The end of free coffee at Waitrose – what to do instead

Waitrose has announced that they are no longer giving away free coffee to myWaitrose cardholders. What can you do instead to get free or cheap coffee?

It’s sad news for freebie lovers out there because Waitrose has announced that it will no longer be giving away free coffee (or tea) to its existing myWaitrose card holders.

If you hold a Waitrose reward card, you can get lots of added benefits for shopping there, including a discount off selected items in store, free newspaper, free magazine and entry into a monthly prize draw to win £5,000!

But now, probably because everyone has been taking advantage of having a freebie while out shopping, Waitrose have removed their free coffee offer.

You used to be able to get one free Americano, Cappuccino, Latte, Tea, Mocha and Espresso each day, but from 9 February 2015 it stops.

Instead, from this date, you will have to buy something from the café to be able to sit down and have a free cup of coffee.

You can still get a free coffee but you have to get it from a self-service machine and you will have to take it away.

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Other free coffee offers that have been withdrawn

o2 Priority Moments used to do free coffee on a Tuesday with Caffé Nero but it looks like this has been stopped.

You used to be able to get a free coffee and tea at John Lewis but, being part of the same group as Waitrose, they no longer give freebies and send vouchers (but they’re not guaranteed) instead.

What can you do instead to get your free or cheap coffee?

Well from today up until 9 February 2015 you can still sit down in Waitrose and enjoy your free drink, without having to make an extra purchase. That gives you just over a week’s worth of freebies.

So, what can you do after this time?

Caffe Nero

There are loads of Caffe Nero offers to get free coffees and discount every day of the week.

Ikea

Sign up for an Ikea family card so you get discounts on your shop and special voucher sent to you. On top of that, you can also get a free coffee in-store Monday through till Friday.

MyAviva App

Download the MyAviva app from the Apple Store or Google Play and register your account. You are then able to get a free regular hot drink every Monday from Caffè Nero. Drinks include an expresso, caffè Latte, cappuccino, Americano, standard hot chocolate, luxury hot chocolate or tea.

You will need to have an Aviva policy to be able to get the app working and this offer is running until 31 December 2015.

Make your own

Making your own cappuccino at home is actually really easy. You just need a jar and microwave.

McDonalds

Although not free, coffee and tea from McDonalds work out cheaper that heading through the doors of a larger chain café. A regular cappuccino will set you back £1.49, whereas it’s around £2.25 at Starbucks. You can also collect the stickers on the outside of a cup to get your 7^th cup free

Starbucks

Although the first cup isn’t free, Starbucks offer a free refill when you purchase a filter coffee to drink in.

Plus, if you take your own mug, they give you a 25p discount on the price!

If you really want to be thrifty check out this hacks to make your own Starbucks coffee at home.

Freebies

Keep a lookout for freebies and giveaways throughout the year.

Manufacturers quite often do limited-time offers and give away samples of their new coffee ranges.

Are you going to miss the free coffee from Waitrose? What are you going to do instead to get your caffeine kick?