• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
RetailDunkin' Donuts

Diehard Dunkin’ Donuts customers are outraged over the company’s new rewards program: ‘It’s absolutely egregious’ 

By
Alena Botros
Alena Botros
Former staff writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Alena Botros
Alena Botros
Former staff writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 10, 2022, 6:12 PM ET
Photo of Dunkin' Donuts
People walk outside Dunkin' Donuts in New York. Noam Galai—Getty Images

Dunkin’ Donuts has announced a new rewards program, and it’s wreaking havoc among their coffee-loving customers.  

Last week, the company overhauled its program known as “DD Perks” and replaced it with “Dunkin’ Rewards.” Under the old perks program, customers could earn five points for every dollar they spent, and 200 points (or $40) was enough to earn a free drink of your choice. 

Under the new rewards program, however, that $40 will only get you a cup of tea. To earn enough points for a free cup of coffee you’d have to spend $50, but that’s not including lattes and cold brew. You have to spend $70 to get a free “crafted” drink, which includes an espresso, a cold brew, or a refresher. And it’s $90 for a “premium” drink, like Dunkin’s signature latte. 

Some customers aren’t happy about it. 

The Dunkin’ Donuts Reddit forum is ablaze with complaints about the new program. There are multiple posts in which users share how much they dislike the new rewards program, with one receiving close to 200 comments. 

“Don’t try to piss on me and tell me its raining, Dunkin,” one Reddit user wrote. “Were getting less with the illusion of more.”

“I’m in a state of disbelief,” said another Reddit user, detailing how much more money they must spend to get the same perks. “I’m sick. This is horrific.”

Another said the amount of time it would take for them to earn a latte with points was “absolutely egregious.”

Twitter users weren’t much kinder, and since the announcement they’ve flooded the platform to share their disappointment—there are still new Tweets coming in every few minutes, complaining about the change. 

“Now instead of spending $40 to get a free drink from Dunkin, I have to spend about $60-$70 with the new app/rewards update? Y’all what,” one person tweeted. “I know inflation has been bad but $20-$30 more for a free drink? Y’all gotta be joking. Please say it’s a joke.”

https://twitter.com/mishyyfishyy13/status/1578033873543315456

Others wrote that the new program is pushing them to walk away from Dunkin’ Donuts coffee altogether. 

“i swear i’ll start boycotting @dunkindonuts unless they change the damn rewards system back,” one user wrote on Twitter. 

https://twitter.com/jjbeanz14/status/1579519213156564994

In a Frequently Asked Section on its website, the company wrote that it changed the program because “our members deserve more.” 

But some regular customers were not having it. “I hate how they try to spin it in the FAQ like it’s a big win for all of us customers when it’s a complete downgrade,” one reddit user wrote. 

Dunkin’ Donuts President Scott Murphy told the Wall Street Journal that the company changed the rewards program in part to reflect the costs of making some of those drinks. He added that customers can now redeem points for food options, which they were unable to do before, and earn rewards after spending less money. 

“Change can be hard for people,” he said. 

Dunkin’ Donuts did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment. 

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Alena BotrosFormer staff writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Alena Botros is a former reporter at Fortune, where she primarily covered real estate.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

HealthFood and drink
Chains like Sweetgreen and Chipotle are finally realizing they need to look beyond the ‘slop bowl’
By Phil WahbaFebruary 27, 2026
10 hours ago
burger king
AIOpenAI
Burger King tests OpenAI-powered headsets that will track the friendliness of drive-through workers
By Dee-Ann Durbin and The Associated PressFebruary 27, 2026
14 hours ago
Two restaurant workers wearing black stand in front of a silver "Flippy" fry station.
AIAutomation
Meet your new robot fry cooks: Inside the $28 billion race to disrupt White Castle and Jack in the Box
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 26, 2026
2 days ago
Customers in the electronics section at Walmart on Black Friday in Columbus, Ohio, US, on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. Americans are planning to spend more this holiday season than last year, according to credit reporting firm TransUnion. Photographer: Brian Kaiser/Bloomberg via Getty Images
C-SuiteLeadership
McKinsey studied 61 growth companies that outperformed their peers through COVID, inflation, and labor shocks. Here’s what they all had in common
By Geoff ColvinFebruary 26, 2026
2 days ago
The Home Depot storefront
InvestingHome Depot
Home Depot CEO says with the housing market stalemate, ‘our customers are telling us that they’re not investing’
By Jacqueline MunisFebruary 25, 2026
3 days ago
CommentaryCulture
Gen Z’s enthusiasm for all things touchable is resurrecting the analog economy—and costing parents
By Luba KassovaFebruary 24, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Innovation
An MIT roboticist who cofounded bankrupt robot vacuum maker iRobot says Elon Musk’s vision of humanoid robot assistants is ‘pure fantasy thinking’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 25, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Jeff Bezos says being lazy, not working hard, is the root of anxiety: ‘The stress goes away the second I take that first step’
By Sydney LakeFebruary 25, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
'The Pitt': a masterclass display of DEI in action 
By Robert RabenFebruary 26, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
It’s more than George Clooney moving to France: America is becoming the ‘uncool’ country that people want to move away from
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 27, 2026
20 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Gen Z Olympic champion Eileen Gu says she rewires her brain daily to be more successful—and multimillionaire founder Arianna Huffington says it really does work
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 25, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Law
China's government intervenes to show Michigan scientists were carrying worms, not biological materials
By Ed White and The Associated PressFebruary 26, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.