Fans of Costa Coffee have been left steaming after learning their loyalty points don't work with the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.
Most of the time, Costa Club customers can pay for food and drinks in store with points rather than pounds.
But when people tried to do that while taking advantage of the 50% off Eat Out to Help Out discounts on Monday's Tuesdays and Wednesdays in August, they've been left frustrated.
Instead, customers were told to pay with either cash or cards or miss the discounts.
One posted on Twitter : “Not 50 per cent off if you scan your Costa loyalty card before paying? Eh? What’s going on here then Costa?”
Another added: “Why are loyalty points being applied on only the price paid using Eat Out to Help Out when you get the full amount refunded by the government?”
A third wrote: “Used my points and I was charged full on points even though receipt was halved for Eat Out to Help Out!”
Costa replied to customers confirming this is the case - but added diners still collect points on Eat Out to Help Out orders.
Costa replied to one frustrated customer, saying: "You can't redeem points against the Eat Out to Help Out promotion."
Costa Coffee Club is free to sign up to, with members receiving five points for every £1 they spend.
Sadly, there's nothing in the Eat Out to Help Out guidance that says restaurants need to accept points as a form of payment.
On the other hand, there is nothing that stops businesses from adding loyalty points for the full price, rather than the discounted one.
You can sign up to Costa Coffee Club via the Costa website or by downloading the app through Google Play or the App Store.
Under the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, customers dining in can pick up a coffee at Costa from just 32p - if you order a small filter coffee in a reusable cup.
You'll be able to pick up two medium lattes, with a blueberry muffin and a slice of lemon drizzle cake for just £4.25 (down from £9.70).
A lunch for the whole family - including a flat white, iced latte, frostino, lemonade, ham & cheese toastie, Italian mozzarella and tomato panini, chocolate caramel and hazelnut cookie and Rolo muffin - will now cost just £10.04 (down from £22.95).
And if it's just you looking for a bite to eat while you catch up on the latest news and gossip, here are the prices of some Costa classics if you eat in on the first three days of the week in August:
- Vegan Ham & Cheeze Toastie now £1.29
- Millionaire’s Shortbread now 86p
- Sausage Bap now £1.29
- Salted Caramel Brownie now 99p
- Croissant now 59p
