Starbucks Phases Out Free Drink Coupons

Coffee giant Starbucks will no longer appease dissatisfied customers with free drink certificates. According to Starbucks Melody, the chain is phasing out its Customer Service Recovery Coupons — which entitled unhappy customers to a free drink on a future visit — and replacing them with a coupon that gives patrons $4 off of their next purchase. While the old coupons were made of paper, the new version is a plastic card that looks similar to the Starbucks rewards card.

Starbucks Melody points out that there a few advantages to this new card for the coffee behemoth: Because they are plastic, the coupons are now much more difficult to counterfeit, and because it is a discount that can be applied to the whole purchase, perhaps customers will buy other items that result in a sale. The largest advantage for Starbucks may be that the new discount prevents enterprising customers from ordering over-the-top gonzo drinks.