Loyal To Costa?

LOYALTY CARDS, DATA HARVESTING AND FREE COFFEE

Today I decided to start using coffee shop loyalty cards. Why? Free coffee, that’s why. I’ve always resisted using them because of the data harvesting. Basically, apart from the fast that it encourages you to stay loyal to one particular brand, there is really nothing for free. They are collecting data.

So why did I decide to go for it? Well, it’s now 2022 and everyone is collecting my data now. Following the epic data collection and data breaches we’ve had in the past two years, most of my data is pretty much public now, or at least for sale on the dark web. Coffee shops collecting data about which drinks I love, and my drinking habits, is the least of my worries now. Heck, I only ever drink one thing anyway, my data will be the most boring for them.

However, since I’m such a consistent drinker of coffee, I might as well start reaping some of the benefits. I had a look at some of the “rewards” and they’ve improved over the years. Mind you, because I use Crypto.com’s debit card to buy coffee, I already get cash back on every bit of coffee I buy. Well, it’s “cryptoback”, strictly speaking, since the rewards are in the form of the $CRO token.

Most of these cards have also gone digital. Not only can I use the app to scan, I can also use Apple Wallet for it. I love Apple Wallet since most of my cards are sitting in there and I can just access them via Apple Pay. It’s so convenient and it reduces the number of people that can collect my data when I spend with them.

I believe that, within the next year, we will see crypto show up in Apple Wallet. It’s inevitable and it will usher in an age of mass adoption due to the vast nature of the Apple ecosystem. If they don’t do it first, Google Pay won't be far behind. When these two behemoths turn on crypto payments, crypto will enter a new era.

I’ve always though that coffee shop loyalty rewards is the perfect use case for crypto tokens. I think Starbucks even dabbled in something almost crypto, but not quite. I truly hope that one day they will decide to implement this on our blockchain as a “tribe”. They probably won’t though. They’d probably either end up on something more popular, like Socios, or create their own Ethereum based token or NFT. Where ever they go, I hope they do. It will hasten the use of crypto.

Anyway, as it is now, I might as well get one free coffee per week. It would probably take most people longer than a week to earn enough points for a free cup, but I reckon I can do it within the week, but it would mean I have to be more loyal to Costa. If I opt for them every time I buy coffee in the week, then I will 100% make enough points for the free brew.

Thankfully, when it comes to chain coffee shops, Costa is my joint second favourite (with Cafe Nero). Harris + Hoole is my favourite. They are also very laptop-friendly with charging sockets, including USB ports, next to almost every seat. Perhaps I'll work in there for the next few weeks and see how I feel about it.

Peace & Love,

Adé