A coffee at Starbucks can cost customers well over $7 these days. For that same amount, one can get a whole meal from McDonald’s or Taco Bell. That’s why cheap drink hacks from Starbucks are all the rage on Reddit and TikTok. But coming across a cheap drink that also tastes good can be challenge.
In a video with over 627,000 views, TikTok user @98.ways screen-records herself placing an order on the Starbucks app. She believes she has a hack to getting a good-tasting, cheap venti espresso drink for under $4.
First, she clicks on “Cold Coffees.” Next, the content creator scrolls down to “Iced Espresso” and hits “Customize.” From there, @98.ways chooses “Blonde Roast Espresso” under the “Espresso & Shot Options.” Then, she goes down to “Toppings,” where she selects four pumps of “Cinnamon Dolce Syrup” and also “Cinnamon Powder.”
She also lines the cup with caramel syrup and adds extra ice and an extra splash of heavy whipping cream. She also chooses a venti as the size of her cup.
By the end, she has eight different customizations, only two of which cost extra—four pumps of cinnamon dolce adds 80 cents to her total, and lining the cup with caramel adds 60 cents. Her total is $4.35, but she uses 25 rewards points to bring the total down to $3.35. “If you order on the app you’ll always have at least 25 … which is what I used!! But if it’s your first order it’s still $1.25 cheaper than ordering in store!” @98.ways clarified in her comments section.
@98.ways I put everyone on the mobile orders at starbucks! ☕️ A venti carmel macchiato is orginally $5.45 with no milk substitution +.80 for a sub🥛 Save your coins and get stars with the online order #starbucksdrinks #starbuckshack #starbucksrecipe #starbuckscoffee #starbuckssecretmenu ♬ Coffee, Crack and Gay Superheroes – Jeff Dunham
The Daily Dot reached out to @98.ways via TikTok comment. In the comments section, viewers were divided. Some reminded the TikToker of the ongoing boycott, while others who still get coffee from Starbucks praised the content creator for her hack.
“Thanks babes!!! Need this,” one viewer wrote.
“Getting this tomorrow, thank you,” a second echoed.
Some who implied that they already knew about the hack argued that Starbucks is going to make so that this drink is more expensive.
“This is my secret. now they are going to change the policy,” one said.
“Gosh let’s hope the prices don’t go up now that the secret is out cause tbh some of their drinks are overpriced,” another agreed agreed.
Those viewer concerns are likely valid. It was suspected that after a Chipotle hack when viral, the fast-casual chain started charging for sides.
And such hacks may annoy baristas depending on the customers’ expectations. In one Reddit post surveying how baristas feel about the cheap drinks hacks, one highly upvoted comment said that “Some of those kinds of things are fine as long as they don’t expect the cup to be filled to the top.”
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