Starbucks is giving away four "Starbucks for a Year" grand prizes plus 300,500 instant-win prizes in its Uncap, Scan & Win game, and you can play free once a day through December 31, 2026. Doctor of Credit flagged it on November 3. We pulled the official rules for the details that matter, including one timing quirk: the first week (Nov. 2–8) held 30% of all instant prizes, so the remaining 70% is spread across the seven weeks left.
The game runs from November 2, 2026 at 4:00 a.m. PT to December 31, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT. It's open to Starbucks Rewards members 18 and older in the 50 states and D.C.
How to play
You get one play per day, and buying Starbucks products does not get you more plays or better odds.
- Go to uncapstars.starbucks.com, or scan the QR code under the cap of a specially marked bottle.
- Sign in to your Starbucks Rewards account (joining is free) and agree to the official rules.
- Play the instant-win game. Each play awards either an instant prize or one entry into the Starbucks for a Year drawing.
- Come back tomorrow.
The QR codes are on specially marked Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino bottles, Iced Espresso Peppermint Mocha multi-serve bottles, and 28 oz Starbucks Creamers in Peppermint Mocha, Chestnut Praline and Sugar Cookie, sold where groceries are sold. The rules state plainly that no purchase is necessary and a purchase won't improve your chances, so the free website route is just as good.
The "Catch the Falling Objects" mini-game is entertainment only and run by a third party that sets a cookie. You can skip it without affecting your play.
One account per person: the rules prohibit using multiple emails or Rewards accounts, and doing so voids all of your plays.
The prizes and the odds
Only four people will win Starbucks for a Year; the realistic win is a few Stars or a free-drink coupon.
| Prize | Quantity | Week 1 (Nov. 2–8) | Weeks 2–8 | Value per the rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starbucks for a Year (drawing) | 4 | — | — | $3,935 each |
| Hand-crafted beverage coupon | 50,000 | 15,000 | 35,000 | $10.00 |
| Bakery item coupon | 25,500 | 7,650 | 17,850 | $3.87 |
| 60 Stars | 50,000 | 15,000 | 35,000 | Not stated |
| 25 Stars | 175,000 | 52,500 | 122,500 | Not stated |
Starbucks puts the total value of all prizes at $614,425. Some deal sites are circulating smaller instant-win counts; those match only the weeks 2–8 column above, not the full totals.
What "Starbucks for a Year" actually means. Each winner gets a daily credit for one free food item or standard-menu beverage (no alcohol) for 365 days, starting on or around February 16, 2027. Each credit expires at 11:59 p.m. PT that day and doesn't roll over, and you redeem it by presenting a Starbucks Card registered to your account. At the stated value, that's about $10.78 a day if you go every single day.
It's taxable. Winners owe income tax on the retail price of what they actually redeem, and get a 1099 for any tax year where redemptions hit $2,000. The credits run from mid-February 2027 into February 2028, so a daily user would redeem most of the value, and owe most of the tax, in 2027.
How the odds work. The grand-prize drawing happens on or around January 4, 2027, from every play that didn't win an instant prize, so your odds depend on how many people play. Instant prizes are tied to 300,500 randomly seeded winning times; the first person to play at or after each time wins that prize.
Win limits. You can win at most one grand prize, one 60-Star prize, one 25-Star prize, and either one beverage coupon or one bakery coupon. The best possible instant haul is 85 Stars plus a $10 drink coupon.
How to play it smart
Week 1 (Nov. 2–8) held 30% of every instant-prize tier, and it's over. The remaining 70% is spread across weeks 2 through 8, which works out to roughly 10% per week on average, so the odds from here are steady: every day you play is one more shot.
Set a daily reminder. Plays don't carry over, and missing a day just loses that day's play. The game ends Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT, which is 1:59 a.m. Central on Jan. 1 for those of us in the Midwest.
Watch your inbox in early January. Grand-prize winners are notified by email around Jan. 4, 2027 and must return a signed declaration and an IRS W-9 within 3 days, or the prize goes to an alternate. Instant winners may also be asked for a name, mailing address and date of birth within 3 days. Add Starbucks to your safe-senders list.
Pool your Stars before redeeming. Under Starbucks Rewards' 2026 structure, 25 Stars gets a drink customization worth up to $1 and 60 Stars takes $2 off. Win both and you have 85; add 15 from your own purchases and you reach the 100-Star tier, which covers brewed coffee or tea, a bakery item or a packaged snack worth up to $6. That beats spending the 60 and 25 separately. Just don't sit on them: at the Green level, Stars last six months unless you have qualifying activity each month, while Gold and Reserve Stars don't expire.
Don't buy bottles for entries. A purchase gets you the same single daily play as the free website. Buy the Peppermint Mocha creamer because you want it, not for the odds.
Know what Stars can't do. Stars from the game can't be redeemed for alcohol, Starbucks Cards or card reloads, and they have no cash value.
The bottom line
It costs nothing but 30 seconds a day, and with 300,500 instant prizes there's a real shot at a free drink or a few Stars. Treat the year of Starbucks as a lottery ticket, play every day you remember to, and keep an eye on your email in January.
Points Capital has no affiliation with Starbucks and earns nothing from this promotion. Prize details come from the official rules as of Nov. 4, 2026; the rules posted on the promotion site control if anything changes.
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