Starbucks Destinations Series: 2017 Philippines Special Edition Kape Vinta Card

Officially released with the 2017 Christmas and holiday Cards last November 2, 2017 and exclusive to the Philippines is the Kape Vinta card. Kape Vinta is Tagalog for Coffee Boat.

This special market exclusive card is inspired by the Starbucks Kape Vinta whole bean artwork. This Philippine-exclusive card is included in every 2018 Starbucks Planner, a first in the history of Starbucks planner promotions, at least in the Philippines. This means that this card is not available at a store level and you would need to avail of the 2018 planner to have one.

To capture the essence of shared passions for great coffee between Starbucks and the people of the Philippines, one of the country's most distinguished painters, Mr. Mauro Malang Santos, created the stamp for the coffee.

"The Kape Vinta Blend artwork, a new and distinct Starbucks design, embraces the proud traditions and cultures of Filipinos. It is my gift to the Starbucks coffee experience," said Mr. Santos. "Starbucks conscious devotion to its people and coffee greatly inspired me in producing the artwork."

I really like this card. Directly competing for my fondness with the Agila Card, I feel this particular card design captured what a Philippine exclusive card should be.

Blogger's Note: Starbucks Destinations Series is my attempt to chronicle my thoughts on different city and country specific Starbucks Cards. Most photos and some descriptions are taken mainly from both official and non official Starbucks pages. I do not claim ownership of the photos unless otherwise noted. 

Starbucks Card Philippines - Damaged Christmas Polar Bear and Squirrel Cards

This should be a happy post. Today is the release of Starbucks's limited edition metal wrapped, polar bear and squirrel cards. I've managed to buy a pair for a friend's and my collection.

As a collector, I want my cards in pristine condition, scratch-free if possible. Imagine my dismay when I took the polar bear and squirrel cards out of their package and saw a damage.

I'm pretty sure it's all because of the packaging. Instead of being flat against the cardboard back, the packaging have slits on them where the card is inserted. The result is that the card is stained by the black packaging and cards were distorted around the corners where they are initially inserted on the packaging.

I'm making this post only to record that I have called Starbucks regarding the matter and have given photos as proof. I have been given a reference number and a promise to get back to me within seven days. If you also happen to be one who has the same problem, please call their customer support:

Metro Manila

(02) 462-6262  or 1-800-10-462-6262
Mondays to Fridays , 8am to 10pm
Saturdays to Sundays , 10am to 10pm

I'm really looking forward to a favorable resolution.

Starbucks Philippines Cards: New Special Edition Siren Card and Easter Egg Mini Cards

Another reason to celebrate Easter! Starbucks Philippines just released their new card designs: The Special Edition Siren Card and the Easter Egg Mini Cards. Drool.

For the record, I'm not a huge Starbucks fan, but I do love their collectible cards and iconic city tumblers. I started collecting since the Pilipinas Agila (Philippine Eagle) design and have been hooked ever since. I now have 28 in total, three of which I brought when I was in Korea and two from the US which I bought online.

Image from Starbuckscard.ph

From their website, the Special Edition Siren Card is fronted by Starbucks’ iconic Siren and is hand-painted with water color while the Easter Egg Card is delightfully decorated to get Starbucks lovers “eggcited” for the season. The Easter Egg Mini Cards are available in 4 colors: Blue, Red, Green , and Purple. Each has their unique design representing both Easter and Starbucks. Both cards are available in all stores by February 23, 2016. That's today!!! It's Php300 for the Siren Card which is a relief considering that it is limited edition while the Easter Egg Mini Cards goes for Php500 each.

Image from Starbuckscard.ph

Image from Starbuckscard.ph

One thing I've noticed from their website just now is that there's already a limit of five (5) activated Special Edition Siren Cards per customer per day, and a limit of one (1) of each Easter Egg Card design per customer per day. I believe this is a good strategy to prevent hoarding of cards, which of course people tend to do when a limited edition design comes out.

I'm especially eyeing for the green one since its my favorite color but I will try my best to get hold of all designs, The nearest Starbucks from my place is at Ali Mall and I hope I will get there on time.

So what are you waiting for?

Update as of 11:00AM. A friend of mine bought the whole set for me a a birthday gift! I'm all smiles at the moment. Thank you!!!