Going for the gold

CSP & I have been in a race since late September.  We’ve been racing to see who could earn their Starbucks Gold Card first.  He won.  He flashed that thing around at Christmas like a newly engaged girl showing off her engagement ring.  You’d think he’d been given a free pass to the Playboy mansion.  If you aren’t familiar with the program you register a gift card online then keep reloading it.  Each time you visit Starbucks you earn a star.  He goes about every day as there is a Starbucks right next door to his work.  Plus he just gets the tall coffee of the day so it’s just a dollar or so.  Me, I don’t drink coffee.  I sure do like their fancy $900 drinks though.  White Peppermint Mocha, that caramel apple cider thing, and my new favorite: salted caramel hot chocolate.  YUM.  I have the app on my iPhone and it is pretty fun seeing my iconic Starbucks cup fill up with little gold stars.  There’s a satisfying ding each time one goes in.  I finally earned my 30th star today. I can’t wait for my card to come so I can be as cool as CSP.  Oh, so why is it a big deal to get the gold card?  You get all sorts of freebies.  Free refills on coffee and tea, free shots of flavor, free drinks on your birthday and throughout the year.  And it only costs like $1738 for your free drink.  I kid, I kid.  You can reload your card on your phone which is cool.  Oh, and a Starbucks girl told me a secret.  If you’re buying more than one thing have them ring them up separately and you’ll get a star for each transaction.  Nice!  I love getting the inside scoop!