Is Panera's Unlimited Sip Club Worth It? Here's My Experience

You've got a steaming hot cup of Panera coffee. You sip it, thinking, "I could totally drink this five times a day."

Good news! Panera has you covered. It now offers the Unlimited Sip Club. For just $11.99 a month -- or $119.99 a year -- you can stop by Panera to get a free coffee (or another eligible drink) every two hours. 

At first glance, this sounds pretty awesome, right? Like, you could go through a literal ton of coffee and it would cost you the same as one coffee a week. That's gotta be the personal finance score of a lifetime.

Sadly, in practice, it's really…not? For all but a small group of people, it's actually somewhere between a "meh" deal -- and a downright bad one.

No one stops with just the drink

Through a series of free trials, I managed to enjoy six full months of Unlimited Sip Club. That time period included a week-long road trip, two weekends away, and the normal activities of my usual life.

Very early on in my Sip Club experience, I realized Panera's master plan: Very few of us stop at just getting a drink. In the six months I had a Sip Club membership, I went to Panera probably a few dozen times. Of all those visits, I walked out with only a drink maybe twice.

(The two times I made it out the door without a bag full of food? During a road trip, when Panera was mostly a bathroom break. FYI, both times we still had Panera bags in the car from the previous stop.)

The entire point behind Panera's Sip Club deal is that it wants you to come into the store. All those standalone Panera locations don't get a lot of foot traffic -- so they're creating their own. Even better, the traffic they're creating is made up of people who already like Panera products.

If you're already eating at Panera three times a week, sure, enjoy the free drink. Otherwise, chances are good you're going to be losing money on the deal because of the extra food you're impulse buying. (Though I will say, the points I earned on all that extra Panera spend with my dining credit card were pretty solid!)

Do you want sugar or coffee?

Another important thing I learned quickly is that the actual selection of eligible drinks is quite limited -- and it gets old quickly. You can choose:

• Charged lemonade 
• Iced or hot coffee
• Iced or hot tea
• Fountain beverages

And that's it. Frankly, that drink selection is boring. It includes none of the specialty drinks that would prompt me to go out of my way to visit Panera in the first place. All of those frozen dessert drinks we love? Nope. Chai latte? Definitely not. Smoothie? Haha, no.

The caffeinated lemonades are perhaps the most interesting choice, and one you won't find just anywhere. But even there, the flavors are limited. Plus, have you ever checked the nutritional information on those charged lemonades? You'd be better off just eating a few spoons of sugar directly.

Interesting when free, but not worth the cost

All in all, I ended my membership feeling decidedly ambivalent about the Unlimited Sip Club. 

Would I do it again if I got another free offer? Probably. I hit Panera for lunch once a month or so -- and more often when I travel -- so the free drinks were handy on those occasions. And if I'm already planning on getting a meal there, the free drink stays free.

Would I ever pay for it? Not on your life.

In my opinion, the only people who could justify the Sip Club as an actual value are the folks who already go to Panera on a daily basis (or at least several times a week). For example, if it's already on your commute, and you like the coffee, and you're already used to just getting your brew and hitting the road -- then yeah, you could probably get some actual value out of paying for the subscription.

For everyone else, make your coffee at home, and save Panera drinks for those special mornings you feel like splurging on an overpriced muffin.