Is a coffee subscription worth it? The honest maths

We get asked this at the counter a lot, so here are the sums, done honestly. The Belsize Club costs £10.00 a month and covers one drink every week. There is no catch hidden in the small print, but it is not the right choice for everyone either.

The basic maths

A year has 52 weeks, so a month has about four and a third. Spread £10.00 over that and each weekly drink costs you about £2.31.

• A regular cappuccino is £2.80 on the menu. Have one every week and the club saves you about £2.13 a month.
• A regular matcha latte is £3.10. Make that your weekly drink and you save about £3.43 a month.

So no, it will not make you rich. If you only come in once a fortnight it costs you more than paying at the till, and we would rather tell you that now than have you cancel in a huff.

Who it is actually for

The club makes sense if you already come in most weeks. You stop paying at the counter for your usual, you tap Redeem on your phone before you arrive, and the weekly drink covers anything on the coffee, cold, chai, matcha and tea boards at the regular size. If you want a large, you just pay the difference.

A few other things people like about it:

• You can pause it, which is useful for holidays.
• You cancel it yourself, in your account, without ringing anyone.
• If we ever change the price, you keep the terms you joined on unless you choose to move.

If you come in less often

Join as a Neighbour instead. It is free, there is no card to enter, and every drink you buy earns a stamp. The tenth one is on us, which works out at about ten percent off everything you drink. You can move onto the paid plan later if your habits change.

How to join

It takes about a minute online: name, email, mobile and a card, and Apple Pay or Google Pay work too. Or ask at the counter and we will set you up there. Everything each plan includes is laid out on the membership page.