Where To Get Free Stuff on Your Birthday

Birthdays are like a grown-up treasure hunt. 

When you’re a kid, you’d play pirates, hunting around the yard for buried treasures. When you’re a taxpaying adult, you go hunting around town for freebies.

And let me tell you, there are treasures everywhere. You can easily score free coffee, waffles, pancakes, bundt cakes, ice cream, teriyaki, froyo, hot wings, cosmetics, and much, much more — but only if you know where to look!

. . .

Tips on Collecting Birthday Freebies

Before we get started, here are some general tips on maximizing freebies on your birthday: 

1. Join the loyalty programs at least a week before your birthday

In order to qualify for a birthday freebie, most chains require you to register for their loyalty program at least a week before your special day. 

That’s because they want a chance to sell you other stuff before giving you a bonus and filter out folks who register on their bday, get a freebie, and then drop out. 

2. Check your spam folder

Most birthday freebies come in the form of email coupons. Check your spam folder to ensure free cookies and cosmetics didn’t fall through the cracks!

3. Check local deals, too

In this list we’re going to be focused on national chains so that readers from all over the U.S. can benefit from it. But it’s worth Googling “birthday free [your city]” to find local deals, too. 

In my case, the Atlanta History Center, Georgia Aquarium, the High Museum of Art, and Zoo Atlanta all had birthday deals to offer. 

17 Places to Get Free Stuff on Your Birthday

• Starbucks
• Target
• Waffle House
• IHOP
• Baskin-Robbins
• Benihana
• Ben & Jerry's
• Build-A-Bear Workshop
• Chili's
• Olive Garden
• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Pinkberry
• DSW
• Sephora
• Ulta
• CAVA
• Nothing Bundt Cakes

1. Starbucks

If there’s one day of the year that you’ll want to stay wide awake for, it’s your birthday. So why not start your special day with 300mg of ethically sourced caffeine? 

While other restaurants and retailers have dialed back their birthday goodies in recent years, Starbucks hasn’t buckled. You’ll still receive one complimentary beverage or food item on your actual birthday, provided you have a Starbucks Rewards account. 

You must have joined the program at least seven days prior to your birthday and made at least one regular transaction in the past year.

(Also, even if it’s not your birthday, you can get free refills at participating stores when you use your registered Starbucks card or the app.)

2. Target

Target (or Targé to those in the know) earned a spot high on this list because it gives you a single-use 5%-off coupon on your birthday, redeemable anytime within the following 30 days. 

There also doesn’t seem to be a spending cap, so if you’re planning a big purchase or a month’s worth of groceries, 5% off could save you $10 or even more. 

3. Waffle House

How about a free waffle the size of a dinner plate? 

Waffle House may be old fashioned in many ways, but they’ve evolved enough to have their own loyalty program called the Regulars Club. 

Join today and you’ll get a free hashbrowns to start (I like mine chunked and capped), and once your birthday rolls around, they’ll email you a coupon for a free waffle. 

Since we don’t have one of the coupons right in front of us we can’t read the fine print, but rumor has it that you have to print it out — not all WaHo locations take virtual coupons. 

4. IHOP

IHOP’s entire loyalty program is either a love letter to cryptocurrency or a hysterical satire of it (methinks it’s the latter). 

The pancake chain claims that if you join its “Bank of Pancakes” and start earning “PanCoins,” you’ll “always get a return on your ingestments.” 

You’ll also get five free PanCoins on your birthday, which is more than enough to redeem for a small stack of pancakes (3 PanCoins = 3 pancakes). 

5. Baskin-Robbins

What do you call a birthday without cake and ice cream? 

Incomplete, I say!

Luckily, both Burton Baskin and Irvine Robbins seem to agree, which is why they’ll offer you a free 2.5oz scoop on your birthday. 

But you can’t just waltz in and ask for it like you could in the ‘90s — you have to subscribe to the Baskin-Robbins Birthday Club first, and then they’ll email you the coupon shortly before your birthday. 

6. Benihana

When you visit Benihana on your birthday, you’ll get $30 off your personal tab of $60 or more. 

To get your $30 certificate, you’ll have to sign up for The Chef’s Table loyalty program and wait for your certificate to arrive within 10 days of your actual birthday. 

From there, you have 29 days to use it and it’s only valid Monday through Thursday. Lastly, it only applies to your personal tab — not the table’s. 

That’s a lot of fine print, but the silver lining is that if you and a friend have a birthday within one month of each other, you can both use your Benihana certificate at the same time. 

7. Ben & Jerry’s

Not to be outdone by rival Baskin-Robbins, Ben & Jerry’s will also offer you a free treat on your special day. 

Perhaps at the behest of their attorneys, though, they don’t specify what you’ll actually get until the coupon arrives in your inbox. They coyly call it a “cone-gratulatory surprise.” 

Rumor (and countless Reddit posts) suggest that it’s a free single scoop. 

If you’re unsure which flavor to try, let me assure you that Chocolate Therapy has earned its name 10 times over in our household. 

8. Build-A-Bear Workshop

If you have kids, you can score them a cuddly teddy bear on their birthday. 

While Build-A-Bear’s offer isn’t totally free, it is cheap — the cost of your bear will be the same as your child’s age. So, if your kid is turning one, you’ve got a bear for $1.

You can claim it any time during your child’s birthday month and no proof of age is needed (but the minimum price is $1). 

9. Chili’s

For starters, we applaud Chili’s for holding off the floodgates of inflation. While $10.99 is barely enough to cover a combo meal at many fast food restaurants these days, it officially gets you an appetizer, entree, and a drink at Chili’s. 

On top of combo deals that haven’t changed in price since 2019, Chili’s also offers a free dessert on your birthday. You can choose from a slice of cheesecake, a skillet chocolate chip cookie, or the chain’s legendary molten chocolate cake. 

It requires you to sign up for My Chili’s Rewards, but once you do, you’ll get free chips and salsa or a free non-alcoholic drink with each visit. 

10. Olive Garden

If you’re craving Italian instead of Tex-Mex on your special day, know that Olive Garden will match Chili’s offer and bring a free dessert to your table upon request. 

The chain’s FAQs also imply that you don’t actually need to register or wait for an email coupon — it simply states that “Olive Garden guests can receive a complimentary dessert on their birthday when they dine with us.” 

Options may vary by location, but my local Olive Garden offers chocolate lasagna (!!!), black tie mousse, tiramisu, strawberry cream cake, warm Italian doughnuts, and Sicilian cheesecake. 

11. Buffalo Wild Wings

“B-Dubs” has one of the more generous birthday freebie policies. Not only will you get six free wings (worth around $10), you’ll also have your entire birthday month to redeem them. 

No need to rush in on your birthday after several other foodie freebies, praying that you still have a Tums rolling around in your purse. 

12. Pinkberry

If you’re looking for something slightly more diet-friendly to enjoy on your birthday, national froyo chain Pinkberry has your back. 

If you register for the chain’s “Pinkcard” loyalty program, you’ll receive a coupon for a free frozen yogurt on your birthday. They’re not crystal clear on how long you have to use it, but they do say that all “rewards” have a 30-day expiration date. 

Pinkberry also earns bonus points for being the only chain we found that awards you on your half-birthday, too!

13. DSW

Sign up for the DSW VIP program and these generous purveyors of fine footwear send you a $5 coupon to use at any point during your birthday month. 

You’ll also get 20% off your first purchase after signing up, free shipping, and points with every purchase. 

But we also wanted to give DSW a well-deserved shoutout for its shoe donation program. If you donate any new or gently used pair, they’ll make sure it reaches someone in need and reward you with 50 points for your kindness.

14. Sephora

If you’re looking for a birthday freebie that doesn’t require any extra calories, Sephora allows you to pick a free “birthday gift” at any point during your birthday month. 

You’ll have to register for a free Beauty Insider account and spend at least $25 on other stuff, but subjectively, the birthday gifts are solid enough to justify it. 

At the time of this writing, for example, your choices include a Kosas Lip & Brow set, a Moroccanoil Ultimate Hydration set, a Jet Lag + Lip Butter Balm set, and more. 

If you don’t see something you need, you can also just choose 250 Bonus Points, which gets you halfway to a $10-off coupon. 

15. Ulta

Beauty supply chain Ulta also offers you a choice of free birthday gift, and while the choices aren’t quite as robust as Sephora’s (they’re mostly travel-sized bottles), there’s also no minimum spending requirement. 

At the time of this writing, your choices include OUAI Leave-In Conditioner, Alterna Caviar Moisture CC Cream, Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, Buxom Full On Lip Polish, and more. 

To qualify, simply join Ulta Beauty Rewards and keep an eye on your inbox. 

16. CAVA

If you’ve never been to a CAVA, you can think of it like the Chipotle of Mediterranean food. You’ll pick a pita or a grain bowl, fill it with lamb, lentils, tzatziki, and other OG Greek goodness and then dine like Dionysis intended. 

CAVA also offers one of the best and most flexible birthday freebies around. Once your special day rolls around, the chain will automatically apply a $9 credit to your CAVA Rewards account, which functions just like a gift card. 

You don’t have to spend it all at once, and you have 30 days before it expires. 

Pro tip: The CAVA kids meal is plenty of food and comes with a drink. Try the blueberry lavender, which they make in-house. 

17. Nothing Bundt Cakes

One of the challenges of collecting free food on your birthday is that you can only dine in so many times in the span of a day — especially if your birthday falls on a workday. 

That’s why I like birthday treats that are easy to grab and enjoy at a later time. A “Bundtlet” from Nothing Bundt Cakes definitely fits that bill, and it even comes in its own sealed plastic container so it travels well and lasts longer. 

All you need to do to score a free Bundtlet on your birthday is to sign up for the chain’s eClub email newsletter, and check your inbox near your birthday for a coupon.

FAQs

Where can I eat for free on my birthday?

While most places will only offer you a small discount or a free dessert on your birthday, a small handful of chains still offer complimentary entrees. 

Starbucks offers a free drink or food item, CAVA deposits $9 into your CAVA Rewards balance, Buffalo Wild Wings offers six free wings, Waffle House will give you a free waffle, and IHOP offers a free three-stack of pancakes. 

What apps give you free stuff on your birthday?

The Starbucks App, Pinkberry App, Chili’s App, IHOP App, CAVA App, and Buffalo Wild Wings App all offer free rewards on your birthday. 

The Bottom Line on Freebies on Your Birthday

Even though birthday freebies aren’t quite as ubiquitous as they used to be, you can still find plenty of places willing to offer you a discount, dessert or even a full meal. 

For more ways to beat the system through the fine print, follow Erika on Instagram and YouTube! That's where she shares all her best fine print hacks and updates.

. . .