Some things just blow my mind. Earlier this week, Gilt and Starbucks announced they would be selling 5,000 special edition steel Starbucks cards.

Let me fill you in on a little secret. I have a Starbucks gold membership. You know how much I pay for it? Nothing. Want to know how much that costs me? Thirty items a year at Starbucks. That’s right… I have to buy thirty drinks or snacks a year (that I would have been buying anyway) in order to get free ones every twelve (and one on my birthday). That’s all a gold membership is.

This new fancy steel card costs $450. That’s right four hundred and fifty dollars. Here’s what you get for that (from the Gilt product offering):

Fashioned out of solid stainless steel, the card costs $450, but comes pre-loaded with $400, valid for drinks, food, and merchandise at participating Starbucks locations. Beyond that, you get automatic My Starbucks Rewards™ Gold Level membership, which entitles you to perks like a free birthday drink, and a free drink or food item after 12 Stars (some restrictions apply).

Ok, two things:

1. The gold level membership is essentially free to us commoners that don’t have $450 lying around to invest in steel. You get the membership by simply buying stuff at Starbucks.
2. Does the “some restrictions apply” make anyone else nervous? If I walk into Starbucks with a $450 piece of steel in my hand, I better get whatever I want.

Here’s the best part… the 5,000 limited edition cards sold out in less than five seconds. Merry Christmas.