One of my biggest fears is waking up, walking to my Nespresso machine, turning it on, and finding out I’ve run out of coffee pods. I’ve gone to great lengths to make sure that doesn’t happen, and I’m always stocked on Nespresso capsules.
I buy Nespresso capsules online and in brick-and-mortar stores. Today, I’ll talk about every place where you can buy original and Nespresso-compatible capsules. I’ll explain the advantages of buying straight from Nespresso and what you get when buying from other retailers. You’ll have all the necessary knowledge for your next coffee-shopping expedition.
Buying Pods Directly From Nespresso
You have two options when buying pods directly from Nespresso: going to a Nespresso boutique or shopping online.
A Nespresso boutique is a store where you can buy Nespresso products — Nespresso coffee machines and capsules. The stores l have stylish interiors with tasting areas where you can try a specific pod you’re interested in. You can also talk with specialty coffee experts about the pod you’re interested in.
Nespresso has over 800 boutiques in 515 cities worldwide and about 47 locations across the US. Some Nespresso boutiques are free-standing, while some are located inside stores such as Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and others. You can use the Nespresso boutique locator to find the Nespresso store closest to you.
You can also buy Nespresso coffee capsules online from their website or app. These are great if you want to be 100% sure you’re getting authentic Nespresso coffee pods.
Nespresso sells certain flavors labeled “Exclusive Flavors” only online, so you can’t get these at their stores or other retailers. Plus, you get free shipping if your order is over $35.
You can also use the Nespresso app. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices and makes it easy to order coffee pods on the go.
Finally, if you become a member of the Nespresso club, you’ll get a range of benefits. The benefits depend on how long you’ve been a Nespresso customer and are divided into three tiers:
- Connoisseur — After the first purchase.
- Expert — Achieved if you’ve been buying Nespresso coffee capsules for five years or more than 800 capsules per year.
- Ambassador — Achieved if you’ve been buying Nespresso pods for more than 10 years or buy more than 1,500 pods per year.
Depending on which tier you’re in, these are some of the perks you get:
- Free delivery
- Free coffee sleeve
- Coffee masterclasses
- Free descaling kit
- 20% off on accessories
- Prolonged machine warranty (valid for three years)
- Private sales
- Special offers and invitations
Is It Cheaper To Buy Directly From Nespresso?
A note about Nespresso capsule app prices: it is generally cheaper to buy on the Nespresso app than on Amazon. In my experience, there’s a modest 5-10% difference in price between the two. However, this only applies to Vertuo pods, as OriginalLine pods tend to be more expensive on Nespresso. This is probably because third-party manufacturers can make OriginalLine Nespresso-compatible pods, so Nespresso tries to make up for the lost income.
Where to buy Nespresso Pods Online?
You can buy Nespresso Vertuo pods and OriginalLine pods online on the official Nespresso website and app. Apart from Nespresso, there are a few other popular online retailers.
Amazon
Amazon is the go-to online store for many people. Amazon has a huge range of Nespresso pods and Nespresso-compatible pods made by other manufacturers.
For example, if you’re a Nespresso newbie, you can buy a variety pack and try out different ground coffee flavors. However, I found variety packs lack the tastiest pods, and it’s better to choose your favorite pods and buy individual sleeves. Amazon is an excellent place to stock up because packs of 50 capsules are extremely common. Plus, you can get free shipping if you have Amazon Prime or a discount if you buy larger quantity packs.
Amazon also sells Starbucks Nespresso coffee pods, which many users will like.
Overall, most people are already familiar with Amazon, and it has a user-friendly interface, so shopping is easy. More importantly, Amazon has one of the largest selections of Nespresso pods and Nespresso-compatible pods outside of Nespresso.
Coffee pods bought on Amazon are eligible for Nespresso’s recycling program. But keep in mind Nespresso has some exclusive flavors which can only be bought from their website and stores.
Gourmesso
Gourmesso is the biggest manufacturer of third-party Nespresso-compatible pods. They have 40 different blends of Nespresso pods across intensity and roast levels, including nine compostable pods and several flavored pods.
However, Gourmesso only sells OriginalLine-compatible pods, not VertuoLine.
Walmart
Walmart is an authorized Nespresso seller, so they sell coffee pods made by Nespresso. A large majority of Nespresso capsules sold at Walmart’s website are sold in packs of 40 coffee pods.
Walmart also sells Nespresso-compatible pods for OriginalLine machines. For example, you can get Lavazza, Starbucks, and Peet’s Coffee at Walmart. There are a few Starbucks pods compatible with VertuoLine.
You need to spend $35 to get free shipping at Walmart.
Bed Bath and Beyond
Bed Bath and Beyond had a great selection of Nespresso pods, but the company declared bankruptcy and will close all its stores. We have changed our links to other retailers.
Online Stores with Nespresso Compatible Pods
There are several online stores where you can’t get original Nespresso coffee pods, but third-party compatible ones, such as:
- Williams-Sonoma — They sell their own range of Nespresso-compatible pods
- Target — Sells Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee, Lavazza, Cafe Bustelo, and their brand, Good and Gather pods. They’re famous for pumpkin-flavored pods sold during Fall. You can also try Target salvage stores for even better deals.
- Costco — Sells Starbucks and Peet’s coffee pods compatible with OriginalLine machines. Of course, Costco has the best bulk deals with Starbucks pods available in a 60-count pack and Peet’s Coffee in an 80-count pack.
- Sam’s Club — Only sells Starbucks OriginalLine compatible pods.
- Best Buy — Sells Starbucks Vertuo and Original compatible pods.
Where to Buy Nespresso Pods in Stores?
I talked about how you can buy Nespresso pods in Nespresso boutiques. But you can also buy Nespresso capsules in the brick-and-mortar version of all the online stores I’ve mentioned above.
To sum up, here are the stores where you buy original Nespresso capsules and compatible pods:
- Nespresso boutiques
- Best Buy
- Walmart
- Costco
- Target
- Best Buy
- Sam’s Club
- Macy’s
- Williams-Sonoma
- Bed, Bath & Beyond (declared bankruptcy and will close all its stores)
My advice is to try different pods to find which ones you like. For example, it could be the caramel cookie flavor, Mexico single origin, or the Altissio espresso dark roast pod. Then, find the best retailer for you and start buying large quantities to get more savings.
Alternative: Use Any Coffee With Old Pods
Instead of buying new pods, you can also reuse your old coffee pods. You can refill old pods with instant coffee or any coffee mix you prefer and use the pod again and again. Here’s how:
- Cut away the foil from a used pod, empty the old coffee grounds and rinse the pod.
- Fill the pod with about two teaspoons of coffee grounds and tamp it with a spoon.
- Cut a square of kitchen foil and press around the rim to seal it to the pod.
Note: You can reuse old coffee pods about three times. You can also buy reusable coffee pods, which you can refill again and again. These come in stainless steel and plastic options.
Another option is to buy a reusable pod kit. The kit usually comes with about 100 aluminum lids, reusable pods, and covers. This way, you’re kinder to the environment, and you can brew the exact coffee you like.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What’s the difference between Vertuo and Original pods?
Vetuo and Original are two different machines, where Original brews with a traditional pressure-based espresso system, while Vertuo uses Nespresso’s proprietary centrifusion. The pods are not interchangeable. You can get bigger coffee sizes and bolder flavors with Vertuo, but Original is far cheaper. OrignalLine pods are cup-shaped and are the same size, while VertuoLine pods are bowl-shaped and come in different sizes. Also, Vertuo pods have a barcode printed on edge, which the machine reads and adjusts the brewing parameters.
How to recycle Nespresso pods?
You can recycle Nespresso pods through the Nespresso recycling program. You have to put the used pods in Nespresso’s dedicated recycling bag and drop off the bag at a Nespresso boutique or a UPS location. You can get the recycling bag at Nespresso stores or with an online Nespresso order for free.
Where Should You Buy Nespresso Pods?
You can buy Nespresso pods straight from Nespresso or another retailer, both online and in physical stores; the choice is completely up to you. My experience is that online shops tend to have larger stocks and better pod availability. If you buy directly from Nespresso, you’ll find cheaper Vertuo pods and special benefits as part of the Nespresso club.
Now that you know where you can buy Nespresso pods, it’s time to choose which pods you should get. Check out our round-up of the seven best VertuoLine pods to try.
