When Is Red Cup Day at Starbucks This Year?

This is a busy time for Starbucks, whose seasonal drinks and holiday cup designs draw customers in droves. But nothing gets fans of the brand quite so excited as Red Cup Day, a yearly Starbucks giveaway that promises freebies for guests and a serious one-day sales boost for stores. After much anticipation, Starbucks has finally announced the date.

What is Red Cup Day?

It works like this: You order one of Starbucks’ holiday beverages and receive a free reusable holiday-themed red cup—while supplies last, of course. The promotion extends to any holiday drink, whether it’s hot, iced or blended. Orders can be placed in person, via the mobile app or delivery via DoorDash, Uber Eats or Grubhub.

The cup is a grande size, able to hold 16 fluid ounces. For logistical purposes, most Starbucks locations won’t serve customers’ drinks in the reusable cup, but rather in the typical paper cup, with the giveaway supplied on the side.

For years now, Starbucks has used Red Cup Day to kick off its holiday sales; it’s one of the busiest days of the year for the brand. Because of this, it’s also the day upon which Starbucks Workers United has organized a workers’ strike in the past, calling on Starbucks to respect union rights.

When is Red Cup Day?

This year, Red Cup Day will be on Thursday, November 14. Last year’s announcement came a couple weeks earlier than it did this year, but we’re not surprised. The brand has already changed things up in 2024 by staggering the announcements of its holiday cup designs and its holiday food and beverage lineup. These announcements are often bundled together.

Here are the drinks that qualify for the reusable cup (sorry in advance, black coffee drinkers—the Christmas blends don’t qualify for the offer):

• Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai Tea Latte
• Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato
• Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
• Caramel Brulée Latte
• Chestnut Praline Latte
• Cran-Merry Orange Refresher
• Cran-Merry Lemonade Refresher
• Cran-Merry Drink
• Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai
• Hot Chocolate
• Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte
• Peppermint Hot Chocolate
• Peppermint Mocha
• Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
• Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte
• Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Salted Pecan Crunch Cold Brew
• Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte
• White Hot Chocolate

According to Reddit speculation, one reason for the announcement of Red Cup Day being so late is that it’s such a grueling shift for baristas. The exact day of the chaos must be kept secret for long enough that employees can’t call out. That really is a lot of lattes to make in one day, so if you’re a customer looking for your reusable cup, remember to be patient and courteous, and tip generously.