Free stuff at any time of the year is a lovely treat for most students.
But free birthday stuff just hits a little harder, ya know? It doesn’t matter what time of the year your birthday lands, birthday freebies are always welcome – especially when your student loan is drying up.
So, if you’re feeling hungry, you’re gonna wanna read on and find out how to nab that free meal, free sweet treat or coffee on the way to uni.
Luckily for us, hundreds of companies have realised that birthday freebies are beneficial for their brand and are trying to take advantage of it.
For you, that means a chance to get loads of freebies on your special day.
But how do you get free stuff on your birthday? And where can you get it?
Whether a free meal, free birthday burrito or a free doughnut to soak up your hangover, we’ll be giving you the goss on the best places to find free birthday stuff and how to nab it. Let’s face it, there’s nothing quite like a free sweet treat.
Those are the questions Unifresher will be answering…
Birthday freebies: How do they work?
There are two main freebies on your birthday. The first are outright free items.
Companies such as Benugo, Krispy Kreme and Greggs will hand over a treat on your birthday with no commitment to buy anything. These are the ones we love the most as there is no spend involved at all.
Other brands, such as Frankie & Bennie’s, offer buy one get one free deals or 50% off. However, while this is a pretty good deal, we’re naturally gonna focus (mostly) on those without some sort of minimum spend, so you can reap the benefits of your big day.
It’s normal these days to be celebrating weeks before your birthday ‘officially’ arrives, but unfortunately this rule doesn’t quite apply to getting free birthday stuff. Nevertheless, when your birthday month hits, it’s time to spend a little time signing up for birthday freebies and discounts. You never know what you might find.
Here’s our ultimate round up of some of the best birthday freebies UK stores have to offer.
Where can I get free stuff on my birthday?
So, to the part of the article you really came for: Where to get birthday freebies.
Hundreds of companies attempt to lure you into their shop on your big day (especially because you’ve got Granny’s annual £10 note burning a hole in your pocket).
To make it easier we have divided the free stuff into food, drinks, cosmetics and other so you can whizz straight to the offers that work best for you.
Free food on your birthday
We all love free food, right? Whether it’s a free birthday meal, or a free dessert, when your birthday hits, free food should be on your agenda.
But what can you nab? And how? Below we’re gonna dive into some of the best birthday freebies that you can indulge in, so you better be feeling hungry.
Remember, some of these companies require you to sign up at least a few weeks before your birthday, so you need to be a little prepared.
Krispy Kreme
What: Get a free Krispy Kreme doughnut and coffee coupon
Rules: Simply sign up to the Friends of Krispy Kreme and register for the loyalty scheme. You will then get a voucher on your birthday to be used in-store.
Greggs
What: A free cupcake, cream cake or doughnut
Rules: Just get the Greggs app and register with the loyalty scheme. You’ll receive a voucher to show in-store on your birthday.
Subway
What: A free Subway cookie
Rules: Register for a Subcard and you will receive a free cookie on your birthday at Subway.
Patisserie Valerie
What: A free Patisserie Valerie cupcake
Rules: Sign up to the Cake Club (yes, I know, why haven’t you joined already?) and you will receive an email on your birthday to claim a free cupcake.
Barburrito
What: A free burrito
Rules: Register with Barburrito’s La Familia loyalty card scheme and you will receive an email on your birthday, treating you to a whole, free burrito. Free birthday burrito? Er, yes, please.
Millie’s Cookies
What: A free cookie
Rules: Sign up to Millie’s Cookies’ Cookie Club newsletter and receive a free (you guessed it) cookie on your birthday.
Coast To Coast
What: A free main meal
Rules: Just sign up to Coast To Coast’s Birthday Club and you will receive a free main meal on your birthday. As an added bonus you will also receive free cocktails when you sign up.
Burger King
What: Free Whopper or plant-based Whopper
Rules: To get a free Whopper, all you gotta do is sign up for Burger King Rewards and add your birthday under your account info.
Brewers Fayre
What: Free main meal
Rules: To grab yourself a free meal, simply join the Brewers Fayre Bonus Club, and you’ll be emailed a voucher around the time of your birthday.
Tortilla
What: Free burrito
Rules: Fancy yet another free birthday burrito? Don’t forget to join the Tortilla Club in advance, you’ll be emailed a voucher for a free burrito on your big day.
Las Iguanas
What: One free meal
Rules: Get yourself signed up to their newsletter and you’ll receive a voucher for a free meal around a week before your birthday.
Pizza Express
What: Free sweet treat, pizza or bottle of prosecco
Rules: Sign up to the Pizza Express Club for your birthday freebies – however, the level of your Pizza Express Club account will determine your free birthday gift.
Hotel Chocolat
What: £5 loyalty card
Rules: All you need to do is sign up for a Hotel Chocolat VIP card (be sure to activate it online). Two weeks before your birthday you’ll receive your £5 free.
Costa
What: Free cake
Rules: If you’re not already, get signed up to the Costa Club, enter your date of birth and whoo, you’re done. You’ll then receive a voucher for a free cake on your birthday. Everyone loves birthday freebies, but free cake? Yes, please.
Lidl
What: Free doughnut
Rules: All you gotta do is sign up for the Lidl Plus app, and you’ll see your free doughnut show up in your vouchers.
Free drinks on your birthday
If you’re heading out with your mates for your big day, a free bottle of prosecco or a fancy cocktail is an absolute must. Thankfully, there are plenty of places that offer birthday freebies in the form of booze.
Well, not every free drink is alcoholic. Your Mum wouldn’t like us otherwise.
So if you fancy a free coffee on your way into uni, too, read on.
Nicholson’s pubs
What: A free pint of Nicholson’s Pale Ale or a 25ml Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic
Rules: Simply sign up to the Nicholson’s pubs newsletter to receive your freebie.
Benugo
What: A free coffee
Rules: Sign up to the Benugo newsletter and you’ll receive one of their delicious coffees on your big day.
Ed’s Diner
What: A free birthday milkshake
Rules: Register to Ed’s Club and you will receive a free milkshake on your birthday.
Boost
What: A free healthy drink
Rules: If you’re feeling like you might need a bit of a detox on your birthday, sign up to Boost’s Vibe Club and you will receive a free drink on your birthday.
Loch Fyne
What: Free glass of Champagne
Rules: Toast to your increasing age with a free glass of champagne at Loch Fyne. Just sign up to the newsletter to receive your freebie.
TGI Fridays
What: Free cocktail (or mocktail) for you and up to five guests
Rules: All you need to do is download and register via the TGI Rewards app, and you’ll receive the code around a week before your birthday. You do have to purchase a main meal, though, so you might not be able to use your free drink as a part of a bar crawl, soz.
All Bar One
What: Sharing cocktail
Rules: Sign up to their A-list newsletter via the All Bar One app. Similar to TGI Fridays, you’ll need to buy two main meals at the same time to get a free cocktail.
Miller & Carter
What: Free glass of Piccini Memoro for you and up to five guests
Rules: Simply sign up to their newsletter. Bear in mind you need to do so at least two weeks before your birthday to get your birthday freebies.
Bill’s
What: Get a free bottle of prosecco
Rules: Sure, you gotta dine in, but why not get a free bottle of prosecco while you’re there? All you need to do is sign up to their newsletter, but remember, this needs to be done at least four weeks before your birthday, so get organised.
Free cosmetics on your birthday
There’s nothing quite like a birthday freebie, and cosmetics are certainly up there in the list of free things you’re gonna wanna take advantage of. From free birthday gifts to a free birthday voucher, let’s see what cosmetics have to offer…
Benefit counters in Debenhams
What: A free brow wax
Rules: Sign up to the Debenhams Beauty Club to receive a free Benefit brow wax on your birthday. Perfect for the party later on in the evening.
Aveda
What: A mystery gift worth £24
Rules: Join the Aveda Reward Program and receive a free gift worth a whopping £24 on your birthday.
Bare Minerals
What: A free customised gift
Rules: The thoughtful Bare Minerals team will give you a free gift based on the types of things you have bought from them before. Just sign up as a Friends And Benefits member to claim your freebie.
Space NK
What: A mystery gift
Rules: Join the N.Dulge club and you’ll receive an email on your birthday with a code for a free mystery gift. Exciting.
The Body Shop
What: A free £5 The Body Shop gift voucher
Rules: Sign up to the Love Your Body Club and you’ll receive a free £5 gift voucher with no minimum spend.
Rituals
What: Free shower oil of your choice
Rules: Simply sign up to My Rituals (and receive a free shower foam for doing so), and you’ll be emailed a voucher for a free shower oil on your big day. Only stipulation is you need to buy another item to claim your birthday freebie.
Sephora
What: 20% off
Rules: Sure, it’s not a total freebie and technically there’s a minimum spend of something, but if you sign up to their loyalty program you’ll receive 20% a few days before your birthday. But, if you already shop in Sephora, this birthday discount could come in handy.
Other free stuff on your birthday
Marks and Spencer
What: An M&S £5 voucher
Rules: Join the M&S Sparks reward club and you’ll receive a £5 voucher on your birthday.
Hobbycraft
What: Free £5 voucher
Rules: Simply sign up for a Hobbycraft account and you receive your free £5 voucher in your email.
Lovehoney
What: 20% off
Rules: Now, if you’re at one of the unis having the most sex (or not, and you wanna spice things up), this could be right up your street. While you might not get a free toy in the post (could be awks), you’ll receive a 20% off voucher when you create a Lovehoney account and fill out your details.
Ready to take advantage of birthday freebies?
When you start looking, birthday freebies are everywhere. While some do require a minimum spend, when your birthday month hits, there’s a bunch of free treats you can take advantage of.
Many of these companies offer a free birthday treat around your big day, so you don’t even need to go collecting them all on your birthday! Bonus.
Now, whether you’re after a free birthday meal with your mates, or a free bottle of something bubbly (or another free drink, of course), it’s time to get signed up!
