People are just realising Costa trick to get a free coffee sooner – and you could save £15

COSTA fans are only just realising there is a way you can get free coffee sooner and save up to £15.

Costa Club members can get a free drink in half the time and more importantly, only spend half the cash just by using this small trick.

Customers who are signed up to Costa's loyalty scheme can collect beans each time they purchase a handcrafted drink.

One bean is awarded for each drink purchased in-store and customers can get a free drink when they have collected eight beans.

But the good news for coffee lovers is there is a way to get your hands on a free drink sooner.

Customers who bring in a reusable cup will get one additional bean for each drink meaning that you only need to buy four drinks to get one free rather than eight.

So as an example, if you were to buy eight large cappuccinos priced at £3.95 you would spend £31.50 before being entitled to your free drink.

Whereas if you were to use a reusable cup, buying four large cappuccinos would cost you £15.80, saving you around £15.

The offer only applies to cups that are clean and of the appropriate size and cups need to have a secure lid.

Other perks of being a Costa Club member include a free cake on your birthday and sometimes early bird access to limited-edition drinks.

The coffee giant is changing its reward scheme from August 1, and instead of collecting eight beans, customers will need to collect 10 beans before being awarded a free drink.

Customers will still get two beans for using a reusable cup.

Costa is not the only coffee outlet to offer a rewards scheme, Starbucks customers can collect stars based on how much they spend.

For every £1 spent in Starbucks customers get three stars, 150 stars equals a free drink.

When members collect 450 stars they have reached "gold level" which means they are entitled to extra shots of espresso, selected syrups, and whipped cream - all on the house.

Caffe Nero has a similar scheme to Costa where customers can collect stamps for each drink they purchase.

They can also gain an extra point for bringing in a reusable cup.

Most food outlets now offer some kind of loyalty scheme, but it is best to shop around to make sure that you are getting the best deal and rewards.

Most schemes also give you the option to download an app rather than a physical card, be sure to do this so that you don't miss out should you leave your card at home.

And don't go out of your way to get a freebie, if you need to pay for an extra bus ride to get that free coffee, is it really worth it?

Remember the best deal might be to go to a local cafe that does not have rewards, but is just really cheap.