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Although the Starbucks winter cups and the Starbucks holiday drinks menu hit stores in early November, the season doesn’t really begin until Starbucks Red Cup Day.
Starbucks has been doing holiday-themed cups for more than 25 years, and Red Cup Day is the focal point for the seasonal menu and aesthetic makeover. It’s the food holiday when the coffee giant gives away free reusable cups to celebrate their limited-time drinks. Red Cup Day typically takes place on the third Thursday in November. In 2023, that’s Thursday, Nov. 16. However Starbucks hasn’t confirmed this date yet. We did reach out to a representative and hope to hear something soon.
So how do you get one of these Red Cups? How many of them can you get? What else is happening at Starbucks during the holidays? Here’s what you need to know. And while you wait for November, text HACKS to 57299 for savings tips sent to your phone.
Get a free red reusable cup when you order a seasonal drink on Starbucks Red Cup Day, rumored for Nov. 16, 2023.
Getting a free cup on Starbucks Red Cup Day isn’t restricted to just the Peppermint Mocha. You can grab your freebie with any of the limited-edition drinks available on the Starbucks holiday menu. Reusable cups are available while supplies last.
Here are all the drinks from the 2022 menu that qualified for a free reusable cup:
- Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato
- Caramel Brulee Latte
- Chestnut Praline Latte
- Hot Chocolate
- Irish Cream Cold Brew
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Peppermint Mocha
- Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
- Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
- Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte
- Toasted White Hot Chocolate
- Toasted White
- Chocolate Mocha
- White Hot Chocolate
Note: You get one cup per holiday drink. So, if you order three, you go home with three cups, according to Starbucks. That is, while supplies last.
Get to Starbucks early on Red Cup Day — supply is limited.
If you wait until late morning on Red Cup Day, you may find that all your Starbucks location’s red cups are gone. The annual event is known to draw a crowd. Cups disappear long before the end of the day.
Most Starbucks open at 5 a.m., so if you’re set on getting one, keep that in mind. There are also Starbucks locations that are open 24 hours a day, but most of those are in Las Vegas or airports.
If you get your Starbucks at Target, you can afford to sleep in a little. Target typically opens at 8 a.m., so that’s the soonest you could grab your red cup. And, yes, last year, Target locations had the cups.
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After Red Cup Day, use your new cup to earn Starbucks Rewards.
You get $0.10 off every time you use a reusable cup at Starbucks (in person). But better yet, you get 25 Stars towards your account in the Starbucks Rewards program. Or at least that’s how many points you’ll get for spending $12.50. Those extra points push you even closer to getting some free Starbucks, which is 200 Stars.
We expect to see the Starbucks Refill Cup again this year.
Last year, the Starbucks Refill Cup was released in December. For $64.95, you could have purchased a tumbler that got you free coffee all January long. Click the link; we’ll tell you how much you have to use a refillable cup to make it worth it. Then you can decide if that’s the next tumbler you’ll get from Starbucks.
