Save on Coffee Prices: Feed Your Caffeine Addiction for Less

A few weeks ago, I mentioned my love of all things coffee. And the fact that I may have just a slight caffeine addiction. Which got me thinking: for those of us for whom caffeine is non-negotiable, what are some good ways to save on coffee prices day to day?

Don't worry, this isn't another article about how you can save thousands of dollars a year if you just stop buying $6 coffee drinks every day. I think we all know by now that if you are on a budget, the expensive lattes have got to go. I'm talking good ol' regular coffee for us good ol' regular coffee drinkers.

How can we save at the major coffee chains?

I'm not gonna lie, I was a little disappointed with my findings. Just about every major chain gives you a ten cent discount if you bring your own travel mug/cup. It's such a tiny discount it seems almost meaningless, but it's certainly better than nothing ($26 per year better than nothing, if you buy coffee every workday). When I went looking for other discounts and rewards programs, I didn't find much. Starbucks haters, you may want to stop reading now.

Starbucks: My Starbucks Rewards is by far the best coffee rewards program that I came across. It's a little complicated, but what you need to know is you get a free drink on your birthday and some great benefits once you've racked up just a few purchases with a Starbucks card. Benefits like free coffee and tea refills and free syrups and soy in your more fancy-pants drinks.

Dunkin Donuts: These guys feature a full page of current promotions, but most are specific to certain areas of the country or only valid if you use certain credit cards. The most general discount I could find is a $2 bonus if you set up your Dunkin Donuts Card for automatic reloads.

Peet's Coffee & Tea: Free medium beverage with every $25 you load onto a Peet's card.

I could not find discounts of any note or rewards program info on websites for Tim Hortons, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Seattle's Best Coffee or Caribou Coffee. I'm not saying that discounts and rewards programs absolutely don't exist for those chains. I'm just saying that a person who stares at the internet all day for a living couldn't find any in a reasonable amount of time on their websites.

With coffee as with any other thing you buy and love, it is a good idea to fan your faves on Facebook, follow them on twitter and sign up for their email lists to find out about the latest promos. A lot of the chains I mentioned have free coffee (or doughnut!) days once or twice a year. And keep an eye on your local newspaper; I have seen free coffee coupons for Noah's Bagels and McDonald's in the past few months.

My last trick for spending a bit less: buy gift cards to your favorite coffee chain at your local grocery store, where there is often a gift card rebate offer. Or at Costco, where there's usually a nice discount.

Know of any great coffee discounts or rewards? Tell us about it in the comments!