Starbucks serves up another deal, this time with Lyft perks
The benefits of being a loyal Starbucks customer keep getting better, from being able to help influence the music playing in your favorite coffee shop to getting free access to top headlines from The New York Times. Now, the coffee chain is sweetening the deal even more by announcing a partnership with ride-sharing service Lyft to get you free drinks faster, whether you’re a passenger or a driver.
Get a Lyft and a free cup of coffee
You can already earn My Starbucks Rewards stars through your Spotify and NYT purchases, but the new partnership with Lyft gives you another way to work towards that free cup of coffee. Lyft passengers can earn loyalty points by using the service, which means you could hire a ride to a business meeting and get a free beverage when you get there.
Provide a ride and earn more than money
Lyft drivers also see some additional benefits from the new partnership. Every driver with the ride-sharing service will have the option of becoming a My Starbucks Rewards program gold status member, allowing them to earn their free drinks faster. On top of that, Lyft drivers will be able to receive Starbucks eGifts from customers using the app and wanting to thank their chauffeur in a more personal way.
Helping the baristas, too
Some Starbucks employees struggle with reliable transportation, because mass transit options don’t always match their work schedules. Starbucks and Lyft have plans for later in 2015 to explore the possibility of bringing convenient and cost effective transportation benefits to the coffee chain’s employees. The two companies will try the benefit out in a single test market to determine the long-term viability of the option.
A winning deal, if it applies to you
This new partnership between Starbucks and Lyft only applies in the 65 United States cities where the ride-sharing company operates, which seems a bit limited on the surface. It’s a great alliance for drivers and passengers in those Lyft markets, but I hope that Starbucks doesn’t stop there. It would be nice to see Starbucks rewards opportunities for Uber, too, as well as public transportation options.
