Coffee drinkers have announced plans to boycott Dunkin’ after the popular coffee chain launched a new iteration of their popular rewards program that devalues points.
On 6 October, the coffee company, which refashioned itself from Dunkin’ Donuts with the shortened name Dunkin’ in 2018, announced it would be switching to a new points system called Dunkin’ Rewards.
Per the press release, the “improved loyalty program,” which replaces DD Perks, was “driven and designed around member feedback” and “introduces more food and beverage rewards”.
The company also claimed that the new program means members will “earn points faster,” as customers will “earn 10 points for every $1 spent compared to five points with DD perks”.
“Plus, rewards start at just 150 points instead of 200 points, meaning members can redeem a reward after spending $15,” the release states.
However, while it may be easier to earn points, the rewards redeemable with points have changed under the new program. Customers have noted that they will now need to accumulate hundreds more points before they are eligible for a free drink.
Under the old rewards program, customers could redeem a free drink with 200 points, which NBC noted “works out to $40 for a free coffee”. Under the new program, a customer will have to spend $50 to earn a free coffee. A small, medium or large hot or iced espresso drink will require a whopping 700 points and “any size frozen drink or Signature latte” will require 900 points.
“Reading about the new Dunkin’ rewards. Why is it gonna be 400-900 points for a free drink when it’s currently 200!!! The quality of their products is not good enough for all of that,” one person tweeted, while another said: “The new Dunkin Rewards system is honestly insulting. I don’t care how many new deals and offers there are - $50 to get to a free iced coffee? $70 for a cold brew?! Laughable. @dunkindonuts we’re breaking up. It’s not me, it’s you.”
“Great job, Dunkin’ Donuts. In DD Perks, any free drink was 200 points. Now with Dunkin’ Rewards it takes 400-900. So now a ‘free’ large latte will cost you 4.5x as much. Way to screw up a nice program,” someone else wrote.
According to someone else, the new Dunkin’ rewards program “is straight up criminal”. “I feel betrayed,” they added.
The change was also met with calls to boycott the coffee chain, with many revealing that they planned to stop purchasing coffee from Dunkin’ as a result of the new rewards program.
“900 points now for the free drink I used to get for 200 points. I am not going to Dunkin’ again. That is just INSANE,” one person tweeted, while someone else wrote: “@dunkindonuts your new reward system is absolutely ridiculous and because of it I will be going to Dunkin’ less frequently than I had been. It’s sad because I actually enjoyed your refreshers. And I can tell I’m not the only one who hates the new system!”
The outrage over the points system also circulated on Reddit’s r/DunkinDonuts subreddit, where one person revealed that they had “officially uninstalled the app after six years of consistent use”.
“As someone who almost exclusively orders cold brew at Dunkin’, I find that my free drink goes from 200 points to 700 points. Of course, we all know this new rewards program was done to cut costs. So, a big thank you to Dunkin’ - I’ll now save $300 a month by not buying your coffee anymore! Cost-cutting successful!” someone else wrote.
The Independent has contacted Dunkin’ for comment.
