The Starbucks Card arrives in China in 2009 with the Coffee on Ice Card.

Cards in China are purchased, then you can load them with the minimum Yuan amount. Chinese Cards are designed to offer the customer a discount (usually 10%). Starbucks Cards in China are valid for three (3) months, so this explains the quick releases and short runs of the various Cards. This also explains why Cards are more expensive from China.

A special note about "Starbucks Cards" NOT listed here. They are not issued from Starbucks and for whatever reason, these "phone cards" can use the Starbucks logo legally. Hundreds of examples have surfaced and look like legitimate Starbucks Cards, but are phone cards instead. BucksCards.com does not track these Cards.