Costa Coffee has joined the growing list of companies to increase prices during the cost of living crisis. Affecting its 12,000 self-service Costa Express machines across the UK, the company puts these price rises down to "inflationary pressures", as the Mirror reports.
Thirsty customers will have to fork out even more for many of the chain’s favourite hot drinks, although costs do vary by location. On average, the price of a regular drink has risen by 20p (from £2.50 to £2.70) while a large drink has seen a 15p increase (from £2.70 to £2.85).
The cost of a regular cappuccino or latte has gone up to £2.70, with a large size of both drinks now priced at £2.95. A regular hot chocolate has followed the standardised price rise - now costing £2.70 - while the large edition now sets people back £2.95 - up from £2.80.
A flat white has also seen a rise in price from £2.70 to £2.90. This comes after Costa removed the popular 99p filter coffee option from its drinks menu, which provided a wallet-friendly boost for the day.
However, its September update to the menu removed this, meaning the next cheapest available option is a £2.55 small Americano or a £2.70 small flat black. The latest increase in prices comes just three months after people were left disappointed by similar increases to its offerings’ prices, when the average increase was said to be 14p.
A Costa spokesperson said: "Like all retailers, Costa Coffee is facing unprecedented inflationary pressures resulting in increased costs. We know this is a challenging time for our customers as well, which is why we are absorbing costs wherever we can.
“Despite this we’ve had to make the difficult decision to increase the prices of our drinks at our self-serve Costa Express machines on 1 June 2022. We regularly review prices with our partners to ensure they remain competitive in the relevant retail environment, offering quality and value.
“Tesco customers for example who have a Clubcard can receive a regular hot drink from a Costa Express machine as part of the Tesco £3 meal deal. And all customers can continue to earn a Bean for each drink purchased at a Costa Express machine via the free Costa Club rewards scheme app.
“Once eight beans have been collected, a free drink can be redeemed in Costa Coffee stores."
