Starbucks made big changes to their Starbucks Reward program last week, and as of February 21, 2023, Tim Hortons has a new rewards program with different redemption levels -- and a new formula for earning points!

Here's a look at what's new:

Previously, Tim Hortons customers earned 10 points per visit -- no matter how much they spent. Customers will now earn 10 points per $1 spent. This is a nice change if you tend to spend a lot per visit at Tim Hortons. However, the redemption levels have changed significantly. Here's what you'll get now:

• Redeem 300 points for: Classic Donuts, Specialty Donuts, Hashbrowns, and Cookies
• Redeem 400 points for: Brewed Coffee, Tea, Dream Donuts, Bagels, and Baked Goods
• Redeem 600 points for: Hot Chocolate, French Vanilla, Iced Coffee and Wedges
• Redeem 800 points for: Real Fruit Quenchers, Cold Brew, Classic Iced Capp, Box of 10 Timbits, Yogurt, Frozen Beverages and Espresso Drinks
• Redeem 1100 points for: Breakfast Sandwiches and Soups
• Redeem 1300 points for: Farmer’s Wrap, BELT, Lunch Sandwiches and Chili
• Redeem 1800 points for: Loaded Bowls & Wraps

This differs from their old redemption levels. This is what you could get prior to February 21, 2023:

• Redeem 50 points: Classic Donuts, Cookies, Hashbrowns,
• Redeem 70 points: Brewed Coffee, Tea, Dream Donuts, Bagels, and Baked Goods
• Redeem 100 points: Classic Lemonade, Hot Chocolate, French Vanilla, Iced Coffee, Wedges
• Redeem 140 points: Real Fruit Quenchers, Cold Brew, Classic Iced Capp, Frozen Beverages and Espresso Drinks, Box of 10 Timbits, Yogurt
• Redeem 180 points: Breakfast Sandwiches, Soup
• Redeem 220 points: Farmer’s Sandwich, BELT, Lunch sandwiches or chili

With the old program, you'd earn a free coffee after seven visits, since you accumulated 10 points per visit. If you were buying a regular coffee at each visit, you could earn this reward with as little as $15. With the new program, you'd need to spend $40.00 to get the 400 points for a free coffee. Now, if you have big orders at Tim Hortons, you'll find yourself accumulating points much more quickly under the new program rules.

How does this compare to other coffee rewards programs? Starbucks just increased the amount of stars required to get a free coffee to 100 (it was previously 50 stars). Users earn 1 star per dollar spent (unless they are ordering through the Starbucks app with a Starbucks gift card -- then they'll earn 2 stars per dollar spent). So you'll have to spend quite a bit more to earn a coffee at Starbucks. But the McDonald's MyMcDonald's program gives customers 100 points per dollar spent, and you can redeem 20,000 points for a free coffee. That means you need to spend $20.00 to grab that reward, and that's a better return on spending than you're getting at Tim Hortons or Starbucks!

In general, though, the best coffee rewards program is the one offered by the restaurant you like best!