The website MarketWatch has published the surprising value of the money that customers have loaned to Starbucks by packing money onto their pre-loaded cards. As of the firm’s most recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, Starbucks currently has $1.4 billion sitting on its balance sheet, representing cash consumers have loaded onto apps and gift cards that hasn’t been spent yet. That’s an enormous free loan to the firm — it’s roughly one month’s global revenue — and the amount is growing about 20% annually.
