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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 the winter holidays and their limited-time drinks. Red Cup Day typically takes place on the third Thursday in November, which in 2023 would be Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.
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:
Get a red reusable cup from Starbucks by ordering a seasonal drink on Nov. 16, 2023.
Notice we didn’t say holiday drink. That’s because both the Starbucks fall menu and the winter menu are available, and if you get one of these limited-time drinks on Nov. 17, you’ll receive one of the 2022 Starbucks Red Cup Day reusable cups (while supplies last).
Here are the drinks that’ll get you the 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 you order, so if you order three, you go home with three cups, according to Starbucks. That is, while supplies last.
Make sure to get to Starbucks early; each location has a limited supply of red cups.
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, with cups disappearing 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 (yes, Target locations have the cups).
After Red Cup Day, use your new cup to earn Starbucks Rewards.
You get 10 cents off every time you use a reusable cup at Starbucks (in person), but better yet, you get 25 Stars usable in the Starbucks Rewards program. That’s how many points you’d get for spending $12.50! That’ll get you even closer to getting some free Starbucks, which is 150 Stars.
Need another tumbler? The Starbucks Refill Cup will give you free coffee all January.
This one’s not free, though. The Starbucks Refill Cup is a $64.95 tumbler that not only saves the planet and earns you Starbucks Stars, but it gets you free coffee throughout the month of January. (Click the link; we’ll tell you how much you have to use it to make it worth it, and then you can decide if that’s the next tumbler you’ll get from Starbucks.)
