Waitrose coffee: free loyalty scheme hot drink offer explained, do My Waitrose customers need to buy something

• Waitrose is reintroducing free tea and coffee for loyalty members, with no purchase required
• The change, effective from January 27, will allow customers to enjoy a free hot drink at any time
• The policy shift responds to customer feedback for more flexibility in the My Waitrose program
• The supermarket previously limited free drinks to members who made a purchase, but the rule has been relaxed
• Waitrose first introduced the offer in 2013, but adjusted it in 2017 due to concerns over ‘freeloaders’

A major UK supermarket is reintroducing free tea and coffee for customers, even if they make no purchases in-store.

Waitrose notified customers of the change via email, effective from Monday January 27, saying: “You’ll be able to get your free hot drink without buying anything in store first. Don’t forget your reusable cup!”

A personalised morning news round-up with UK Today - sign up here.

Members of the myWaitrose loyalty program, now being rebranded as My Waitrose, will be able to get a free hot drink, regardless of whether they’ve bought anything beforehand - the premium grocer currently requires members to make a purchase before receiving their drink.

The loyalty program launched in 2011 and boasts nine million members. Waitrose first began offering free tea or coffee without a purchase in 2013, becoming the second-largest coffee provider in the UK.

The move sparked concerns about its impact on smaller, independent coffee shops, and the policy was adjusted due to long queues and complaints from regular shoppers who felt the offer was attracting freeloaders rather than genuine customers.

In 2017, Waitrose tightened up the scheme, making it mandatory for loyalty card members to make a purchase in order to claim a free drink. The following year, the supermarket stopped providing disposable cups, requiring customers to bring their own reusable ones instead.

The supermarket said: “Some of our My Waitrose members like to have the free coffee before they shop or during the shop, rather than afterwards, so we are just offering a bit of flexibility in response to customer feedback.

“In practice, lots of customers do this already, so this is just a formality as part of updated T&Cs.”

What do you think of Waitrose’s decision to bring back free tea and coffee without requiring a purchase? Will it make you more likely to visit the store, or could it impact local independent coffee shops? Share your thoughts in the comments.