Pret A Manger is set to make it more difficult for people to share their coffee subscriptions with their friends, according to the Telegraph.
The monthly subscription, which entitles subscribers to five free drinks a day, bans users from sharing the beverages with their friends under its terms of subscription.
Known as ‘Club Pret’, as well as including five Barista-made drinks a day, the monthly subscription includes 20 per cent off the menu.
Currently, to use the Club Pret prescription, which costs £30 a month, customers simply show a QR code which can be added to Apple Pay or Google Wallet-style services.
This can be abused by taking a photo of the QR code, and then sharing the image with other people.
Pret A Manger offers a ‘Club Pret’ subscription which costs £30 a month and offers customers 20 per cent off food, and five free barista drinks a day
However, according to reports, when customers want to use their subscription to get a drink, they will soon have to log in through the app.
According to the chain, the subscription is used some 1.25 million time a month.
This move ‘appears to be a way of stopping customers from sharing their subscriptions with friend’.
According to Pret A Manger, from March 18, customers will have to log in to the app to access their QR code.
They will no longer be able to add the subscription to their phone (Apple or Google) wallets.
The news was confirmed by Pret A Manger earlier this month, who Tweeted that the move was an ‘anti-fraud feature’.
Some customers have reportedly complained that having to log into the app will make the subscription too inconvenient to use.
When the subscription was first introduced in Autumn 2020, it cost £20 a month.
Some customers have reportedly said that having to log into the app every time they want to use it will make it inconvenient to use
This was increased by £5 a month in April 2023, with Pret sweetening the deal of the increase by throwing in the 20 per cent food discount.
The move came as the cost of ingredients, including milk, coffee and cheese increased, and the need to boost staff wages occurred three times in a year.
Pret customers shared their anger about the news online at the time, with many saying they would cancel their subscriptions as a result.
A Pret spokesperson said: ‘We’re updating how Club Pret subscribers access their QR codes as we continue to invest in our digital offer for customers. QR Codes will now be available exclusively via the Pret App and can no longer be added to Apple or Google wallets. Live QR codes will be reissued to all subscribers.
‘This will deliver a more complete digital experience, so that the Pret App becomes the main digital touchpoint for our customers. We encourage any customers that need further support to contact our customer service team.’
