Starbucks goes glam with $450 stainless steel gift card [Google+ Hangout]

Starbucks is now offering a gift card for $450 -- $400 to fill the card with store credit and $50 toward the sleek, stainless steel card itself.

The limited-edition Starbucks Metal Card is available through membership-based e-commerce site Gilt.com starting at 9 a.m. PST on Friday. The fancy card, which is reloadable, comes with automatic My Starbucks Rewards Gold membership, which involves occasional freebies.

Current rewards program members will have access to a Thursday pre-sale for the 5,000 steel cards available.

Over the Black Friday shopping weekend, Starbucks said it sold 44 gift cards a minute.

Even as the cafe chain sprawls out over seemingly every nook and cranny on Earth, the Seattle coffee giant is also trying its hand at more upscale initiatives.

Live video chat at 2 p.m.

Last month, Starbucks offered two rare, expensive sets of beans. One, the Costa Rica Tarrazu Geisha, sold out online within 24 hours. The other, the Costa Rica Finca Palmilera, is the chain’s most expensive cup of coffee ever at $7 for a grande size.

Join us for a live video chat at 2 p.m. with food industry reporter Tiffany Hsu and consumer columnist David Lazarus. Join in on the conversation by leaving your comments and questions below.

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