Is Cumberland Farms’ 99-Cent Coffee Still a Deal? Rhode Island’s Minimum Purchase Has Nutmeggers Wondering

Cumberland Farms used to be a no-brainer for grabbing cheap cup of coffee on the way to work.

But reports out of Rhode Island describe a catch on Cumberland Farms’ cheapest coffee deal for rewards members.

It hasn’t been confirmed in Connecticut, but here’s what Nutmeggers who shop at Cumberland Farms may want to check based on trends in other states this year.

The Rise to $1.29

Cumberland Farms coffee cost 99 cents in any size until May 2023.

Then WUPE, a Berkshires radio station, reported the price was going up to $1.29.

It was the first increase in over a decade.

The $1.29 price applied at all Cumberland Farms stores, including those in New Hampshire and Maine.

It also applied to self-serve drinks, including soda.

That was a 30-cent jump.

In January 2024, CBS Boston reported that the chain was moving to tiered prices.

A small cost $1.29, and each larger size added 20 cents.

So a cup two sizes above a small would have cost you $1.69, by our math.

The company says it made the change to keep up with the rising cost of doing business.

A producer price index, which tracks what sellers get paid, showed coffee up more than 6% from a year earlier.

A Boston University business professor said coffee works as a loss leader.

That’s a cheap item that gets you in the door to buy snacks and gas.

He also said coffee comes mainly from Brazil, where droughts and heavy frosts in 2021 and 2022 killed many of the beans.

Members-Only 99 Cents

By April 2025, Cumberland Farms was promoting 99-cent coffee, according to NACS, a convenience-store trade group.

It was for members only.

To get it, you needed a SmartRewards account with a completed profile. The offer ran for the month of May.

You could take one 99-cent beverage a day.

GoLocalProv wrote that rewards members had enjoyed a 99-cent hot or iced coffee, up to extra large, before the change.

The $3.49 Catch

In Rhode Island, NewsRadio iHeart reported on April 9, 2026, that Cumberland Farms rewards members must spend at least $3.49 to get the 99-cent coffee.

The extra-large cup is out.

GoLocalProv reported that signs in stores announced the $3.49 minimum and the end of extra large.

A store employee told the outlet the change started in April.

The company’s corporate communications team didn’t respond to its questions.

The $99 Sign That Wasn’t

Cumberland Farms also had a sign problem in May 2026.

Boston.com reported that a visitor to a Massachusetts store saw an ad for $99 coffee.

On May 22, 2026, a company spokesperson confirmed that the sign was made with AI.

Corporate marketing didn’t distribute it.

Commenters pointed to a dollar-sign mistake and a steaming iced coffee as signs of an AI image.

They also noticed a mint leaf in the coffee beans and two cups that looked photographed from different angles.

If you saw a $99 coffee sign, it was an AI-generated image, not a price.

Reports From Rhode Island

The $3.49 minimum has two reports behind it, one dated April 9, 2026.

Both came from Rhode Island outlets.

The newest report on these terms we found is from April 2026.

One also included the reaction of a once loyal customer.

Connecticut isn’t confirmed.

If you shop in Connecticut, confirm the current terms before you plan a coffee run around the deal.

Free Coffee Fridays

If you wanted a free cup on National Coffee Day in 2016, Cumberland Farms offered a hot or iced coffee in any size, NACS reported.

You got the coupon by texting a keyword from your smartphone.

Free Coffee Fridays followed.

They began October 7 and ran every Friday that month, with no coupon required.

NBC Connecticut reported on October 13, 2017, that Free Coffee Fridays were starting at nearly 600 Cumberland Farms locations in the Northeast and Florida.

You could add an espresso shot, milk, cream or a pumpkin flavor shot at no extra cost.

When Cumberland Farms opened a store in East Granby, Connecticut, in March 2021, it offered free coffee for a limited time.

Each customer could have one cup per day.

The Farmhouse Blend Business

If you buy a cup at Cumberland Farms, it comes from what the chain calls its most established food service program, Boston.com reported on July 8, 2026.

That beverage program sells over 120,000 cups of coffee a day under the Farmhouse Blend brand.

CSP, a convenience-store trade publication, described Farmhouse Blend as a medium roast.

Boston.com wrote that Cumberland Farms is probably best known for its 99-cent coffee deals.

The chain plans to refresh 60 of its sites a year, for a total of 600.

The report ran in July 2026, three months after the April coverage of the $3.49 minimum.

Connecticut Stores

If you live in Connecticut, Cumberland Farms lists your state among eight where it operates.

The others are Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.