I earned a free coffee after just 5 visits with this rewarding loyalty program

When I recently compared Starbucks Rewards, Dunkin' Rewards and Dutch Bros Rewards for TPG's guide to coffee loyalty programs, the gap between how much each program rewards its members was bigger than I expected.To earn a free coffee or tea at standard earning rates, a Dunkin' base member needs just $60 in qualifying spending, compared with about $83 at Dutch Bros and $100 at Starbucks.Still, $60 is a lot of coffee just to earn a free cup and could take weeks, which didn't feel very rewarding.So, I set myself a challenge: Sign up for Dunkin' Rewards as a new member, and see how few visits it would take to earn a free cup of Joe.Could I do it in under a week?As I discovered, the right app promotion can reduce the number of visits needed to make it easier to earn one.Related: How to use the Amex Gold Dunkin' creditBENJAMIN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUYWhy Dunkin' Rewards is the fast way to free rewardsDunkin' Rewards members earn 10 Dunkin' points per dollar spent on qualifying purchases (generally, this means excluding tax and tip). Visit 12 times in a calendar month, and you'll earn Boosted status, which awards an additional 2 points per dollar spent, for three months.You earn points by ...