The Starbucks Card guide: from gift to Stars, at home and abroad
Maciej Kamieniak, Founder & CEO · Reviewed by Natalia Kamieniak, CFO · Last updated October 28, 2026
The short version: a Starbucks Card is a prepaid balance in US dollars that you spend at participating Starbucks stores. Add it to your Starbucks account and you can pay with it in the app, earn Stars, reload it, and get the balance back if the card is lost. A US card also works at Starbucks in a handful of other countries, with no currency conversion fee from Starbucks.
Physical card, eGift or card in the app?
They all end up as the same kind of Starbucks Card. What differs is how they arrive and what you do with them first.
Physical cardPlastic or paper
- Pay with it in store straight away
- Add its number and security code to your account
- Reload it in store or online
eGiftEmail, social or messaging
- Add it to your Starbucks account
- Or move the balance onto a card you already have
- Or print it and take it to a store
Card in the appStarbucks Rewards
- Pay in participating stores
- Earns Stars on purchases
- Shows the balance of every card on your account
How to add a Starbucks Card to your account
- Sign in to your Starbucks Rewards account in the Starbucks app, or at starbucks.com/gift.
- Choose to add a card. On the website, Starbucks's terms describe clicking Add and filling in the online form.
- Enter the card number and security code from the card or the eGift email.
- The card now appears in your account. Pay with it in the app, set up reloads, and see the balance at any time.
You can only have one Starbucks Rewards account, but it can hold several cards. Questions about an eGift that hasn't shown up go to Starbucks's eGift support, which is run through CashStar (the contact details are in the card terms).
Can you use a US Starbucks Card in another country?
Yes, in a few countries. That makes Starbucks unusually travel-friendly for a store card. Starbucks's card terms list where US-bought cards also work:
| Where you are | Does a US Starbucks Card work? |
|---|---|
| United States, including Puerto Rico | Yes, at most stores. See the licensed-store caveat below. |
| Canada | Yes |
| England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | Yes |
| Republic of Ireland | Yes |
| Mexico | Yes |
| Australia | Yes |
| Guam | No. The terms name stores in Guam as an exception. |
| Any other country | Not listed in the US card terms, so don't count on it |
How the currency works: your balance stays in US dollars. When you pay abroad, the bill is converted from the local currency at that day's exchange rate and taken off your USD balance. Starbucks charges no conversion fee. Your receipt shows the balance in the local currency, but the actual balance is still in dollars. If you reload the card abroad with a bank card, your bank may charge its own foreign-transaction fee. Starbucks doesn't control that fee.
Stars abroad: Starbucks Rewards is a US program. If your account has a US address, purchases at participating stores in Canada earn Stars as if you paid in US dollars. The rewards terms don't promise Stars anywhere else.
Earning Stars with your card
Under the current Starbucks Rewards terms (effective March 10, 2026), you earn Stars when you pay with a digital or physical Starbucks Card in the app. The rate depends on your level: 1 Star per $1 at Green, 1.2 at Gold and 1.7 at Reserve. Loading or reloading a card doesn't earn Stars, and neither does guest checkout. So add the card to your account before you start spending.
Limits worth knowing
- No more than $500 on any one Starbucks Card at a time.
- No more than $2,000 of activity on any one card in a single day.
- No more than $10,000 loaded across all your cards, including new cards bought, in a single day.
- The minimum reload is typically $5. Starbucks can change any of these amounts.
The value isn't FDIC-insured, doesn't earn interest, and can't be cashed out unless the law requires it. Moving balances between cards just to get cash back is a breach of the terms.
Protect your balance in four steps
- Register the card to your Starbucks account as soon as you get it. Starbucks only replaces lost, stolen or destroyed cards that were registered.
- Report a lost card fast through your account or by calling 1-800-STARBUC. Your registered balance is protected from the moment you report it, and Starbucks moves what's left onto a replacement card.
- Check your transaction history regularly. Starbucks only has to review a billing error you report within 60 days.
- Buy from Starbucks or well-known retailers. Starbucks doesn't control independent sellers of preloaded cards and can cancel cards bought with fraudulent funds.
Checking what's left? Starbucks has no public balance checker. The app and your account show the balance of every registered card. Our guide on how to check a Starbucks gift card balance covers every option.
Starbucks Card FAQ
Do Starbucks Cards expire?
No. Starbucks says the card has no expiration date and the value on it never expires.
Can I use my US Starbucks Card in London or Toronto?
Yes. US cards also work in Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Mexico and Australia, with no conversion fee from Starbucks.
Can I combine two Starbucks Cards?
An eGift can be transferred onto an existing card, and your account can hold several cards. Just keep any single card at or below the $500 limit.
Why won't the airport Starbucks take my card?
Some licensed locations don't accept the Starbucks Card. Look for “Digital Rewards” in the store locator.
Can I get a refund on an eGift I sent?
Starbucks only refunds unused eGifts with the original receipt.
Are Starbucks Cards a good thank-you for staff?
They work well as small, everyday thank-yous. Businesses can't resell them or use them to recruit new customers, as Starbucks's B2B rules explain. For ideas, see our employee recognition examples and peer-to-peer recognition guide. To size a program, try the recognition budget calculator, and read whether gift cards are taxable to employees.
Who's behind this guide
Maciej runs Rewordin, a platform for sending digital gift card rewards, and writes our store guides.