The new Starbucks Reserve card has divided the internet.

Reserved for big-spending, top-earning Reserve members, the caffeinated and opinionated are at odds over whether the matte-black card and the new Starbucks Rewards system en masse are a benefit or a downgrade.

Is the brew worth the beans, so to speak?

The debate was ignited by a TikTok video shared by Madison Dahl that shows her opening a Starbucks mailer.

“Tell me you have a Starbucks addiction without telling me you have a Starbucks addiction,” the aesthetician said as she unsealed the package and revealed the matte-black metal card, dropping it to emphasize its heft.

“You’re joking, it has my name on it,” she said.

While Dahl was visibly hype to receive the card, @WallStreetApes reposted her clip alongside their criticism of the rewards program, which they argue amounts to an “insane scam.”

The account, which prides itself on delivering “Unfiltered Breaking News,” and counts Elon Musk and Joe Rogan as followers, alleges that the complimentary personalized card, which is exclusively offered to members who reach the top Reserve tier in the rewards program, requires customers to earn 2,500 Stars in a rolling 12-month period.

“You must spend an estimated $1,470 every 12 months to have this card, because every year it needs to be earned,” they said in their post.

However, according to Starbucks, once issued, the card will continue to function regardless of points earned.

Further, there is no cost associated with the card, as the new membership levels are not dependent on dollars spent but on Stars earned, and those Stars can be accumulated in a variety of ways beyond payment.

Starbucks lovers can stack their stars in the following fashion: Double Star Days, using a personal cup, bonus stars earned through promotions and special offers, Starbucks for Life, and other affiliated games and stars earned through qualifying digital reloads.

Commenters repeatedly referenced the previous iteration of the Starbucks rewards program, where Star-earning was tied solely to payment type.

“There was no status, there was no spending fifteen hundred dollars a year. Everyone just got two stars per dollar. But now you have to spend 1,500 bucks, and you get 1.7 stars per dollar. This is corporate greed, and it is ridiculous,” griped one.

However, this math is a touch askew, as prior to the launch of the reimagined Starbucks Rewards program in March 2026, members had to pay with a Starbucks card to earn 2 Stars per dollar spent.

All other payment types earned 1 Star per dollar spent.

Moreover, while members can get 1.7 stars per dollar spent, as previously mentioned, spending is not the sole source of stars.

As a point of reference, an average Starbucks order clocks in at a controversial $9, a price point the company’s “out of touch” CEO says reflects the “premium experience” the chain offers customers.

X commenters weighed in on the Reserve card, with some defending the loyalty program.

“Thanks for reminding me to claim my card,” said one.

Another capitalist vigilante went for the jugular of the X account itself, calling it a “whiner” that has “convinced itself that it is some warrior for economic justice.”

“Is a company prohibited from restructuring a rewards program that is corporately inhibitive? No one is forced to participate in this program, and it costs nothing additional to earn points,” they added.

“What’s the scam that they scaled back their rewards plan? Do only the huge fanatics get the top rewards? That’s how things should work,” argued another.

Others fell firmly on the side of @WallStreetApes and their condemnation of the program as an example of “corporate greed.”

“Starbucks turned inflation into a collectible,” one commenter wrote. “Elegant scamwork.”

“Basically a $1,470 loyalty tax to prove you overpay for coffee,” said another.

“Starbucks: Give us more money, and in return we’ll not only give you diabetes, but you’ll get a cool new card that’s made out of metal,” surmised a third.

“These are the same people saying they can’t afford their student loan payments,” heckled a fourth.

Starbucks’ current caffeine caste system was introduced earlier this year and has three tiers: “Green”, “Gold,” and “Reserve,” with each tier giving loyalty users a different point or star value for every dollar spent.

Each dollar spent gets Green members one star, Gold members 1.2 stars, and Reserve members 1.7 stars. 

The Reserve tier also includes opportunities for paid “global coffee experiences” in Tokyo, Milan, or Costa Rica.

In addition, Reserve members get at least six extra Double Star Days each year, Stars that never expire, and a 30-day window to claim birthday goodies.

Last year, the coffee chain announced the launch of its “Back to Starbucks” initiative, a company-wide strategy aimed at enhancing the customer experience through operational efficiency, modernized food and beverage offerings, and improved store design.

Starbucks has already poured roughly $500 million into ramping up staffing and store operations, putting more workers on the floor during peak hours and introducing new in-store “coach” roles to keep service running smoothly.

In April, Starbucks announced plans to dangle bonuses of up to $1,200 to get baristas moving faster and smiling more as the coffee giant battles sluggish sales.

The payouts will begin this fall, with employees earning bonuses at stores that hit “certain sales, operational and customer service targets,” the Seattle-based coffee company said.