How to maximize points and miles with Starbucks

If you’re like us, you have a bit of a coffee habit. It seems like no matter where you go, there’s a Starbucks on every corner, which makes it very convenient for our caffeine fix. Here’s how we get the most points and miles out of our purchases at Starbucks.

United MileagePlus X app – Purchase a gift card to Starbucks through the United MileagePlus X app. The gift card purchase is instant, and you can add it directly to your Starbucks app with a quick tap. Purchasing a Starbucks gift card earns 2 miles / dollar and an additional 25% miles if you have a United card.

Credit Card – We use the Chase Sapphire Preferred for purchases through the United MileagePlus X app for 3x Ultimate Rewards points on dining. While we have other cards that earn more points on dining purchases, we’ve found that using the American Express Gold codes as travel through the app whereas Chase purchases on the app code as the category.

Delta – Delta Airlines has a partnership with Starbucks where you can link your SkyMiles account to your Starbucks account to accrue 1 mile for every dollar you spend at Starbucks.

Let’s say you buy a $25 Starbucks gift card – doing all these things will earn you 50 miles on United (and 12 more if you have a Chase United card), 75 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and 25 Delta miles. Not bad!