Starbucks and Lyft have just announced a partnership that will see both riders and drivers earning rewards points for using Lyft.
There are basically four major aspects of the partnership. First, My Starbucks Rewards members will earn stars (reward points) for taking Lyft rides. Second, Lyft drivers will be given the option to become My Starbucks Rewards loyalty program gold status members, and then earn reward points as well.
Third, the Lyft app is going to add a custom option to gift your driver a cup of coffee (via a Starbucks eGift card). And last, “Starbucks and Lyft will explore the possibilities of bringing a convenient and cost effective transportation benefit to Starbucks partners in one test market to understand partners’ interest and determine its long-term viability.”
There aren’t too many specifics to add on for that last point. Lyft says it will “provide Starbucks Baristas with free Lyft rides to and from work, when they need it most.”
“With Lyft’s presence in 65 cities across the U.S., where we also have Starbucks serving the same communities, we knew this relationship would benefit our partners, Lyft’s drivers as well as our mutual customers who are already coming to Starbucks and using Lyft services,” said Adam Brotman, chief digital officer, Starbucks. “This is a great win win. Our digital loyalty ecosystem will strengthen Lyft’s ability to attract and retain customers in a highly profitable way, while at the same time accelerating the incrementality of redemption of rewards.”
Starbucks doesn’t just like Lyft, and this isn’t an Uber slight. Starbucks and Uber have partnered before.