Summary Polycarbonate (PC) is a polymer containing Bisphenol A (BPA) monomers in its structure. It is frequently used in manufacturing consumer goods such as food storage containers, reusable water bottles, infant feeding bottles, microwave containers and microwaveable cups. Under varying pH and temperature conditions, additives used in the plastic manufacture can leach in trace levels into the food in contact and negatively affect human health over time. Therefore, quantitative determination of BPA in food can be of great significance. The present study analysed the migration of BPA in coffee from different qualities of polycarbonate microwaveable cups under the influence of microwave heating by reversed‐phase ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The amount of BPA detected in samples ranged from undetected to 391.105 ± 0.05 μg kg−1. Results obtained indicate that BPA migration is minimal in good‐quality polycarbonate cups. Poor‐quality cups are accelerated time‐dependent; increased contact duration between polycarbonate and hot contact medium leads to more significant BPA migration. Furthermore, the BPA leaching process is enhanced during microwave heating due to high temperatures reached in a short time.