Birthday Freebies (2019)

A Comprehensive List of Everything You Can Get For FREE on Your Birthday (And During Your Birth Month) 

My birthday was August 1st and this year was the most successful birthday freebie year I have ever had. From food to makeup, to drinks, and clothes! Here is a list of all the freebies and how to make sure you get them for your birthday (each freebie is linked with their sign-up website). 

Food:

Strawberry Refresher

Starbucks 

Starbucks Rewards Members receive one free food or drink item of ANY size! You must join the program at least 7 days before your birthday and the promotion will automatically be loaded to your mobile app. 

They will send you a reminder email the day before your birthday to be on the look-out for your coupon. You must redeem on your birthday. 

Menchie's FROYO

Menchie's

Menchies Smilage Rewards members will receive $5 to spend on their birthday (sign up here). The $5 credit is placed on your account up to 3 weeks before your birthday and doesn't expire until 3 weeks after your birthday. 

When the credit is posted to your account you will get a Happy Birthday email from Menchies. You can redeem at any location by giving the cashier your phone number. $5 is enough for one really filled cup or two average size cups! 

First Watch 

Me & The Hubs

Sun eClub members will receive a FREE lunch or breakfast entre item coupon up to 3 weeks before their birthday. The coupon will be sent via email and you must print and show the code to your waiter(ess). 

Sign up for Sun eClub and add your birthday to your profile. The coupon expires 3 weeks after your birthday and it arrives about 3 weeks prior. 

Lemon Bundtlet- So GOOD! 

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Sign up for their eClub to receive free Bundtlet Cake for your birthday! The offer will be sent to your email one week before your birthday and it will expire one week later. This gives you two weeks to redeem at any location!

Find Nothing Bundt Locations near you here!

Jersey Mike's 

 

The #7 Sub (AKA The Best)

Shore Point Rewards members will receive a coupon via email for 1      FREE regular sub and a FREE drink. The coupon expires 1 year after your birthday! 

Be sure you add your birthday to your profile. 

The Hero Sub (Hubby's Fave)

Firehouse Sub's 

Download the Firehouse App and join their rewards program. On your birthday a FREE medium sub will be added to your app. Redeem in-store by selecting the reward and showing your cashier. The coupon expires about 2 weeks after your birthday.

Tip: Go to Firehouse & Jersy Mike's on your bday for FREE lunch (for two) or free lunch and dinner for you! 

 Unlimited Chips 

Moe's 

Moe's Rockin Rewards members will receive a FREE burrito on their birthday. The free burrito will be added to your Moe's mobile app and you will have 7 days after your birthday to redeem it! Moe's Rockin Rewards is pretty great just in general but getting a FREE burrito makes it 10x better! 

Join Rocking Rewards here and get your FREE birthday burrito! P.S. Chips are unlimited, just ask for a refill! 

Peanut Butter Cup!  

Tropical Smoothie

Download the Tropical Smoothie app and sign up for their rewards! On your birthday you will get a $3 credit added to your mobile app account. Use this on any purchase (treat it like a $3 gift card)! 

This makes a full-size smoothie just $3.03!! 

Free Chocolate Milkshake

Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A One members will receive a FREE birthday dessert. The offer is loaded into your mobile app (download here) and is valid for about 3 weeks after your birthday.

The offer is good for one small milkshake, a cookie, a frosted coffee/lemonade, or IceDream cone! Who doesn't love some free Chick-fil-A?!

Chipotle

Chips & Queso! 

Join Chipotle rewards and download the mobile app for FREE chips & guac on for your birthday. The reward will be loaded into your account on your birthday and will expire about 3 weeks after. Just show the cashier the reward listed in your account at checkout! 

New Rewards members will also receive FREE chips & guac for joining so get double the FREE Chipotle during your birth month! You can substitute the guac for queso if you desire. Note: Offer only good with a purchase.

Makeup: 

Drunk Elephant Gift

Sephora

Sephora Beauty Insiders get to choose between a FREE Makeup or Skincare Kit. The birthday gift changes once a year. See the 2019 options here. I choose the Drunk Elephant Skin Care Kit! 

All you have to do is sign up for their rewards and add your birthday to your profile. Your birthday reward will be added to your account and an email will be sent about 2 weeks before your birthday. You can redeem in-store or online any time during your birth month (or 2 weeks before). P.S. Most
JCPenny's have Sephora's inside!

Hoola Bronzer from Benefit! 

Ulta 

Join Ulta's Ultimate Rewards program to receive a FREE beauty gift during your birth month! Join at least a month before and be sure to add your birthday to your profile. On your birth month, you will receive an email with your birthday gift code. 

Show this code to the cashier and redeem for a FREE beauty gift. This month it was a Mini Hula Bronzer from Benefit! The gifts change each month.

Color: Nude Beach 

Bare Minerals 

Join Bare Minerals FAB Friends and Benefits to receive a FREE beauty gift for your birthday! My reward never came via email so I contacted customer service a few days after my birthday and they let me pick out a full-size mineral eye shadow. They even sent it to my house for FREE!

Don't be afraid to send customer service an email if you don't receive your reward in your email. They are super helpful! 

Retail

DSW

All for FREE!!

Join DSW's VIP rewards program to receive a $5 birthday reward. Better yet join one month before your birthday to get a $5 reward for joining and then receive your $5 birthday reward. Giving you $10 to spend total! 

DSW VIP members also get FREE shipping (no min)! So find something under $10 and get it sent to you for free, or us it towards a pair of shoes! I used my reward in-store and got a Burt's Bees Set (it was on clearance) & EOS Lipbalm for FREE! 

Finish Line 

BOGO FREE Socks

Join the Winner's Circle for a FREE $15 birthday gift card!! This one is super easy. Just join and on your birthday Finish Line will send you an email with the $15 gift card to be used in-store or online. Good for 30 days.

Finish Line always has BOGO Free on their socks. These were $14.99 making both FREE! 

Free Panty! 

Victoria Secret 

Angel Cardholders will receive a FREE panty (to be redeemed on your birthday or a day before). Angle Cardholders will also receive an in-mail coupon for $10 during their birth month.

I am still waiting on mine to come in the mail but customer service assured me that if it doesn't come they will re-issue me one! 

PacSun 

Cross Back Swim Top

PacSun rewards are the best (I've done a post on them before, check it out here). They send out free $5 rewards ALL the time (no prior purchases necessary). This year at the start of my birth month they sent out a $5 reward. 2 weeks later they sent me another $5 reward. 

I had $10 and got this super cute swimsuit top for FREE (original price $29.95). It was on clearance online and all swim had free shipping. Sign up today to get rewards year-round! 

Honorable Mentions:

While I didn't actually redeem these birthday offers (I did get them via email) they were still worth mentioning:

• Olive Garden- Free Appetizer or Dessert
• Bonefish- Free Appetizer or Dessert
• Carrabbas- Free Appetizer or Dessert 
• Buca di Beppo- Free Dessert & $20 eGift card ($20 off $40 or more)
• BJ's Restaurant- Free Pazookie 
• Chili's- Free Dessert
• Cold Stone Creamery- BOGO Free Cup or Cone (any size) 
• Einstein Bros Bagels- Free Egg Sandwich (with any purchase)
• Michael's Crafts- 50% Off Coupon 
• Kohl's- 50 Points Added to Account
• Panera Bread- Free Pastry/Treat 
• American Eagle- 15% or 20% off Coupon 
• Cost Plus World Maket - 20% off Coupon 

Did I miss anything?? Leve me a comment and let me know where!! 

 

My Favorite Restaurant Rewards Programs

My Top 5 Restaurant Rewards Programs 

Almost every restaurant chain has some form of loyalty program. You can just about earn free/discounted meals anywhere (from fast food to higher-end chains) if you frequent it! So, consider these two tips to maximize your FREE food goodness!! Because seriously who doesn't want a free lunch?!

1) Figure out where you frequently dine: 

I want to encourage you to think of the top 5 places you go to the most for food and/or beverages. This includes sit-downs, fast-food, coffee shops, dessert stops, smoothie places, etc. Then, determine if you are enrolled in any sort of rewards program for those places.

• If you are already enrolled:
• Be sure you are receiving emails from the restaurant (check your junk/spam). Restaurants send out promo codes, coupons, and freebies all the time via email. 
• Be sure you are using your loyalty card, phone number, or email each and EVERY time you go. Many restaurants reward frequent customers with higher discounts so you want to make sure your visits are recorded.
• Be sure your birthday is in their records. Birthday freebies are the best! 
• If you're not enrolled:
• Search online for an email "club" and sign up with an email you check often. 
• Search the Apple or Android app stores for mobile apps to your favorite places.
• When in doubt ask the server, barista, or cashier if they have a loyalty program and get info/register with them.

2) Some of my favorite places to eat on the cheap: 

Here are some of my favorite restaurant rewards programs and the ways I maximize each benefit! It was hard to choose my favorites (as there are so many) and this list is not exhaustive but it's a good start.

Amy Fernandez (2019)

So go on and eat! And earn some free meals while you're at it! 

My Top 5 Retail Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs exist for one single purpose... to make a company more money by retaining customers. The goal is to reward customers for spending money by giving out free incentives. These incentives come in the form of coupons, discounts, store credits, and free goods or services (just to name a few). Loyalty programs can easily become a trap for the consumer, which is just what companies want, but if you play the loyalty programs right, you (as the consumer) can gain some HUGE benefits.

There are a few different types of reward programs, so for clarification I want to describe three:

• Point Programs - One of the most common types of rewards program where companies offer points in exchange for dollars spent. These points add up over time and the customer can redeem the points for discounts, gifts, etc.
• Tier System -  A customer can work their way up different levels by spending more money. The different levels unlock different incentives and rewards. 
• Frequency-based Coupons and Promotions - Companies offer higher value coupons/discounts the more often you shop or use their services. When you shop, the company asks for an identifier (this may be your email, address, phone number) and coupons are sent at different frequency levels the more you shop. 

Here are 5 of my all-time favorite reward programs and how they have saved me money and made me money!

1) Express - There was a day when I never thought about Express (or even shop there because it can be very expensive) until I learned about their point-based rewards program. The beautiful thing about this rewards program is that Express sends out monetary rewards ALL THE TIME without you even having to make a purchase! In 2018, Express gave me over $100 in FREE rewards. They send birthday money, holiday money, money for completing your online profile, even money for logging into Express.com with a social media platform. The rewards range from $5-$15 and you can save them and stack them up in one purchase. My entire business wardrobe has come for FREE from Express. It's a really awesome rewards program and honestly, it may just be my favorite!

 
• In 2018 I got over $400 worth of clothing for free... that is not an exaggeration. 
• My tip... stack up your rewards and buy items on clearance. I walk out of Express with several free items every time they've sent me a reward. 

2) PacSun - PacSun is another point-based rewards program where you earn per dollar spent. They give you $5 for signing up and then very randomly, but very frequently, you will get an email with a $5-$10 reward. Now that may not seem like much, but take that reward and shop their clearance section where basically every day everything is buy-one-get-TWO free.

• In both April and November of 2018, I got 6 items off the clearance racks for FREE. In December of 2018, they sent a last-minute holiday reward and I got 2 bikini tops (on sale for $5 each!!) online for free with free shipping. 
• My tip... go into PacSun every time they send you a reward and head to the clearance rack, things are typically priced under $10 which makes your item(s) free or just a couple bucks. 

3) Bath and Body Works - Who doesn't love a good trip to Bath and Body Works... if you're not already signed up for their email and mail coupons (which if you have ever made a purchase they ask you for your email/phone number so you probably are signed up in one way or another) sign up now!! This frequency-based coupon program will become your best friend. Every month you will get coupons in the mail for discounts and a FREE travel sized product. Every time I get a coupon I use the free item and get a small body wash or lotion. They make great gifts and I haven't bought a full-size body wash in years!

• In 2018, I got around 25 FREE small body washes (my sweet Mamma usually gave me her coupons too). I also got countless candles and gifts for under $10 with every visit using coupons! 
• My tip... the key is to give them your email or phone number every time you purchase from them because the more trips you make the higher value coupons you get, and the frequency of coupons you receive increases. 

4) Victoria Secret - Victoria Secret has long been offering their monthly free panty (I am proud to say that over the past 3 years I have not bought one single pair of panties) but as of late 2017, they have started requiring a purchase for most of those free panty offers. What I love about Victoria Secret is not only their mail coupons, which come monthly but also their store-based credit card program. I'm not suggesting that store credit cards are good or bad (and I am NOT an advocate of incurring debt) but, I will say that from my PERSONAL experience the Victoria Secret credit card has been a game changer. Victoria Secret combines point programs, tier-systems, and frequency-based coupons into one magical rewards program.

• In 2018, I got over 10 pairs of free panties, 2 free sports bras, 3 free pajama sets, and tons of free body care items! 
• PINK (Victoria Secret's sister store) has their own member program so be sure you sign up for that too. It's separate from the VS rewards. Right now if you sign up PINK is offering a FREE item (up to $19.50) with any purchase! 
• My tip... to use your free panty with a purchase coupon and spend the least amount possible buy a small beauty item for $2-$3. You end up with a $10.50 panty and a beauty item all for just around $3.50!

5) American Eagle - AE is another point-based system that also allows consumers to work their way up to different levels. American Eagle also offers a store credit card, but it's different from Victoria Secret because it is a Visa card that can be used anywhere Visa is accepted. You earn points from all purchases and they add up quick! You also receive birthday rewards and other random incentives throughout the year. For every 5 pairs of jeans you buy, you get a pair free and the same goes for bras from Aerie.

•  In 2018, I received around $300 worth of clothes for FREE (after using the AEO Visa card for everyday purchases such as paying for gas, groceries, etc.) 
• My tip... use your AEO credit card for the purpose of earning points/rewards and pay them off as you make purchases. Treat it like a debit card and you will stay away from debt and rack up tons of points. 

Honorable Mention: 

• Kohl's - I wanted to throw Kohl's into this list because I am also part of their rewards program and they sent me around $30 throughout last year. I also received monthly members only coupons too. So, if you shop at Kohl's frequently, I could see this program being great for you because I don't typically go there and I still got $30 for free! 

One last note. It's very important you check your email frequently to reap the benefits of these programs.