It’s that time of year: Starbucks Red Cup Day has finally arrived.
Today, Thursday, November 13, the coffee chain is offering a free 2025 limited-edition reusable red cup with any holiday or fall beverage — hot, iced or blended.
The famous red cup giveaway is available however you order, whether it’s in-store, drive-thru, through the Starbucks app, or via delivery on DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats.
Here is the full list of applicable drinks to claim the offer: Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Sugar Cookie Latte, Sugar Cookie Breve, Gingerbread Chai, Gingerbread Latte, Peppermint Hot Chocolate, White Hot Chocolate, Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai, Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte, Pecan Oatmilk Cortado, Holiday and Fall Cold Foams and Protein Cold Foams.
It’s worth noting that the Starbucks Christmas Blend and Starbucks Reserve Christmas brewed coffee are not included in the offer.
The 2025 red cup — made from 95 percent recycled materials — features a hand-drawn design by Starbucks artist Yvonne Chan.
“The design is inspired by the little moment of magic you feel when you step into a Starbucks from the cold outside,” said Chan. “With the hand-drawn sketch, I tried to capture the feeling of something crafted by one person for another.”
Customers who bring in their clean reusable red cup for future orders will receive a 10-cent discount on their beverage, plus Starbucks Rewards members will earn double stars on their entire order.
This year, Starbucks says it’s giving away more cups than ever before. “We’ll also have more baristas in our cafés to welcome customers and ensure a great experience for everyone,” the chain said in a press release.
However, it comes as more than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers plan to strike at 65 U.S. stores Thursday to protest a lack of progress in labor negotiations with the company.
The strike is intended to disrupt Red Cup Day, which is typically one of the company’s busiest days of the year.
Starbucks emphasized that the vast majority of its U.S. stores would be open and operating as usual Thursday. The coffee giant has 10,000 company-owned stores in the U.S., as well as 7,000 licensed locations in places like grocery stores and airports.
Starbucks’ same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, rose 1% in the July-September period. It was the first time in nearly two years that the company had posted an increase. In his first year at the company, Niccol set new hospitality standards, redesigned stores to be cozier and more welcoming, and adjusted staffing levels to better handle peak hours.
Starbucks is also trying to prioritize in-store orders over mobile ones. Last week, the company’s holiday drink rollout in the U.S. was so successful that it almost immediately sold out of its glass Bearista cup. Starbucks said demand for the cup exceeded its expectations, but it wouldn’t say if the Bearista will return before the holidays are over.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press
