Major chain axes free coffee from its loyalty scheme leaving customers livid and threatening to cancel

A HIGH street coffee chain is cutting free drinks from its paid-for loyalty scheme as part of a shake-up to the subscription.

Club Pret at Pret a Manger currently costs £30 a month, or £360 a year, and members can get five free hot or iced barista-made drinks each day.

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The scheme also offers 20% off the rest of the food and drink menu.

But under changes coming in September, subscribers will instead get 50% off five barista-made drinks a day instead.

Discounts on the food menu through the scheme will also end.

At the same time, the price of the scheme will fall to £10 a month – with a reduced rate of £5 a month available until the end of March 2025.

Furious customers have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to slam the decision.

One subscriber said: "Have a word I will be cancelling as I think many others will be!!! Shame on you."

Another added: "Pret changing their subscription to 50% off five drinks instead of it being free five drinks…. that just ruined my day."

A third cried: "It’s a very sad day for coffee lovers."

And a fourth fumed: "You are making a huge mistake. There is time to rectify it.

"Otherwise, I am cancelling my subscription, and will never step foot into any of your stores."

Pret said that given that the majority of its customers were not Club Pret subscribers, its priority now was to "focus on better value for everyone".

In a letter sent to customers on Thursday, Pret’s managing director Clare Clough said: "We know this is a change.

"But with Club Pret subscription, our coffees, teas, coolers and iced drinks will continue to be the best offer on the high street, and at a much more accessible price than the £360 a year people have to pay for the current scheme."

Pret also announced that its signature 100% organic arabica filter coffee would drop to 99p, and its all butter croissant will also drop to £1.99.

In March, the chain implemented a crackdown to prevent Club Pret subscribers from sharing free drinks with others.

Some customers were exploiting loopholes by sharing subscription benefits, prompting the changes.

Subscribers have since been required to use the app to redeem their complimentary drinks, rather than accessing QR codes via Apple Wallet or smartwatches.

Many aired their concerns, saying the changes made it harder to claim the offer, with some reporting technical issues when trying to access the app.

Others said they had cancelled their subscriptions altogether amid the “faff” the updates had caused, with some questioning how they would be able to access the app if they were in a chain without signal.