Ok, self-confessed coffee snob here. The main takeaway from this story is that you should never spend your coffee money at a certain well-known Seattle coffee chain if it can be avoided. But if you do, you can now earn Delta Air Lines SkyMiles every time you stop by Starbucks.
Earn Delta Miles When You Buy Starbucks Coffee
It’s a simple program: Delta and Starbucks have launched a reciprocal earning program. Simply link your Starbucks account with your Delta account, and you’ll earn Starbucks Stars when you fly on Delta and Delta SkyMiles when you make purchases at Starbucks.
Specifically:
- Earn one Delta mile per dollar spent at Starbucks (gift cards, tips, and alcohol are excluded)
- On the calendar days you are flying Delta, you’ll earn double Starbucks Stars at “participating” Starbucks stores (which may or may not include all airport locations)
Simple, right? And there’s no downside to linking accounts at DeltaStarbucks.com. If you do so before December 31, 2022, you will even earn 125 SkyMiles.
With that out of the way, may I kindly discourage you from ever spending your money at Starbucks? I did not start drinking coffee in earnest until my mid-20s, but a decade later am about as snobbish as they come when it comes to coffee (for better or for worse, and sometimes it is for worse).
All around the world, when I travel, I seek out independent coffee shops, often a third wave variety, and have great joy in discovering treasures on six different continents. When you buy coffee at these places you get better coffee (though I suppose that is in the eye of the beholder), but you also support small businesses and local communities. It’s a win-win game.
So certainly link your Delta and Starbucks accounts and double dip where possible, but if you trust me and make a concerted effort to bypass the chain store coffee shops, you will thank me later.
CONCLUSION
Delta and Starbucks are partnering up in a nice little program for consumers. I also acknowledge is that around the world, you know what you’re going to get when you go into a Starbucks. That’s certainly of some value. Even so, think beyond Starbucks when it comes to coffee and recognize that there is far richer, better, more delicious coffee out there.
images: Delta
So given Delta redemption rates a one latte order a day should get you a free economy ticket to Paris in 2087. Exciting!
@Matthew, just playing devil’s advocate here. Can’t you substitute coffee/coffee shops with hotels/travel experiences and make the same argument? You did address some of this in your conclusion (which has a typo, btw), so you clearly realize that consistency, quality (good enough), convenience, rewards program, etc. are all factors when people go to Starbucks (and chain hotels).
Anyway, IMHO, they really messed up the launch. Couldn’t log in to Delta on the website or app. Couldn’t link the accounts, and right now, you get this gem of a message: “Turns out you are just as excited about this partnership as we are. We’re working fast to fill all those requests, so please come back later to link your accounts.”
Totally fair question and I suspect you are right, but unlike Starbucks, I love Hyatt hotels! 😉
Hey man, you can say the same thing about Taco Bell.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to go get my Supreme Chalupa and two soft tacos.
So right, but we all have our weaknesses! 😉
I actually miss the Beef and Potato burrito.
Or In’ n Out, the absolute most average burger on the planet. Sorry, Matthew!
Stuart! Forget the Shay. When you come to LA we are going to get a 4 x 4 at In-N-Out!
You mean a Big Mac disguised as California trendy? 🙂 I’ll stick to Five Guys, at least the line is shorter and, ya know, they started in DC, lol.
Shake&Shack is the only chain burger that I eat.
White Castle, bitches!
Finally, Burger wars! So much better than politics….
Five guys definitely has the best burgers from the batch listed here. Shake Shack does have good milkshakes though, I will give them that.
I love to hear other people say this. I’m a CA native and it’s terrible. When friends from out of state want to visit they INSIST on going to INO and can’t fathom why. I tell them, “You’ve clearly never had an actually good burger…” Worst is that Southern Californians cling to INO as a personality trait. It’s really pathetic.
To each his own, though. I’ve had Shake Shake and Five Guys and like them both…I still love In-N-Out.
Paging WHATABURGER
Love Five Guys! But Starbucks, not so much. Over roasted bitter beans made into coffee (?) by pressure washing in overheated water. Resulting in a high caffeine fluid only palatable with sweet flavored syrups and an array of faux milk. With cream on top. Find a place that can freshly roast beans and you shall find the actual taste of coffee. But in a pinch sometimes any caffeine will do. Get the points to cover the rest of the mess
I’m a simple east coast person. Dunkin coffee works for me (wouldn’t want to have their espresso drinks).
I make exceptions for material coming out of a Starbucks Roastery. The small-batch stuff they sell there is uniformly excellent and interesting in a good way. There are only six Roasteries in the world, though. I will forgive Starbucks a lot for making sure there weren’t Roasteries in LA and SF, but they put one here in Chicago.
If you really know anything about coffee, you don’t go to Starbucks.
The promotion notes your earn 500 sky miles for linking accounts, not 125.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with starbucks reserve. Various beans brewed properly in reasonably proper cups. The rest of the time, I have things to do and will be getting a cup to go. The cup will almost certainly be paper, regardless of what provider it comes from.. If you are a coffee snob drinking out of paper cup you are hardly a proper snob. You’re a suburban dad who has lost the narrative on your way to becoming socially invisible. Independent coffee shops stopped being interesting around the same time you were moaning about the disappointing last episode of Friends. Coffee is an imperialist drink of the exploiting class. It is nothing to celebrate. Snobbishness = Elitism. Also not cool, boomer. Get with the program.
Wow, harsh.
But I don’t drink out of paper cups unless a gun is held to my head.
And I think Starbucks Reserve still sucks.
Blasphemy! I love their chai, but then again I don’t drink coffee. 🙂 And all of my coffee loving friends – I have noticed – do rank Starbucks rather low in their coffee preferences.
And I’m a huge In-N-Out fan. There is no accounting for tastes and preferences.
“All around the world, when I travel, I seek out independent coffee shops, often a third wave variety, and have great joy in discovering treasures on six different continents”
Isn’t that mostly the same treasure over and over again, since you basically usually order the same thing (espresso, flat white, cappuccino).
It would be interesting to see reviews of local coffee shops offering something more local, instead of a Western style coffee shop.
In my opinion, McDonald’s coffee is far better than Starbucks.
How can anyone prefer shake shack to In N Out??? Plus In N Out is a family run business that doesn’t have to answer to any shareholders…and they treat their employees very well. And it’s one of the few places to eat that hasn’t raised their prices so much that I will still go there. Five Guys are good, but I’ve run out of equity in my house to afford to pay for it.
Nevermind, this is about coffee…I’m with Jack…I prefer Dunkin.
I’m sure many holy wars will be exacerbated due to these comments, but Dunkin is even below Starbucks. Meh coffee and donuts and the rewards program is awful and just got worse. Starbucks has a decent rewards program, decent coffee, and yes, pretty good wifi as well when traveling. That being said, Dunkin is ok if I have to get coffee at an airport and nothing else is around. Generally, McD’s is best overall: Good coffee at a good price and good pies/sweets as well if looking for something at an airport that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg and even if you’re unfamiliar in a foreign country with where to go.
And finally, is Delta’s program just, well awful overall? Generally high copays to use points and limited selection. I’d prefer not to have to search for “flash sales” to be able to use my points in a manner that suits me.
What’s longer, the lines at Starbucks or the lines to get into the Delta lounges?
Credit where credit due, this is a pretty smart gimmick, although probably benefits Starbucks the most. Neither entity will have to pay out much – spend $10 at Starbucks every day and Delta will have to shell out a domestic economy RT ticket after 10 years; Fly Delta every month and Starbucks is on the hook for a cup of coffee at the end of the year – but both will likely see some increased business from Joe Q. Public, who thinks that going to get that extra diet nitro mocha half froth cool blend every day will get him to the beach quicker.
As far as the burger battle goes, I find all of the “cool high end” fast food burger places to be rather disappointing, essentially the Starbucks of burger places. Pay way too much money for a meh chain product that society has decided is cool. If I’m going to drop $15-20 on a burger and fries, I can go to my local steakhouse and get something far superior while supporting local business. And if I’m in a rush and just need to stuff my face with garbage, I can get a McDouble for $2.
Five Guys could esily be as good as In-n-Out Burger if Five Guys would just put the cheese on the burger while it’s still on the grill so the cheese would have time to melt a bit. At the Five Guy near me, they slap the cheese on at the very end when they take the burger off the grill and the cheese is still on the raw side. In-n-Out knows how cheeseburger should be.
There is nothing like a burger coming out of a Chicago hot dog stand. Properly fried, nice and greasy, with the cheese (always American) just at the point of melting. Must be eaten hot, though. And the fries must be crinkle fries.