visionaries Network Team

09 December, 2025

brand management digital marketing and business

Starbucks holiday cup restock is here, offering fans a new chance to win the viral Bearista cup through the Starbucks for Life game starting December 8

If you’ve been desperately trying to get your hands on Starbucks’ viral Bearista cup, this season just brought a pleasant surprise. Starbucks has officially confirmed that its “Starbucks for Life” game returns on December 8 — and buried inside the announcement is the update fans have been waiting for. For anyone searching for a Starbucks holiday cup restock update, this is the biggest one yet: the Bearista cup is back as a prize.

The company initially hinted at this with a cryptic tease in the Starbucks app, telling customers their “chance is in the app” and spotlighting December 8 with a lineup of holiday cups leading to the iconic glass bear. After weeks of sold-out shelves, frantic store visits, and viral videos of customers scrambling for the collectible, Starbucks has finally made it official.

The Starbucks for Life Merrython event includes 17,000 Bearista cups as instant-win rewards, limited to one per person. For collectors chasing every Starbucks holiday cup restock, this dramatically increases the odds of owning the real thing instead of paying inflated resale prices.

Starbucks for Life: What You Need to Know

Starbucks’ annual “Starbucks for Life” promotion is open to Starbucks Rewards members and features prizes ranging from food items to the coveted grand prize. The top reward — Starbucks for Life — awards four winners one free food or beverage every day for 30 years, with an estimated value of $70,518.

The promotion also features Starbucks for a Year, valued at $2,351, which grants 50 winners a daily free item for 12 months. Beyond these major rewards, there are thousands of smaller prizes including bakery items, bonus stars, drinks, cake pops, and digital gift cards. In total, Starbucks will distribute over $2.7 million worth of prizes.

The competition opens December 8 at 4 a.m. PT and runs until January 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Participants can earn one prize play and one sweepstakes entry weekly, plus up to two additional plays per day.

Why Bearista Fans Are Celebrating

The Bearista cup, priced at $29.95, debuted in November as part of the Starbucks holiday collection. It quickly became the season’s most sought-after collectible, sparking long lines, instant sellouts, and even retailer dupes. The craze grew so intense that Walmart vendors began selling their own look-alike versions — a clear sign of how popular the cup had become.

Starbucks acknowledged the frenzy in a statement, saying demand “exceeded expectations” and that despite shipping more Bearista cups than almost any other holiday product, they sold out almost immediately.

Now, the new promotion offers a fresh path for frustrated customers. Instead of hunting stores or paying reseller prices, fans can now enter through the app — including a no-purchase-necessary option — for another chance to own the real cup. For anyone following every Starbucks holiday cup restock, this is the most optimistic update so far.

As the Starbucks for Life Merrython begins, collectors may finally have a meaningful opportunity to claim the viral cup. And with the Starbucks holiday cup restock conversation heating up again, this time the news looks far more promising.

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