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Burger King is now offering unlimited coffee for just $5 a month — but there's a catch

Burger King really, really wants you to try its coffee.
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/ Source: TODAY

Forget the Burger. Burger King wants to make sure its customers stay caffeinated this month — and beyond.

On Friday, the burger chain launched an extremely cheap coffee subscription service that might just dethrone McCafe as the premeire fast-food coffee staple. For $5, Burger King is offering "unlimited" coffee for a month ... but, of course, there are a few caveats.

"We are proud to launch our own subscription service where guests can now enjoy a hot cup of coffee every day for just $5 a month," Chris Finazzo, President, Burger King Corporation told TODAY Food.
"We are proud to launch our own subscription service where guests can now enjoy a hot cup of coffee every day for just $5 a month," Chris Finazzo, President, Burger King Corporation told TODAY Food.

The “BK Café Coffee Subscription,” which is only available through the restaurant's app, allows guests to enjoy one hot cup of coffee anytime, every day, for 30 days in a row.

According to Burger King, “anytime” means just once a day and there are no refills. Subscribers are only allotted one cup per visit, so you won't be able to stroll in and order a bunch of free coffees for the whole office.

Still, if a morning brew is already a part of your daily routine, the one-time fee is a good deal since it’s easy to spend about $5 on just one coffee drink at Starbucks. And, without the subscription, one small BK Café coffee costs $1. Since this is a subscription model, users will automatically be charged $5 at the start of each monthly billing cycle.

Some Twitter users have raved about Burger King's coffee, calling it just as satisfying as a pricier alternative.

A big squad of BK coffee drinkers also praised the chain's iced coffee.

Unfortunately for iced coffee fans, the subscription only applies to the hot stuff, and it won't work on other speciality coffee drinks, like BK's frappe.

Regardless, the burger chain is clearly looking to compete in the crowded quick-serve coffee space, as a rep for the chain told TODAY Food that this deal simply "can't be beat."

In order to sign up for the service, customers must download the BK app and navigate to the “Offers” tab. Subscribers can use the app each day to redeem a brewed cup of coffee. According to a rep for the chain, the app-based deal works at all Burger Kings across the U.S., excluding Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Although the subscription marks Burger King’s first go at a coffee-centered promotion, Starbucks has been making a splash with app-based rewards for years.

Currently, Starbucks Reward members pay through an app at checkout and earn stars toward a free drink. Typically, you have to buy 150 Starbucks brews to earn a free cup of anything. So that adds up to a lot more than $5 for a free drink.

Starbucks isn’t new to cheaper, limited-time offers either, of course. Last January, customers who bought the chain's reusable silver cup got one free coffee or tea each day for a month. The cup cost $40 but it still excited many fans of the brand. That January deal, however, followed a holiday cup promotion that flopped, according to many coffee-drinking critics.

Burger King’s new subscription mimics many of Starbucks’ ideas, just in a cheaper way. The chain has yet to announce an end date to the subscription plan.