Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Round-up of fab birthday freebies 2024!
Nicola Kelly
1st Feb 2024
Preparations are underway in our household for a significant birthday for my husband. Feels like months of preparation and then it’s over in a day, but what if we could keep that celebratory feeling going a little bit longer with some special freebie treats?
Loads of companies want to help you mark your day, even your month, with free food, vouchers and more.
Of course you will have to sign up to a few emails, letters or loyalty schemes but you could even create a new email specially for freebies and competition entries, ensuring your usual email isn’t bombarded with information and spam you aren’t interested in. And of course, you can unsubscribe at any time.
It’s a great way to get a little extra treat or a much needed pick me up if you feel those years are flying by just a little bit too quickly!
Here’s Money Magpie’s top picks:
Zizzi
Free main meal at Zizzi (zizzi.co.uk) for your birthday when you sign up to their newsletter. You have to buy at least one of their mains to get the deal but perfect for dining out with a partner or friends and family. Make sure you sign up at least two weeks in advance of your birthday and on your big day, you’ll be emailed a voucher to show in the restaurant which is valid for 28 days.
Make sure you show the code before you order and just remember, you can’’t use it on delivery services like Just Eat or Uber Eats.
Cafe Rouge
Cafe Rouge have a similar offer if you sign up to their newsletter and they’ll even give you £10 off as a thank you which you can use on your next visit to your nearest restaurant. Again, make sure you sign up at least a week before your birthday to get the voucher in time and it last for 14 days.
Go to caferouge.com
Beefeater
Why not get a Beefeater loyalty card and register with their rewards club to get one free meal for your birthday. They are even offering 50% off to customers who sign up so what’s not to like? beefeaterrewardclub.co.uk
You can build up points – 300 when you join – and you collect five points for every £1 you spend. Once you reach 500 you can exchange them for £5 off the bill, a free bottle of wine or two free starters or desserts.
Lots of the High Streets chains want to get your business so why not take a look and see what your favourite might be offering.
All Bar One
What’s a celebration without some bubbles or a cocktail? With All Bar One’s newsletter, you get their app and a Blossom Birdcage sharing cocktail with the purchase of two meals for your birthday. And if that’s not your tipple, you can ask for four bottles of Peroni or soft drinks as an alternative.
TGI Fridays
If your birthday happens to coincide with Valentine’s Day, TGI Fridays (tgifridays.co.uk) are offering a free glass of Prosecco when you buy a stack of three pancakes for dessert, perfect for sharing. Just check out their Stripes Reward scheme to see what offers they’ve got coming up.
What’s a celebration without cake?
COSTA
Download the Costa Coffee app and you can get a sweet treat of your choice – as long as it’s available, on your birthday. Once you sign up to the Costa Club Account, they’ll email a voucher and you have seven days from your birthday to claim your cake. costa.co.uk
LIDL Plus
They were crowned Bakery Retailer of the Year in 2023 so who wouldn’t want one of their free doughnuts to mark another year. Get the Lidl Plus app and you’ll get the voucher and have seven days to take advantage of it. lidl.co.uk
Greggs
Greggs also offer sweet treats for your special day and a free hot drink when you sign up. greggs.co.uk for more information about freebies from their app.
Birthday Gifts to Youself
H&M
Looking for a birthday gift or even something to wear for your event, then why not sign up as an H&M member via their app or website. You can get 10% off when you sign up and 25% off one item for your birthday. The code they’ll send you is valid for two weeks after your birthday in case you have some gift cash to spend. www2.hm.com
ASOS
There’s a 10% birthday discount at Asos, asos.com, but just make sure you opt in for email communications otherwise you might miss out of getting the code you’ll need. It’s sent two weeks before your birthday and expires at 11.59pm on the day of it. You can only use it on selected full-price items but it’s worth taking a peek at what they’re offering.
NIKE
Get the newsletter from Nike Store or the Nike app and you can get 25% off online, via a code, which is valid for your birthday month. But do beware of this one. The company claim selected people will receive the offer which means it’s a little bit more of a lottery but probably worth signing up anyway. There are conditions if you do get it – the maximum spend is £450 and you can’t use it on gift cards or sale items.
The Body Shop
A bit of pampering is essential any day of the week but The Body Shop will give you a £5 voucher
when you get their Love Your Body loyalty card. It’s valid for one month from your birthday and you have to have made at least one purchase using the card within the past 12 months. And remember, delivery charges are £3 if you order online.
Disney
If you’ve got kids, or friends who are young at heart, then the Shop Disney newsletter gives you 15% off for the month of your birthday. You can enter the code online at the checkout or show it to a staff member in the Disney Store. You have to be over 18 to do this so maybe buy something for your children and save it for their birthday? You will need to sign up at least two months in advance and there will be some excluded products. shopdisney.co.uk
Hotel Chocolat
Or maybe you just want to have a quiet night in with some delicious chocolates to mark your day? Then the Hotel Chocolat app will give you a surprise gift, usually £5 off a £5+ spend. Just register for its VIP club, hotelchocolat.com
However you plan to spend your birthday this year, why not give yourself an extra little gift. You know you’re worth it.
Mouth-watering options for all.
I didn’t know some of these could be claimed up to several days or even up to a month after the actual birthday with Greggs! I’m prepared for the next one now…..thank you.