Birthday freebies at chain restaurants & how to get them: Starbucks, Dunkin’, more
McDonald'sFree stuff on your birthday? It doesn’t get much better than that. Here are the places where you can grab a birthday freebie and how to order them.
Most companies across the US will offer birthday freebies, but sometimes you will have to sign up for their loyalty scheme or rewards app.
However, these are usually free of charge, and if you can put up with a few marketing emails, you’ll be able to eat your way through your birthday.
Birthday freebies: Where to find them
Applebee’s: Desserts on the house
If you join Club Applebee’s, you’ll get any free regular dessert on your birthday, as well as a free appetizer when you sign up. Now, that’s a good deal.
Arby’s: Free small shake and curly fries
Arby’sSign up for Arby’s Extras and repeatedly refresh your inbox for a free curly fry and small shake on your birthday. The birthday coupon is sent a week before your big day.
Baskin Robbins: Free scoop of ice cream
Who doesn’t love ice cream on their birthday? If you sign up for their aptly named Birthday Club, you’ll get a 2.5-ounce scoop of any ice cream of your choosing for free.
Black Angus Steakhouse: Free steak dinner
If you join their Prime Club, you’ll get a free steak dinner on your birthday. That may seem like a pretty good deal, but there is a catch; you can only redeem this deal once in your lifetime – so save it for a milestone birthday.
Bojangles’: Free biscuit
You have to join the E-Club and make a purchase to redeem this birthday freebie offer, but, you do get a free Bo-Berry Biscuit. This deal might not be as generous as others, but these sweet biscuits are the perfect birthday treat.
Buffalo Wild Wings: Free wings
Uber EatsJoin the coveted Blazin’ Rewards scheme to get a free snack-sized order of traditional or boneless wings with any dipping sauce of your choosing. That would usually cost you nearly $12 on a normal day, so get those birthday savings in while you can.
Checkers: Free small milkshake
If you sign up for Checkers’ rewards scheme, you’ll get treated to a coupon for one free milkshake on your birthday. Make sure you sign up well before your birthday though, because if you sign up on the month of your birthday or the month before, you’ll have to wait until next year.
Cheesecake Factory: Free treat (and a song)
Cheesecake Rewards members get a free slice of cheesecake on their birthday but be warned, the staff will sign “Happy Birthday” to you in front of the whole restaurant. Is it worth it for a free dessert? For sure.
Chili’s: Free chips and salsa
If you sign up for My Chili’s Rewards, you’ll get a free portion of chips and salsa on your birthday, or any non-alcoholic drink. This way, you can make that burrito into a fully-fledged meal deal for your big day.
Chipotle: Mystery freebie
KitchnIf you sign up for Chipotle Rewards, you’ll get free guac upon signing up and with guac prices rising, this is a great deal. As well as that, their site states: “Let’s just say, we won’t forget you on your birthday.”
Although Chipotle is keeping their cards close to their chest, you’ll get a free birthday surprise on your big day.
Cinnabon: Free cold brew
If you download the Cinnabon app and sign up for their rewards scheme, you’ll get a 16oz cold brew for free on your birthday. Cinnabon can provide you with that birthday energy to keep you fuelled for your day-long freebie spree.
Dairy Queen: BOGO Blizzard
Download the Dairy Queen app and become a DQ Blizzard Fan Club member to get a free Blizzard on your birthday. You do have to buy another Blizzard to redeem this freebie, but it’s perfect for a DQ birthday date or a great excuse to pig out on your big day.
Del Taco: Mystery birthday reward
When you sign up to the Del Yeah! Rewards scheme, you’ll get two free tacos just for signing up. Aside from that, you’ll also get “a birthday reward” according to their site. Although this may vary from store to store, lots of customers claim that you get a free premium milkshake.
Denny’s: Free Grand Slam
Denny’sDenny’s is one of the only places that you don’t need to sign up for an app to get a free birthday treat. You’ll get a free Grand Slam, which is a great deal considering you get two buttermilk pancakes, two beef bacon strips, two sausages, and two eggs.
Dunkin’: Extra rewards points for free
If you are a Dunkin’ rewards member, you’ll get triple the points on any purchase the day before, day of, or the day after your birthday. This may not be a free pay-off straight away, but you’ll be on your way to free food or drinks in no time.
Friendly’s: Birthday Sundae
Friendly’s Sweet Rewards Club gives away ice cream sundaes like they’re going out of style. You’ll get a free premium sundae upon signing up to the club, as well as a free medium sundae voucher that you can redeem on the week of your birthday.
Fuddrucker’s: Free burger
If you join the aptly named Fudd’s Club, you’ll get a free 1/3 pound burger on your birthday, along with all the usual sauces and toppings. Now, that’s a pretty good deal that’ll save you.
Hooter’s: 10 free wings
Hooter’sThe dream birthday party destination for every 15-year-old boy. If you join The Hootscoop Rewards system, you’ll get a free portion of 10 wings on your birthday with any rub, sauce, and dressing, as long as you buy a drink to go along with it.
IHOP: Birthday rewards
IHOP has recently changed its rewards system so that it is reminiscent of a Bitcoin scheme. Customers will be able to collect Pancoins which they can ‘invest’ towards free treats. It’s a little confusing, but what isn’t confusing? Free pancakes.
On your birthday, you will also receive five PanCoins as a gift. So, its a nice little two-for-one situation.
Jack In The Box: Two free tacos
Download the Jack In The Box app and sign up to get two free tacos on your birthday. It really is as simple as that.
Jamba Juice: Free smoothie
Jamba Rewards members who spend at least $10 on their account over the course of the year get a free small smoothie on their birthday.
Jersey Mike’s: Free sub and a drink
Seed Oil ScoutIf you sign up for Jersey Mike’s Email Club you’ll get a pretty generous deal on your birthday. The sandwich chain states on their website: “Every year a week before your provided birth date, we will send you a coupon for a free regular sub and 16oz soft drink. Your Email Club subscription must be confirmed at least 8 days before your birthday to ensure your receive the offer, otherwise you will receive it the following year.”
Krispy Kreme: Free donut
Krispy Kreme Rewards helps you collect points cutely named, “smiles” to get free donuts throughout the year. On top of this, on your birthday you’ll get a free donut of your choosing – maybe they’ll even have a birthday cake-flavored one in stock.
McDonald’s: Free medium fries
On your birthday if you show your date of birth in the McDonald’s app, you’ll get a free medium fries, and the best bit is, you don’t even have to order anything else to redeem the reward.
Olive Garden: Unlimited breadsticks and a free dessert
This one is another easy one to redeem, all you need to do is dine at Olive Garden on your birthday and tell them that it’s your big day and they’ll give you a dessert for free (as well as free breadsticks for the table). Best part? You don’t even need to prove it.
P.F. Chang’s: Free dessert
P.F Chang’sYou will have to sign up to become a member for this one. However, if a member’s profile includes their birthday month, the Member will receive a Birthday Reward—a complimentary dessert of the Member’s choice to enjoy any time during the Member’s birthday month.
Panera: Free pastry
Download the Panera Bread app for easier access to the reward/ to sign up to their rewards scheme. Items you can get for free include their scones, muffins, pecan braid, bear claw, cookies, bagels, brownie, croissants, and vanilla cinnamon roll.
Pizza Hut: Free breadsticks or cinnasticks
If you sign up for Pizza Hut rewards through their app, you can redeem a free portion of fresh hot cinnamon sticks or breadsticks for the whole month of your birthday.
Qdoba: BOGO burrito deal
Qdoba Rewards offers a pretty sweet deal for your birthday where you get free queso and chips on the big day to make that burrito a little bulkier. Get dipping.
Quizno’s: Free sub
Quizno’sAlthough people often debate between Subway or Quizno’s, one thing’s for certain – Quizno’s gives you free stuff on your birthday. You’ll be able to get an 8″ sub for free with any purchase.
Red Lobster: Freebie chosen at random
Although it’s not made clear what you get free from Red Lobster on your birthday, that’s all part of the fun. You do have to sign up for their rewards scheme – but you might get some of those all-important cheddar biscuits for free.
Sbarro: Free slice
Slice Society members get a free slice with a drink purchase on their birthdays.
Sonic: Freebie chosen at random
My Sonic rewards get you a free birthday treat, which — beware — is typically chosen at random.
Starbucks: Free drink
Starbucks Menu via XStarbucks Rewards members don’t only get free shots and syrups on all their drinks, but they get a free drink of any size on their birthday. This includes frappuccinos, coffees, and any drink on their menu.
Steak n’ Shake: Free doube steak burger with cheese fries
You should certainly sign up for Steak ‘n Shake’s email list before your birthday because you’ll be gifted a double-steak burger with cheese fries.
TGI Friday’s: Free dessert
Even a lame Wednesday birthday will feel like a Friday, thanks to the free dessert you’ll get with the purchase of an entree during your birthday month.
Whataburger: One free Justaburger
On your birthday, get one free Justaburger just by signing up for the loyalty program.
Wingstop: Free fries
WingstopFinally, you have Wingstop. Sign up for the creatively named The Club to get a free order of fries. Simple as that.
How to redeem birthday freebies
Although a lot of these birthday freebie deals require you to sign up to rewards schemes, they are all free to sign up to, and although they might send you emails now and then, you can unsubscribe anytime you like.
Or, you could even create an email address specifically for your big day and sign up for all the rewards schemes through there so as not to bombard your everyday inbox.