Pret A Manger coffee subscription hike: how much money will it cost? Club Pret rebrand explained

Pret A Manger customers will have to fork out more for a monthly Coffee Subscription after the chain previously said it could not absorb price hikes.

The service has already hiked its price once since launching in September 2020. Despite having to pay more for their free beverages, subscribers will also have access to discounts on the high street brand’s food items.

It comes as several major retailers have altered their loyalty programmes in recent weeks. Tesco has announced several major changes to its Clubcard scheme, while Boots is set to make its Advantage card less generous for many consumers.

The cost of living crisis has already seen the price of many everyday items soar. Inflation has been especially felt in food and drink prices, mostly as a result of economic shocks from the Russia-Ukraine war.

NationalWorld analysis of supermarket value ranges has shown prices have grown well above the headline rate of inflation over the past 12 months. Separate research by Kantar and Nationwide Building Society has found that consumers have been trying to cut back on spending where they can.

So, how exactly is Pret’s subscription offering changing - and what are customers saying about the changes?

What is Club Pret?

When Pret A Manger launched its Coffee Subscription service in September 2020, customers could get up to five free coffees, teas, or iced drinks like smoothies or frappes, per day for a monthly fee of £20.

In February 2022, it hiked the price of the deal to £25, and now it has hiked it by another £5 to £30. It means the subscription package has gone up by 50% in only two-and-a-half years.

But, in an apparent bid to sweeten the pill, Pret has announced the price rise will be accompanied by a rebrand of the scheme that will allow customers to access 10% discounts on food for the first time. Its new Club Pret offering will make its food and drink offering “more accessible to the people who have been crucial to Pret’s success”, according to its CEO Pano Christou.

Existing subscribers will get 40 days at the existing £25 rate before being exposed to the new £30 fee. It is also offering new customers 50% off their first month and the chance to win one of 100 free annual Club Pret subscriptions.

It comes after the price of coffee beans soared by 40% last year, with Pret also reporting that other key ingredients it uses have seen double-digit cost increases.

How have customers reacted to Club Pret?

Customers have reacted angrily to the new Pret A Manger offering. Some have highlighted that it has increased prices at a rate well above inflation, while others have pointed out that the coffee chain handed out a £4 million bonus to its CEO in 2021.

One Twitter user wrote: “Forget Pret A Manger, just take a flask in the morning.” Another post read: “A coffee subscription with Pret a Manger now costs the equivalent of 100 nutritious Lee Anderson meals a month.”