Millennials have ushered in an era of subscription-box-mania; there is now a subscription service for everything from toys and food to formal wear and menstrual products. In fact, many a financial expert will tell you, if you're trying to trim costs, you should first look into shaving off a few subscriptions. They'll also tell you to stop spending so much money on coffee. It doesn't matter how much money you spend on coffee, most financial advice columns assume it's too much. For some of us, though, coffee is an investment we can't get enough of and without it, our productivity suffers. If you're one of those people, there's a new subscription service just for you.
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Today, Panera joins a growing number of restaurants that offer year-long coffee subscriptions. For only $8.99 a month, you can help yourself to unlimited Panera coffee. Iced coffee and tea are included and so is almond milk, with more non-dairy options to come. Plus, you don't need to resort to disguises or fake names because Panera will let you circle back up to every two hours.
So to recap, for just under $9, you can have a "free" hot or iced coffee (or even tea), with almond milk, once every two hours if you feel like it. All you have to do is create a Panera account, then sign up for a subscription. You can claim your free cup like you would any other reward in a rewards program, either at a kiosk, in-store, or on the app.
In-store coffee subscriptions are coming from some of the most unlikely places. Around this time last year, Burger King introduced its own coffee subscription, which entitles members to one cup a day for $5 a month. And some local coffee shops offer similar albeit more expensive options.
So the answer to not sinking your savings into a reckless coffee consumption is to cleverly dedicate a set amount of dollars a month to an unlimited amount of coffee.