Starbucks is making big changes to drive-thru and mobile ordering — and it could save you money on your coffee

Starbucks will now allow customers to use a reusable cup for drive-thru and mobile orders – as well as in-store – to reduce waste.

The Seattle-based coffee giant announced Wednesday that customers in the U.S. and Canada can bring their own cup for their next caffeine fix, as long as it's clean.

There's also a financial incentive for eco-friendly customers: anyone who brings a reusable cup gets a 10 cent discount or 25 'bonus stars' for Rewards members.

At the drive-thru, customers must alert staff when ordering that they have their own cup, and the barista will collect the cup and fill it at the window.

When pre-ordering via the mobile app, customers must press the 'customization' button and select 'personal cup'. They can then hand it over to the employees when they go to pick up their coffee.

At the drive-thru, the reusable cup without a lid is collected in a 'contactless container' to ensure it remains hygienic and is not handled directly by the barista.

It is then returned to the customer in the same manner, the company said.

This move is part of the coffee giant's pledge to reduce plastic waste by 50 percent by 2030.

Environmental advocacy groups, including Action for clean water have long campaigned for Starbucks to introduce more environmentally friendly cups.

Their signature white and green cups are plastic-lined, meaning they are only recyclable in four major US cities, according to the advocacy group.

Starbucks uses more than 8,000 paper cups per minute, which amounts to more than four billion per year, according to Clean Water Action, many of which end up in landfill.

'Starbucks is the largest coffee company in the world. The impact of waste on our water, oceans and health is dramatic,” the report said.

“At Starbucks, we see a future where every beverage can be served in a reusable cup,” said Michael Kobori, Starbucks Chief Sustainability Officer, in a statement rack.

“We know our customers are passionate about the planet, and now they can join us in our efforts to give more than we take, no matter how they order.”

Coffee fans welcomed the change, with one customer on social media platform X calling it a 'good move' to reduce waste.

Environmental advocacy groups, including Clean Water Action, have long pushed for Starbucks to adopt more environmentally friendly cups

Their signature white and green cups are lined with plastic, meaning they are only recyclable in four major US cities, meaning many end up in the trash

The move comes after a test run was conducted last year at 200 drive-thru stores in Colorado.

Starbucks said wait times were not affected by allowing people to bring their own cups.

Customers should be aware that the option to use a reusable cup will not be available through third-party delivery apps such as DoorDash or Uber Eats.

Starbucks says it is the first national coffeehouse in the U.S. to offer consumers the option to use their personal cups when placing mobile orders.

It has allowed Americans to use their own cups in stores since the 1980s — with a brief pause during the Covid-19 pandemic — in an effort to reduce single-use plastic use.

It comes as the company – which has about 17,000 stores in North America – reported profits and revenue well above analysts' expectations at the end of last year.

Revenue for the fourth fiscal quarter – between July and September 2023 – rose 11 percent to $9.4 billion. And for the full fiscal year ending Oct. 1, revenue rose 11.6 percent to $35.9 billion.

Since 2020, the coffee giant's annual revenue has been on a steady upward trajectory.

Over the past four financial years, it has grown by more than 50 percent – ​​from $23.5 billion.

Since 2020, the coffee giant's annual revenue has been on a steady upward trajectory

While some chains are seeing consumer spending begin to slow, Starbucks has yet to see a similar drop in demand for its higher-priced drinks.

Chief Marketing Officer Brady Brewer said in a meeting with investors that young consumers in particular still choose to spend money on specialty coffee, for example.

According to retail analyst Neil Saunders of GlobalData, this is the main driver behind the chain's success.

“Some of the growth in the US is due to increased demand for higher-priced, customized options, especially in cold drinks,” he told DailyMail.com last year.

“The flexibility to offer this is a critical ingredient to Starbucks' success, as it both increases sales and enables a truly customized experience that improves satisfaction.”