I wanted the optimal redemption strategy for loyalty points at two spots I hit constantly — Soft Swerve (ice cream) and HeyTea (boba/tea) — instead of blindly saving up for the big-ticket rewards. So I priced out every option by the only metric that matters: dollars saved per point.
How I valued each reward
The math is just value of the reward ÷ points it costs = $/point. Higher is better. Prices I used:
- Soft Swerve: $7.50 for a 1-scoop cup, $2 per topping, $2 waffle-cone upgrade, $12.50 per pint.
- HeyTea: $8 average per drink.
The headline finding: the cheapest, most boring reward (a few dollars off) almost always wins, and the aspirational rewards you'd save months for are the worst per-point deals.
Soft Swerve
| Option | Points | Value | $/Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ $5 off | 50 | $5.00 | $0.100 |
| Waffle cone upgrade | 25 | $2.00 | $0.080 |
| Cup/cone + 1 topping | 120 | $9.50 | $0.079 |
| Two pints | 500 | $25.00 | $0.050 |
| Sundae cup | 200 | ? | ? |
$5 off dominates everything by 25%+. The "two pints" reward — the one that feels like the jackpot — is the worst confirmed option at half the value of just taking $5 off.
HeyTea
| Option | Points | Value | $/Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ 15% off – 3+ drinks ($24+) | 300 | $3.60–$5.00 | $0.012–$0.017 |
| ⭐ $1 off (solo) | 100 | $1.00 | $0.0100 |
| 15% off – 2 drinks ($16) | 300 | $2.40 | $0.0080 |
| 50% off 2nd cup | 500 | $4.00 | $0.0080 |
| Buy 1 get 1 free | 1000 | $8.00 | $0.0080 |
| 50% off single drink | 700 | $4.00 | $0.0057 |
| Free single drink | 1500 | $8.00 | $0.0053 |
| 15% off – 1 drink ($8) | 300 | $1.20 | $0.0040 |
Solo, take $1 off — it's the highest $/point you can reliably hit. Ordering for a group flips the answer to 15% off.
The "free drink" (1500 pts) is strictly worse than "buy 1 get 1 free" (1000 pts): same $8 of value, but 500 extra points. Never save for it.
The 15%-off breakeven
15% off only beats $1 off once the discount is worth more than ~$3, i.e. 15% × order > $3.00 → order > $20. Below that, the flat $1 off wins; above it, the percentage scales with your group:
- 1 drink ($8): saves $1.20 → $0.004/pt (worst)
- 2 drinks ($16): saves $2.40 → $0.008/pt (ties BOGO and 50%-off-2nd)
- 3+ drinks ($24+): saves $3.60–$5.00 → $0.012–$0.017/pt (best)
It caps at $5 of savings on a $33.33 order, so there's no benefit to a single giant order beyond that.
Caveats
- All HeyTea math assumes $8/drink — pricier specialty drinks push the 15%-off breakeven lower.
- Soft Swerve's sundae cup (200 pts) is unranked: no pricing available. It'd only compete if priced above ~$20, which is unlikely.
- 15% off needs 3+ drinks ($24+) to beat $1 off — if you rarely order for a group, just take $1 off.
- BOGO (1000 pts) and 50%-off-2nd-cup (500 pts) are equal per point, but the 500-pt option accumulates twice as fast.