Starbucks earning simplified but gated behind a flight requirement

up to 2 miles per $1 (reloads) → 1 mile per $1 (spend, flight required)

Effective August 5, 2026, the Delta–Starbucks partnership returns to earning 1 SkyMile per $1 spent at Starbucks cafés (excluding tax, tips, gift cards, and alcohol), replacing the reload-based model that paid up to 2 miles per $1 on $100+ reloads. Reloading a Starbucks card no longer earns anything — Delta confirmed only spending does. The real change: earning now requires a qualifying Delta flight within the previous 12 months. Existing linked members get a one-time grace period through October 5, 2026; newly linked members earn for their first 12 months. For active Delta flyers the new model is simpler and broader; for optimizers the rate is halved, and for non-flyers earning stops entirely.

What to do: If you reload Starbucks cards for miles (or to burn card dining credits), note that reloads now earn nothing — only register spend counts, and only if you've flown Delta in the past year.