Starbucks Offering $450 Stainless Steel Gift Card for Holiday Season

A Starbucks gift card would normally be considered a great holiday gift, except when they make it out of stainless steel, load it up with $400 and charge you $450. According to a BostonHerald.com article, local customers do not plan to put the coffee shop's newest gift item on their lists this year.

North Reading resident Holyn Nickerson was quoted in the article saying that the idea is insane and that she would never buy the gift card for a loved one.

“It’s definitely not for the average person,” she said in the article.

A perk that comes with buying the stainless steel card is membership in the “My Starbucks Rewards Gold” program, which gives you a free birthday beverage and complimentary drink or food item after purchasing 12 coffees, the article said.

Only 5,000 cards were made, according to BostonHerald.com, and those will be available to the public Friday. The stainless steel gift cards can be purchased on Gilt.com.

The gift card was strategic for Starbucks as they are marketing themselves as a luxury brand. After introducing the new card, the coffee chain announced that it plans to open 1,500 more shops in this country and 2,000 more around the world within the next five years.