Have you ever ordered your morning coffee and wondered how much this daily ritual will cost during your lifetime? If you have, you are not alone. Many students arrive at SHS with specialty coffees every morning, and many others migrate to the closest coffee shop when the bell rings at 2:46 p.m. We talked to SHS students about the rewards programs many coffee places offer, and we discovered how students can save money on their coffee addiction!

If you subscribe to the Starbucks Rewards program, you can download the Starbucks app, and the “order ahead” feature is available, but more importantly, the “star”  system is connected to your profile. For every dollar you spend, you earn these “stars,” which can eventually earn you free drinks or merchandise.

We wanted to determine if students know about this system and if they use it. Senior Sarah Gillis is a very big Starbucks fan, and she informed us that she uses the app every time she goes to the store. She found out about the app two years ago and has used it every time since. The one complaint Sarah had was that once, there was a malfunction with the app, and she lost all her points. She also expressed her love for the app and recommended that any Starbucks lover obtain it. 

Another popular rewards program is Dunkin Rewards. Similar to Starbucks’ program, the more you spend, the more points that you acquire, which leads to free drinks. We asked junior Gracelyn Veiga about her opinions, as we know she loves Dunkin. She expressed her love for the app, saying ordering ahead is “so much easier” because it makes the experience quicker and your coffee is ready to go. 

With a budgeting mindset, we thought it was absolutely necessary to interview the founder of the FLY (Financial Literacy for the Youth), SHS senior Parker Hausmann. He expressed caution with the app, saying, “The whole idea of the rewards program is that they are trying to incentivize you to spend any sort of money at the store.” He recommends using these apps for your benefit but not going to a store just because you have the rewards program. Hausmann admitted he has a dozen rewards systems on his phone, but he cautioned students not to let these apps influence them into spending more money.