Sandwich chain Pret a Manger has ditched a planned hike in the cost of its subscription – but ‘free’ drinks aren’t coming back
Pret a Manger has scrapped plans to double the cost of loyalty scheme to £10 a month from the end of March.
The popular sandwich chain triggered a backlash last year it axing its five free coffees a day loyalty perk and replaced it with 50% off instead. Coffee lovers had previously paid £30 a month for a Club Pret subscription, which gave them five free coffees each day.
The initial plan was to reduce it to £10 a month, with 50% off five drinks instead, from the end of March this year. To begin with, it had a discounted price of £5 for new and existing members, that was due to end next month. But the company now says the £5 a month price will remain.
In a message to customers, it said: “We are writing to you about some important updates to your Club Pret subscription fee. Our Club Pret monthly subscription fee will remain at just £5. At Pret, we believe in offering high-quality, organic coffee and Barista-made drinks at fantastic value. With Club Pret, you’ll continue to enjoy great savings on up to five Barista-made drinks per day. Thank you for being part of Club Pret. We love serving you and hope to see you in our shops very soon.”
Last year’s shake-up came after Pret began cracking down on Club Pret members who share their free coffee with others in March this year. To get your free Pret coffee, all people needed to do was scan a QR code which was located in the Pret app, but you could also download it to your Apple Pay or Google Wallet. This meant it could then be sent to mates who fancied a coffee – however, this is against the terms and conditions of the reward scheme. Club Pret members in future had to log into the Pret app every time they want to claim their free beverage.
Pret’s terms and conditions state that customers can only use their Club Pret Subscription for one eligible drink per transaction every 30 minutes, up to a maximum of five eligible drinks per day. Customers took to social media when Pret first announced the changes to the scheme last year, with one calling it a “massive, monumental” error and others saying they would switch to rival coffee chains.
