What’s old is new again as Starbucks and Delta are reverting their rewards partnership program to a previous setup.
About the Delta-Starbucks Update:
Soon, Starbucks customers will once again be able to earn 1 Delta SkyMiles for every dollar they spend at the coffee chain. To do this, flyers just need to link their SkyMiles account to their Starbucks Rewards. Additionally, the opportunity to earn miles in this manner is now limited to those who have either taken a qualifying Delta flight within the past 12 months or have one booked to depart within the next 60 days.
This update actually resembles the program as it was when it first launched in 2022. However, just over two years ago, this 1 SkyMile for $1 spent scheme was retired in favor of one that rewarded customers when they reloaded their Starbucks gift card. Under a tiered program, the more money reloaded in a single purchase, the more SkyMiles flyers could earn:
| Reload amount | $25 to $49.99 | $50 to $74.99 | $75 to $99.99 | $100+ |
| SkyMiles earned | 25 | 75 | 125 | 200 |
The return to $1 spent = 1 SkyMile earnings will happen on August 5th.
Meanwhile, one aspect of the partnership that isn’t changing is Double Stars on travel days. With this offer, members with linked accounts can earn twice as many Starbucks Stars on purchases made on days when they have a scheduled Delta flight.
Other Delta and Starbucks Partnerships:
The account-linking partnership that Delta and Starbucks have together isn’t exactly exclusive. For example, in 2024, Starbucks launched a partnership with Marriott Bonvoy, allowing members to earn bonus stars during Marriott Bonvoy stays and score Bonvoy points during special weeks of the year. Meanwhile, Delta and Uber users who link their accounts can earn SkyMiles on select rides and Uber Eats orders.
My Thoughts:
I didn’t mind the prior earning structure — but there’s no question that the “spend $1, earn a mile” model is much easier. Also, admittedly, I forgot that this was even a thing, meaning that there’s pretty much no chance I was optimizing it. Now, there really is no optimization necessary.
With that, if you fly Delta with any regularity (at least once in the last year to qualify) and drink Starbucks at all, I don’t see a reason not to link your account and potentially earn some SkyMiles.
Finally, I want to highlight a “secret menu item” that Starbucks revealed in its announcement. Inspired by Biscoff cookies (a brand that Starbucks didn’t actually mention), the recipe starts with a Grande Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, but calls for the cup to be lined with caramel sauce and 1 pump of Chai, as well as extra cinnamon powder to be added. Sounds pretty tasty to me.
