Starbucks is leveraging customer loyalty as a source of corporate financing through its gift card and app balances, which essentially function as interest-free loans from customers. When the Starbucks Card launched in 2002, the company's CFO described it as a "$20 million interest-free loan" that would reduce reliance on banks, and by 2019, gift card balances had grown to $1.6 billion, providing the company with free debt. This approach allows Starbucks to access capital without incurring traditional loan costs, highlighting the financialization of customer loyalty and the creative ways companies can tap into alternative funding sources.