while using your Starbucks app, or by asking a cashier at any Starbucks store to perform the transfer for you.

To earn stars for other Starbucks products you purchase outside of stores, upload your receipts or enter Star codes from the products online. This is an especially good idea if you have only been earning Stars at Starbucks locations, but are now struggling to collect enough Stars to maintain your Gold membership. Monitor your Star balance on your mobile app or by visiting http://www. starbucks. com/account to make sure you’re on track to reclaim your Gold status next year.