Starbucks Gift Cards: How to Buy, Send by Text and Use Them

Summary: Starbucks gift cards come as physical cards or digital eGifts, and eGifts can be sent by email or through messaging apps, including text. Add the card number and security code to the Starbucks app to pay, reload and earn Stars. Starbucks says its cards have no expiration date and no fees, and registering a card protects the balance if it is lost.

• Starbucks eGifts can be sent by email or shared through messaging platforms.
• Every card has a card number and a security code, and you need both to add it to the app.
• Starbucks cards do not expire, and Starbucks does not charge fees on them.
• A registered card's remaining balance can be replaced if the card is lost or stolen.

What Is a Starbucks Gift Card?

A Starbucks gift card, which Starbucks calls a Starbucks Card, is a stored-value card you spend at participating Starbucks stores. It comes as a plastic card or as a digital eGift. Once it reaches the recipient, both work the same way: the value sits on the card until it is spent, and the card can be reloaded later.

The word "participating" matters. Starbucks counters inside airports, grocery stores and hotels are often run by licensees, and some do not accept Starbucks Cards or app payments. If you plan to use a card somewhere other than a regular Starbucks café, ask at the counter first. If you would rather pay with your phone, here is how Apple Pay works at Starbucks.

How to Send a Starbucks Gift Card via Text

Starbucks lets you send an eGift by email or through certain social media and messaging platforms. In practice, there are three ways to get a Starbucks gift card onto someone's phone:

• From the Starbucks app: open the gift section, pick a design and amount, and share the eGift through your phone's messaging app.
• From starbucks.com: buy an eGift and send it to the recipient's email, which most people read on their phone anyway.
• From a gift card store: buy a digital Starbucks gift card, then paste the code into a text message to the recipient.

Whichever route you choose, send the code only to a number you know. A gift card code works like cash, and anyone who has it can spend it. If you want something to arrive at their door as well, an Edible Blooms fruit arrangement pairs well with a coffee card.

Starbucks Card Number and Security Code

Each Starbucks Card has two numbers. The card number identifies the card, and the security code proves you hold it. On a physical card, the security code is on the back, usually under a scratch-off strip. On an eGift, both appear in the email or message. You need both to add the card to the app or manage it online, so keep them together until the card is registered.

How to Use a Starbucks Gift Card in the App

• Open the Starbucks app and sign in to your account.
• Go to the payment section and choose to add a Starbucks Card.
• Enter the card number and security code.
• Pay by scanning the app at the register, or use the balance for mobile orders.

Once the card is in the app, you can reload it, move its balance to another card on your account, and pay for mobile orders. Payments made with your Starbucks Card balance also count toward Starbucks Rewards Stars.

Do Starbucks Gift Cards Expire?

No. Starbucks states that its cards have no expiration date and that it does not charge fees for issuing, activating or using them. Cards cannot be exchanged for cash unless the law requires it, and refunds are only given for unused cards with the original receipt.

Registering the card is the one step worth doing straight away. If a registered card is lost, stolen or destroyed, Starbucks can replace the balance that was left on it when you report the loss.

Getting a Coffee Gift to Their Phone Today

For a same-day gift, a digital card is the fastest option: buy it, copy the code into a message, and the recipient can add it to the app before their next coffee run. Remind them to register it so the balance stays protected. For a slower morning, add a secondhand paperback from 2nd & Charles to the gift.

When you are ready to send one, browse Starbucks gift cards.