Pret A Manger subscribers will no longer receive free coffee after the deal was deemed “too good to be true” by the coffee chain.
The Club Pret subscription benefits will end in September, the company said in a statement.
The coffee and sandwich chain introduced the service, which allowed subscribers to order up to five barista-made drinks a day for a monthly fee of £30, during the pandemic to get customers back in stores, but it has now taken the decision to end the current deal.
After September, subscribers will receive 50 per cent off up to five Barista made drinks a day for a reduced monthly fee of £10. However, customers will be offered this service for £5 until March 31 next year.
Clare Clough, Pret’s managing director, said: “It’s almost four years since we introduced our coffee subscription at the height of the pandemic, and I’m proud of the role Club Pret has played for us and our customers since.
“It was an innovative way to reconnect with our loyal customers and introduce Pret to tens of thousands of new ones, bringing customers back into our shops with an offer that almost seemed ‘too good to be true’.
“Four years and over a quarter of a billion coffees later, we have decided that it’s time to rethink how it works.”
Pret will also remove the current 20 per cent discount on food, ending its dual pricing scheme.
Ms Clough added: “We know this is a change. But with Club Pret subscription, our coffees, teas, Coolers and iced drinks will continue to be the best offer on the high street, and at a much more accessible price than the £360 a year people have to pay for the current scheme.
It comes after some customers abandoned their subscriptions saying they were “no longer worth it”.
Others complained the deal could not be used in service stations or abroad.
The company increased the price of its subscription several times since it first launched.
It initially cost £20 a month when it began in 2020, with the first month free. The price rose to £25 in February 2022, and then to £30 in April 2023.