Which Size Does Starbucks Charge For When You Bring A Reusable Cup?

Starbucks sells more than just coffee — it also has plenty of merchandise, including its own reusable cups in various sizes and designs. Over the years, some customers have started bringing their Starbucks reusable cups (or any reusable cups they may have at home) to cut down on waste. But you may be wondering: How does Starbucks charge you when you use a reusable cup?

Starbucks will charge you for the closest cup size that is equal to or smaller than your personal cup. For example, if your personal cup is 14 ounces, which falls in between the Starbucks sizes of a tall (12 ounces) and a grande (16 ounces), then you will be charged for a tall. Depending on the barista, this will likely result in either them giving you approximately 12 ounces and leaving some extra room at the top of your personal cup or, if you're lucky, maybe the barista will give you a little bit extra of your ordered beverage.

Along with potentially getting a little bit of extra coffee topped up in your cup, there's another (guaranteed) perk of using your personal cup: a discount.

By using a personal cup, you're not only helping to reduce waste, but you're also saving yourself 10 cents per drink order. While 10 cents may not seem like much, if you go to Starbucks often, that certainly adds up over time — at least enough for a "free" pastry or two.

There's also another perk: if you're a rewards member, then you'll also earn 25 Starbucks stars by using a reusable cup, alongside the discount. In order to get this perk, you'll need to have made at least one purchase as a Starbucks rewards member in the last two years — and this purchase can be just about anything, excluding gift cards. But really, this isn't anything to worry about — if you go to Starbucks frequently enough that you're looking for a discount on your orders and thinking of becoming a member, then you've probably made your fair share of purchases in recent memory. If you're not already a member, you can easily sign up on the Starbucks website or on the app.

Another thing to note to get the discount and the stars is that you'll need to order your drink within a Starbucks cafe — rather than via the drive-thru or by ordering ahead — to get the discount. The discount is also applied per order, so even if you use more than one reusable cup, you'll still only get 10 cents off and 25 stars. But you can redeem this discount up to three times a day, so if you're planning on hanging around the cafe for a while, you can earn up to 75 stars that day with three different orders.