Starbucks Happy Hour Has Been Suspended Due to COVID-19

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Starbucks is keeping us safe (and caffeinated) for the holidays ☕

If you’ve been waiting for the next Starbucks Happy Hour, we’ve got some sad news! We heard from an inside source that Starbucks has opted to suspend this popular event due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the country. 😢

Currently, both the December 17th and January 7th events have been canceled and there’s no news on when they may return – but we’ll be impatiently waiting to find out when they do so we can share it with you!

In the meantime, they’ll be offering loyal rewards members more Double Star Days so you can rack up stars and earn more freebies. Plus, you can check out these Starbucks Tips & Tricks to help you save!

ICYMI Starbucks is offering First-Line Responders FREE coffee all of December ♥️  See how you can score a free hot or iced coffee here!

hand holding Starbucks Frapp drink

When the next Starbucks Happy Hour Event finally does roll around again, you will be able to head into your local Starbucks to score Buy 1 & Get 1 FREE on ANY Handcrafted Drinks. The qualifying drink options will sometimes change, but the offer is typically for BOGO Handcrafted drinks! YUMMO! 😋

Note that this BOGO offer is usually valid on grande or larger sizes and typically excludes hot coffee, hot brewed tea, ready-to-drink beverages, and Starbucks Reserve beverages!


green and red Starbucks christmas cups

When the Starbucks Happy Hour BOGO offer is available again, be sure to check your Starbucks app and present the offer at checkout. This offer is only valid for a single-use and cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts.

Note that these offers are now only in the Starbucks app. If you haven’t already downloaded it, you’ll find it in the Apple iTunes App Store or Google Play Store.


woman holding a Starbucks Free cup

You could win Starbucks for LIFE! Find out all the details here!


About the writer:

Eden earned a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications with a focus in Journalism from Bloomsburg University. She has over a decade of experience blogging and has been published in two online magazines.


Join The Discussion

Comments 36

  1. steph05

    Both Starbucks by me are closed (even drive thru) until further notice. I thought it was odd bc they are always SO busy!

    • Lolas93

      Mine too, both ones in our city.

      • Monique

        Chances are someone tested positive in the store if it’s closed has happened a few times to my sons store he works in Tempe Arizona and just confirmed with me what h2s said about happy hour being canceled

      • Memo

        Hi

  2. Quadshot

    I call it rolling closures and there is ZERO rhyme or reason to it. I’m sure it’s staffing and that happens on short notice with illness, etc but it’s so frustrating to drive to not one, not two, but THREE locations just to find ONE open at 0530. I think I figured out that if you log in to the app, and attempt to order ahead but it’s unavailable (even though it says the location is open), it’s actually closed. If anyone can speak to the contrary, please do. I think order ahead needs to be “turned on”, so if it’s unavailable then that location didn’t actually open when the app said it did.

    • Irene (Hip Sidekick)

      These times definitely be trying, Quadshot. Starbucks may need to hear about your idea.

    • Monique

      My understanding is if someone gets sick with covid that person and their “block” of employees must quarantine and hazmat comes in and sanitizes the place. Normally a one or two day closure…So if multiple people end up sick then I’m sure that they would have no other choice but to close longer. To me I would think coffee isn’t that serious to put peoples health at risk and I would have no problem calling ahead to make sure the Starbucks I wanted to go to was opened…

    • Renee

      The 2 busiest stores where I live have had several partial or complete closures in recent months. They do update the hours on the app (and online) here pretty quickly when it happens, and it has mostly been just abbreviated hours instead of a complete closure, but it depends on how many blocks of employees have someone sick. I’m not sure how many days they shut down a block when someone gets Covid. Starbucks is one of the few food & beverage businesses here that has consistently done a great job adhering to protocols.

    • KayleighW

      The Starbucks here were hit or miss today. I ended up going to one I’ve never been to. I used to app to find out which ones were open. If you open the app and click on Stores at the top you can filter by favorites, nearby or previous. The app won’t let me place orders for pickup if the store I picked is closed. Also, there’s a yellow circle with an exclamation by the store listing if it’s closed, at least for me when I use the app

  3. Melissa

    All for a virus with a 99.9% recovery rate…

    • Cami

      Facts.

      Nobody wants to focus on that though.

    • eadybakegirl

      9.99 percent with future complications. No thank you

    • Marni

      300,000 dead Americans SO FAR.

    • Jess

      The most accurate post on this site all year!

      • Jess

        And my comment was to Cami.

    • Amy

      as someone who had it 3 months ago and am still dealing with complications, i hope your family and friends are well.

    • hellotashakitty

      👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 I know people who’ve had it and had no issues after recovering, and some who also haven’t fully gotten their sense of taste back. It’s a matter of living life not in fear in my opinion. I know who controls my future and if getting COVID is part of it that’s the least of my worries.

    • Baker's Wife

      My perfectly healthy niece before covid tested positive for 6 weeks. The lasting effects she is experiencing are horrendous. I pray one day she will be okay. She says she is, in between trying to catch her breath, because she lost so many coworkers to this ‘99.9% recovery rate’ virus. I have 2 friends in the hospital now, both on vents, one whose organs are starting to shut down, expect to hear of their passing any time now, the other barely hanging on. Have a little empathy for those suffering from this virus.

      • George

        Baker’s Wife. False. Carry on.

    • Crissy

      Least compassionate post on the internet today.

  4. Linda

    What does COVID-19 have to do with buy one get one free? I don’t understand

    • Cami

      I thought the same exact thing!! I’ve noticed that a lot of the new rules and policies around where I live don’t make sense and aren’t really COVID-19 related, but people say “because COVID” and everyone goes “oh” and nods their heads in agreement.

      My kids’ dentist didn’t give out new toothbrushes this past visit “because COVID,” but my dentist did and I can go buy them. So what’s the concern with putting them in the oral b bag and giving it out like they did in the past?

      • Susan

        To Cami: Because the dentist now has to buy more PPE they probabaly can’t afford the toothbrushes to give away. My dentist actually charges a small fee for the PPE but some may choose not to pass that on to the customer.

      • Mcopp

        Or, as someone who previously worked for Oral B, maybe the production has slowed down for these “dental office” toothbrushes and they are not as readily available as they were before COVID. From what I remember, the toothbrushes that were designated for dental offices were completely separate from the toothbrushes that you can buy at the store. Just another thought to consider.

    • traptfairy

      Maybe that would cause more people to come to the store which increases risk of infection? But it would be possible to set limits of people in store and/or only have people go through drive thru?

    • Ashley

      My guess is that they don’t want it to be misconstrued as them encouraging people from separate households to get together since it is buy one get one free (lots of people in the past probably met up with a friend for happy hour to get the BOGO deal). I have always just ordered it on the app and picked up through the drive thru for myself and my daughter so I am disappointed they aren’t offering it for the time being.

  5. Eleanor

    As a barista at one of the busiest Starbucks locations I am so relieved by this news.

  6. Tara

    Why now? It makes no sense that now businesses some want to restrict things but others open up even more hours and promotions to get more people in.

  7. Leavesbegintofall

    You can’t go get 2 coffees for $6 but you can still get 2 for $12. It’s Because we’re being careful in these covid times. Ok …

    • Terri Mosher

      Here in NY they have closed the Tim Hortons starting today and it’s just drive thru. Something isn’t right here

  8. Shelly

    I like the coffee at racetrack and the price is better than Starbucks.

  9. miriamhmidby

    Starbucks around my neighborhood have closed on several occasions and everyone losses. The workers miss out on a paycheck plus tips that many of them rely on and we miss out on the yummy drinks. So, please be courteous to essential workers and wear a mask when going through a drive thru. It’s the little things that we do that allow us to enjoy the perks in life like Starbucks. And remember that in many minds you’re just one person not wearing a mask but to a essential worker you are one of hundreds of people that they have to serve on a daily basis.
    To, those that’ll be quick to say “it’s just a virus”. My father is a essential worker at a casino who was infected by a customer who was showing symptoms and refused to leave the establishment. My father is 67 fit and healthy and still took a beating by covid. The customers decision landed my father in the hospital for 23 days (12 in the icu). Please do your part to keep everyone safe. 💚

  10. Sara

    As much as I love my Starbucks, it didn’t make sense to me why they kept this promotion going during a pandemic. It just seems like such an unnecessary health risk to both baristas and customers. I’m glad they’re putting it on hold!

    • hellotashakitty

      Lol, I think they see how their stores can’t handle the mass amounts of orders and that’s more so the reason they suspended it for now. Most in my area had wait times 1-2 hours after you placed your order!

    • Lucy

      Sara. Your serious right?? How in the world is a BOGO at Starbucks a unnecessary health risk to baristas and customers?? Why is a Thursday offering BOGO any different then the Wednesday before, people just ordering Starbucks because they are thirsty? Common sense went out the window in March 2020. smh.

  11. KayleighW

    The Starbucks here were hit or miss today. I ended up going to one I’ve never been to. I used to app to find out which ones were open. If you open the app and click on Stores at the top you can filter by favorites, nearby or previous. The app won’t let me place orders for pickup if the store I picked is closed. Also, there’s a yellow circle with an exclamation by the store listing if it’s closed, at least for me when I use the app

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