Starbucks Is Rebooting Its Super-Popular Happy Hour With Even More Cheap Drinks

Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Grabbing a late-day pick-me-up is about to get a little cheaper thanks to Starbucks, which is revamping its super-popular afternoon Happy Hours in locations across the US. And to sweeten the deal, this time around they're expanding the selection of discounted beverages well beyond just Frappuccinos. 

Back in 2010, Starbucks first introduced its Happy Hour program, offering discounted Frappuccinos on select afternoons. It turned out to be super popular. Too popular even, as baristas grew to despise the long lines the promo would draw -- so much so that the coffee mega-chain considered scrapping happy hour altogether earlier this year. However, instead it's decided to revamp the whole thing by expanding the selection of discounted drinks available to customers, and throttling crowds by making it an invite-only event, per a company press release.

The new happy hour program will include deals and offers on various espresso drinks, iced tea beverages, Frappuccinos, and more, depending on the day. They'll also be extending them through the year so you'll have even more opportunities to get in on the wallet-friendly action. The catch is that in order to get the deals, you have to receive an invitation, which requires downloading the Starbucks mobile app. Also, the deals won't be available on a regular schedule, so you'll need to keep an eye on your phone to know when and if you get picked on a particular day. If you do get the nod, you can go in to redeem the deal using the app starting at 3pm local time until whenever that participating location closes up for the day.

The new Happy Hour kicks off on Thursday, March 29, and those lucky enough to get picked will be able to score 50% off all espresso beverages.

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Joe McGauley is a senior writer for Thrillist. Follow him @jwmcgauley.