Pumpkin spice lattes aren’t the only new items coming to Starbucks this fall. The Seattle-based coffee chain is now offering non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other Web3 rewards to its customers.
On Monday, the company announced the official launch of the Starbucks Odyssey rewards program. The program is intended to gift customers with Starbucks rewards accounts digital rewards such as NFTs that are verified through the blockchain. Customers already enrolled in the Starbucks rewards program through the app will be able to use their same login for this experience.
To earn NFTs, customers must log onto the Starbucks Odyssey web app and complete challenges and games, which are called “journeys,” that will teach users about Starbucks.
Customers wanting in the action can also purchase and trade NFTs within the Starbucks Odyssey web app. While NFTs are usually bought with cryptocurrencies, Starbucks said it will make their collectibles available for purchase with a credit card. The move, according to the company, will help introduce more people to Web3 and NFTs.
“Leveraging Web3 technology will allow our members to access experiences and ownership that was not possible before. Starbucks Odyssey will transcend the foundational benefits that our Starbucks Rewards members have come to love, and unlock digital, physical and experiential benefits that are uniquely Starbucks,” Brady Brewer, Starbucks executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said in a statement.
Despite collecting digital assets, customers will also have the opportunity to secure real-life experiences after they earn points. Those experiences can include invitations to events or a trip to a coffee bean farm.
To be a part of the Odyssey rewards program, customers must first sign up on a waitlist.
This is not Starbucks’ first non-coffee-related venture this year. The company also partnered with Volvo and ChargePoint to install fast chargers for electric vehicles at up to 15 Starbucks locations from Seattle to Denver.
