No Need to Pay Extra to Use 'Seubeok Gifticon'... Balance Will Be Stored Starting Year-End

Cash Refunds for Change Are Not Possible

"Dear customer, purchases below the gifticon price are not allowed."

The Starbucks operating policy that did not allow purchasing a 4,900 won product with a 5,000 won gifticon is set to change as early as December.

Photo by Pixabay

Under the new operating policy, customers will be able to order products priced lower than the value of 'goods-type gift certificates' such as gifticons at Starbucks and receive the remaining balance back.

Previously, even if users waived the difference, orders below the gifticon amount were not allowed. Consumers had to bear unnecessary additional expenses to use up their gifticons.

According to Yoon Chang-hyun, a member of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee from the People Power Party, Starbucks recently prepared a "Customer Convenience Plan for Using Goods-Type Gift Certificates Below the Face Value."

Earlier, Representative Yoon pointed out this issue during last year's government audit.

Starting as early as the end of the year, ordering products cheaper than the value of goods-type gift certificates at Starbucks will be permitted, and the remaining balance will be compensated by charging it to the customer's existing Starbucks card.

Customers without a Starbucks card can have one issued immediately on-site by staff to accumulate the balance. Receiving change in cash is not possible.

Starbucks stated, "We plan to complete the application of this function to the POS (Point of Sale) systems at Starbucks stores by December this year."