is panera’s unlimited sips club really worth it for road trips?
Last week, my husband and I were planning a long road trip from Chicago to Nashville, and I stumbled across Panera’s Unlimited Sips Club. For $10 a month, you can get a free drink every two hours—hot or cold, anything from coffee to lemonade. Even better, they sometimes offer the first month free.
So, we thought, why not? We signed up, and honestly, it sounded almost too good to be true. We mapped out all the Panera locations along our route and planned our pit stops. But here’s where things got interesting: after driving for 40 minutes, we finally found a Panera, only to discover the drink machine was out of lemonade and the coffee tasted like it had been sitting there since breakfast. My husband was not amused.
We did save our cups for refills (they don’t seem to care), and we racked up some rewards points, but I’m wondering if anyone else has tried this? Did you actually find it convenient, or did you end up driving out of your way for a lukewarm cup of coffee?
Has anyone managed to get their whole family free drinks on a trip, or is it just more hassle than it’s worth? I’d love to hear your stories—especially if you found a Panera with decent iced tea! Sometimes these deals sound great, but I’m not sure if the reality matches the promise. Anyone else have a Panera adventure to share?
#roadtrip #panerabread #travelhacks #sipsclub #coffeelovers #Travel
