Only three more days until Starbucks converts its old rewards card programs to a single system that's easier to understand but eliminates a 10 percent discount for some of its most loyal customers. (Their efforts to game the new system appear to have failed.)

If you want a 10 percent Starbucks discount and haven't signed up for a Gold Card, Christmas is the last day to get one. Starbucks took the Gold Cards out of stores in July and stopped selling them online October 31, a spokesman said.

Under the new system, customers receive a range of perks, from free brewed refills to two hours of free wi-fi a day. People who get new cards for Christmas should register that day to automatically get extra benefits without waiting to make five purchases.

(Update on 12/24: Sorry for a couple errors in my original post. Did I say this program was simpler? We'll see.)

In London, the current World Barista Champion, Gwilym Davies, has started a disloyalty coffee card. He makes a free coffee for cardholders who try eight different coffee spots in London, as blogged by James Hoffman, a former World Barista Champion and co-founder of Square Mile Coffee Roasters in London.