Not a milk drinker? A new change at Starbucks is going to save you money on your latte.

The coffee chain just announced that it will no longer charge customers extra for customizing their beverage with non-dairy milk. The change goes into effect on November 7 at U.S. and Canada company-owned and -operated stores. This is also the same day Starbucks launches its new holiday menu.

While many of Starbucks’ new menu items are made with non-dairy milk, there are many drinks that have to be customized in order to use soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk. And custom drinks have always come at a higher price. Depending on the region, customizing a drink could cost 70 to 90 cents extra.

Starbucks and Dunkin’ have even faced class-action lawsuits which allege that charging for non-dairy milk is discriminatory.

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Starbucks

When it comes to drink customizations, Starbucks said that substituting non-dairy milk is the second-most requested modification, behind adding a shot of espresso. This change, according to the company, could reduce prices by more than 10% for customers who customize drinks.

This policy change has long been on the wishlist of many customers. There’s also no doubt it’s part of the CEO’s commitment to getting Starbucks back to its roots, following criticism from employees over how much the company has changed in recent years.

“I made a commitment that we’d get back to Starbucks, focusing on what has always set Starbucks apart—a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather and we serve the finest coffee handcrafted by our skilled baristas,” said Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol in today’s press release. “This is just one of many changes we’ll make to ensure a visit to Starbucks is worth it every time.”

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Starbucks

In addition to free non-dairy milk substitutions, Starbucks is launching its new holiday menu and drinkware on Thursday, November 7. The new holiday collection includes tumblers, cold cups, mugs, themed gift cards, and more.

Headshot of Allison Arnold

As the Associate Editor at Delish, Allie is a writer, reporter, and producer of features at the intersection of food and culture. Before Delish, Allie worked for publications including Apartment Therapy and Insider. She even spent time working in restaurants and breweries. Allie has dumpster-dived in NYC to expose food waste, reported on the invasive lionfish you can eat, and wrote about the growing trend of weed weddings. Her health and nutrition stories on hydration culture, bananas, and coffee have generated nearly 2M combined views. She loves traveling, running, and eating her way through new places and even has a thorough Google Maps ranking system for her favorite restaurants and bars! When not writing about food, she’s planning her next trip, lifting weights, or training for a race.  

Expertise: food & culture (Sustainability, Health, Travel) 

Education: M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, B.S. in Information Science (User Experience Design) from the University of Michigan 


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