It’s the most wonderful time of the year. That’s right — it’s Starbucks for Life time (what did you think I was talking about?). I’m aware that I’ve already overhyped this, but this annual promotion does mean that there’s an easy way to potentially win some free coffee or other prizes, which is pretty exciting.
If you’re new here, rather than doing what Starbucks intends for guests to do and make purchases to play their sweepstakes, I’m a big fan of maximizing my free entries. When you visit the Starbucks for Life site and log in, you can scroll down to find a note reading, “To enter without making a purchase, click here.” Then, by filling out a short form, you can request a free play. In fact, you can do this twice per day for Daily Plays and can also claim free plays for Challenges.
I will note that there are a few changes this year — which are mostly positive. For one, unlike those unfortunate years where you needed to sit through a video in order to claim your play, this current form is incredibly easy to fill out. Second, your applicable plays are now quickly applied to your account rather than having to wait around for an email (my inbox is happy about this change).
Third, the only minor downside I’ve found is that, when you submit to receive free plays for Challenges, they no longer disappear from the drop-down list. This isn’t a big deal since it will tell you if you already redeemed it, but you may want to make a mental note of which ones you use so as not to waste your time.
Onto this year’s theme and game, Starbucks is calling this their Merrython. They’ve also built a little game to play that feels somewhat inspired by Subway Surfers — except there’s a time limit, the route doesn’t really change, and it doesn’t automatically speed up either. But, the idea is that you run through a city (currently Seattle is the only unlocked one) collecting Red Cups, menu items, and various power-ups.
It doesn’t seem as though this game is actually tied to how you win prizes, even though you will be invited to play a round as the default. However, if you want to skip it and just see if you won a prize, there is an easy-to-miss option to do so. On the other hand, if you do really like the game and want to practice, that’s also an option.
I should also point out that one of the instant win prizes up for grabs this year is the viral Bear-ista cup. These adorable items set off Cabbage Patch Kid-level hype (yes, I’m almost 40) and quickly sold out. And since Starbucks apparently hates money, they’ve made them prizes in this game rather than just, you know, selling some more.
Anyway, in my years of using my daily frees, I’ve managed to rack up a decent number of stars. So far this year, my total stands at just 10 — but it’s only been a few days.
Starbucks for Life: Merrython runs through January 4th, 2026, so there’s plenty of time to make the most of your free plays and hopefully score some prizes. A different city map will also unlock each week, so the gameplay could get interesting. Good luck!