I know I’m not alone when I say I love a good deal. It gives me this warm, fuzzy feeling . . . kind of like a glass of wine, but without the upset stomach and lingering headache. I might not be able to indulge in the snacks and celebrations that I did for prior birthdays (when I turned 20, my roommates got me a dozen Sprinkles cupcakes with my name written all over them), but I still like to celebrate.
Now, I love a good deal. I already said that. But I’ve never really taken the time to run around and “collect,” if you will, all the freebies you can find when your birthday rolls around. So this year I decided I wanted to do just that. No party busses or bar crawls . . . just some good old-fashioned bargain hunting. I asked on IG stories if anyone would be interested in a “master list” of sorts for freebies you can get on your birthday, and the response was an overwhelming “YES.” So, without further adieu, the list.
I should preface that many restaurants and stores now require you to be signed up for their mailing lists and/or have downloaded their apps prior to your birthday, so if a boatload of emails and a screen full of little icons on your phone doesn’t move you, then my apologies. You can still go into many restaurants and say you’re celebrating, but I’ve noticed a lot of places now just put a candle or writing on a plate (and still charge you for the dessert) because everyone and their mom says it’s their birthday, even when it’s not.
This list is a collection of the best deals I came across that were available around the time of my birthday. Most offers were good to redeem for a period of time, but a few were strictly “day of” redemptions, so definitely pay close attention to the fine print! Also, if you’re the type of person who’ll just say it’s your birthday to get free shit, some of these places do ask for a driver’s license, so you’ve been warned. IMO, it’s way more fun to actually go around the time of your birthday because (1) you’ll remember to actually go when you have a real birthday and not an arbitrary day of the year, (2) it’s a fun way to celebrate your birthday without having to spend a lot of money, and (3) depending on when your birthday falls, it might be a good way to get some mid-year shopping in separate from holiday or other kinds of shopping.
ANTHROPOLOGIE – 15% off discount code to use in-store or online {this isn’t their best sale, in my opinion . . . but I’m biased because my birthday is right before their blowout Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. If you have a spring or summer birthday, this is a pretty good discount to take advantage of, but it can’t be combined with any other sales or discounted merchandise. You have to sign up for their email list (and not unsubscribe from emails before your birthday) in order to get the discount via email.
BEAMING – free superfood smoothie {no additional purchase necessary; you have to have the app downloaded prior to your birthday}. You have one month from the date of your birthday to redeem the smoothie. You also get $12 for signing up for the app . . . so pair that with a free smoothie and you’ve got two comped visits!
BENEFIT COSMETICS – free brow arch {no purchase required, no email list or app download required}. You just have to visit a store in-person to redeem this offer.
BOSCIA – $10 off purchase of $40 or more {email sign-up required, can only be redeemed online}.
BOUDIN – free sweet treat (cookie or other baked good) {app sign-up required, no other purchase required}. If you use the app and make a purchase each month, you can redeem a 1lb sourdough loaf; renewable every month with a purchase of any amount.
CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN – free entree up to $20 {no additional purchase necessary; you need to download the app up before your birthday so the discount loads; if you’re a frequent diner, you can earn a free half-birthday entree . . . and the most frequent diners can earn a free meal for four}. You can also combine this freebie with any other rewards in your account. At the time I redeemed mine, I had $5 off any purchase, so it came out to a $25 discount!
CHILIS – free dessert on your birthday {app download or phone number sign up required; this is in addition to the free chips/salsa or non-alcoholic beverage you can redeem each visit}. You have to visit Chilis at least 1x/60 days to maintain status to redeem this offer, and it has to be paired with a $5 minimum purchase.
CHIPOTLE – free chips & guac {app download required; doesn’t work if you’re downloading the app for the first time to get the reward}.
DAVID’S TEA – free cup of any tea on the day of your birthday {email sign-up required and you have to redeem this offer in-store}.
DIPTIQUE – free 70 g candle with any purchase at a physical location {you have to sign up for their email list and/or visit a physical lotion prior to your birthday & must present the email in order to redeem the candle}. The price points for products at this retailer range from $40/50 to $250+, so if you’re looking to spend the least amount of money to qualify for the birthday gift, you’re looking at something small like a hand soap. I purchased one of their “surprise pochkets,” which is like a little ornament (since it’s almost Christmas time). Inside it had: a mini candle (smaller than the birthday gift), a small tube of perfume, and a mini body butter.
GODIVA – $10 off any purchase + free truffle/chocolate {if you join their free rewards program, you can redeem a free chocolate every month. During your birthday month, you’ll get $10 loaded into your account that you can use on any purchase of $10 or more}. I purchased a cone of regular chocolate covered strawberries for $14.99, so it came out to a little over $5 after tax and the discount.
IHOP – free stack of pancakes {with email signup, no additional purchase or app download necessary}. You also get a free stack when you sign up for the emails, in addition to your birthday, as well as every year on the anniversary of your sign-up. The coupon is good for 7 days prior to your birthday, on your birthday, and 7 days after your birthday.
JAMBA JUICE – free small smoothie, up to a $5.99 value {app download required, but no other purchase necessary}. You have two weeks from the date of your birthday to redeem this promotion. This offer can’t be combined with any offers, coupons or discounts . . . so if you’re a rewards member, you can’t also use any $3 off promos.
JERSEY MIKES – free sub & drink {email list subscription required prior to your birthday}.
KENDRA SCOTT – 50% off any regular jewelry, or 25% off any fine jewelry {this is one I had to show my driver’s license for, because I’m sure they get a lot of people claiming it’s their birthday, and this store doesn’t have sales all that often. I got one of their color bar rings, which you can customize what kind of metal and stone is inside the piece you pick out}. They also offered free mimosas and sparkling water while we shopped around.
KIEHLS – free lip balm with any purchase {the price points for products in this store range from $12/15, all the way up to $100+, so if you’re looking to spend the least amount of money to qualify for the birthday gift, you’re probably looking at investing in a bar of soap or a small bottle of lotion . . . or another lip balm for $9ish + tax}. I purchased a travel-sized lavender hand cream.
NOTHING BUNDT CAKES – free mini bundt {no purchase necessary; you have to sign up before you birthday and you’ll get a coupon via email}. I’ve tried to sign up for this the last few years, and every time the website is down . . . but I know people who’ve redeemed this, so it is a valid promo.
ORIGINS – $10 off any purchase of $25 or more + a mini facial {you can’t combine this with any other ongoing promotions, which is a major bummer}. I purchased a tube of the Drink Up 10 Minute Apricot Mask, which retails for $26, so after the discount and tax it came out to $17. Not the best birthday promotion in my opinion because their products are fairly pricey for skincare and you can’t use the $10 on anything under $25 . . . but I like their stuff and will purchase higher-priced items during their 20 or 30% off sales during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend.
PANERA – free pastry or sweet {app download required; only good for one week from date of birthday . . . I forgot about this one, so I didn’t end up redeeming it}.
PEETS – free beverage of your choice on the day of your birthday {app download required prior to birthday}
PRESSED JUICERY – free juice shot {no purchase necessary; retail value $3}.
ROCK BOTTOM – free entree, up to $20 value {no additional purchase necessary}. You have one month from the date of your birthday to redeem this offer.
SEPHORA – free gift {no purchase necessary; anyone can sign up to be a “beauty insider,” and this gets you a choice between two free beauty items that rotate every year; the “VIB” and “Rouge” tiers are $350 and $1000 annual spending, respectively, and give you a choice between four different beauty items}. I opted for the IGK coconut oil gel and charcoal dry shampoo. In previous years I’ve gotten mini lipsticks, blushes, moisturizers, and other beauty products. You can redeem this in-store or online, inventory provided.
SMASHBURGER – free side or shake with any purchase {app download required prior to birthday; you have three weeks to redeem this offer}. This offer can’t be combined with any other offers or discounts.
SPRINKLES – free cupcake {no additional purchase necessary; have to have the app downloaded prior to your birthday}.
SUGARFINA – free candy, depending on tier status {no purchase necessary; like Sephora and Ulta, Sugarfina does their rewards in tiers: Taster (0-9 points), Member (10-99), VIP (100-499), and Sweet Elite (500+). Points are roughly equivalent to dollars spent, unless you purchase during double or triple point periods. You can redeem monthly packets of candy for free at any level (just like Godiva’s free piece of chocolate), and then Members get a free candy cube for their birthday (so if you spend $10/year, you can get a free cube of any candy that retails for around $8-10). VIPs get a 3-piece candy bento box on their birthday (so three candy cubes) and Elites get a 4-piece candy bento box on their birthday.
TENDER GREENS – free entree {no additional purchase necessary; you have to have the app downloaded onto your phone prior to your birthday so the reward can load}. There is no dollar amount for this promotion, so you can get any entree option; just be sure to let the cashier know which one is yours if you’re dining with someone else . . . otherwise they’ll take off the cheapest entree.
ULTA – free gift {no purchase necessary; similar tiers with a free “Members” level, $450/annual “Platinum level, and a $1200 “Diamond” level; all three get a free birthday gift that changes each month, and the top two get a $10 birthday coupon via email}. You can redeem this in-store or online.
URBANE CAFE – $3 credit to spend on any food or beverage item. You have one month to redeem this credit from the date of your birthday. {App download prior to your birthday required, no additional purchase necessary . . . but most items are more than $3}.
Now, this isn’t an exhaustive list. There are many more restaurants and stores that offer perks for coming in on or around the time of your birthday. More and more places are offering tiered gifts, so the better your brand loyalty, the better the perk (e.g. how Sephora gives members more options for a birthday gift if you spend upwards of $250 or more each year). I should also note that a lot of these promotions are region-specific. Be sure to check when you visit a business if they offer any kind of rewards program, and if so, that’d be a great time to inquire about seasonal or birthday perks.
I’d also recommend for the sake of your phone and your inbox, don’t sign up for every damn freebie under the sun. You might want to space out if and how you’ll redeem stuff, and my recommendation, from running around to many of these places, is go to businesses you like! If you can’t eat pancakes, don’t go to IHOP; most places don’t do substitutions for birthday freebies, so don’t waste the time trying to do so. When I went to Diptique, they only had two kinds of candles to choose from . . . and one had a really strong scent that I wasn’t a fan of, so I really only had one option.
Some businesses are super flexible and let you pick out anything on the menu (like Tender Greens and Starbucks), while others have specific gifts you can choose from (e.g. Kiehl’s is always, always a lip balm and there are only a few scents to choose from).
Either way, I hope you enjoy this list. I tried to provide as much detail as I could, because a lot of freebie sites just provide vague descriptions of birthday freebies. Some are truly free, while others (hello, Origins) rope you in with a “freebie” to get you to spend some amount of money . . . which is fine if you want to shop there anyway, but you have to be careful to not go hog wild just because you have a coupon.
Anywhoo, if you have any other recommendations to add to this list, please comment below!
Until Soon,
2LWithIt
