NOTE: Please note that the links included in this blog post are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I use the products featured in my blog post and recommend them because I have found them helpful.
Happy birthday (or natal day or born day)! Your special day deserves recognition in the form of discounts, rewards, and food. Here's your permission to celebrate you in all the ways you want. And here are some ideas to help you do just that. Because it's a treat.
Retailers and restaurants who participate in birthday rewards programs and clubs should be held in high regard -- because who came up with the idea to make patrons feel special by recognizing them just for simply existing?!
Prepare for a hefty list of notable birthday rewards and freebies...
Get that special experience!
Sign up for an account, and be sure to enter your birthday when you complete your profile. You'll likely get an email or text (if you specify) around your birthday for a discount on gameplay. Use my referral link to receive $10 OFF on your future visit when you sign up for text alerts. Take yourself out for a little amateur golfing.
Where are the thrill seekers? If you're into kart racing or axe throwing, Autobahn offers either/or for FREE on your birthday! Sign up here to score your freebie to enjoy it shortly before, on, or shortly after your birthday. It's so worth it.
Get that free (or discounted) food!
When your birthday rolls around, Chipotle offers FREE chips and a side. If you're a fan of the guac, this one is worth signing up for. Join the rewards club here.
This is the one. On "Moe Mondays" we all get a discounted burrito with a side of chips and salsa. On YOUR birthday, you get a FREE burrito. Download the app and complete your profile or sign up here to join Moe's Rewards program for FREE. Use my referral code (JAZMINH4607) and earn five points when you scan your first purchase using the app. Points add up to even more freebies!
This is comfort in the form of a diner that spans generations. A lot of us know where the nearest Waffle House is and have probably visited for breakfast, lunch, or a late-night meal. Well, there's a Regulars Club that rewards you with a FREE order of hashbrowns just for signing up. When it's your birthday, you'll receive a FREE waffle...and who wouldn't want to start the day or end it with a delicious Waffle House waffle?
Alright, if you like FREE and wings, then this reward is for you. Sign up to join Buffalo Wild Wings' Blazin' Rewards, and you'll get six (6) FREE wings during your birthday month. How considerate?! Because you'll have time to grab your reward and enjoy it, even if it's after your birthday. Nobody wants to eat by a one-day deadline.
Nothing Bundt Cake
Let us eat cake! Enjoy your own little bundtlet from Nothing Bundt Cake on your birthday. How perfect! You'll have a few weeks to snag this one. Sign up to join the eClub and look for an email around your birthday for a FREE treat.
Such a delicious and nutritious reward First Watch offers for health-conscious brunch lovers. Here's the thing about First Watch's dishes -- they come in hefty proportions to satisfy grown-ass adults. Oh yes. View the menu here with seasonal items.
Head over to sign up (enter your email at the bottom right corner of the page) for the club to receive your own "Happy Brunchday" reward. You'll receive a FREE entree with the purchase of one. I gotta say...I felt so regal walking out of the restaurant with a fulfilling, FREE meal for the next day.
I must say that Zaxby's cookies are rather tasty to be from a fast-food restaurant. The cookies have just the right amount of sweetness, and they're soft. We like soft cookies over here. Sign up to start receiving points and get that FREE birthday cookie.
There's a slab of ribs with your name on it for your birthday. When you place an order for $50 or more for your birthday, Dreamland offers $10 OFF. Sign up here.
I'm pleasantly surprised and appreciative that a chopped salad restaurant exists. Choose from their light or classic salad choices or their warm bowls filled with grains and/or cauliflower rice and topped with veggies. I highly recommend their to-go dressings like the Chimichurri Ranch one. Sign up here to start earning points towards rewards.
Have you heard of their famous peanut butter burger? Well, there's a whole menu of weird and odd burger pairings that somehow work out and taste good. The peanut butter hamburger actually WASN'T the worst thing I've ever had in my life. It was tasty. Different. But tasty. Join the Mugshots e-club here and be sure to clear your schedule and reserve time to enjoy a FREE burger on your actual birthday because they want you to dine with them. Or else... JK.
"Can we help you celebrate your birthday with a reward?" They ask. Yes, you most certainly can. I'll have the cranberry orange muffin. When you join MyPanera and enter your birthday, get ready to choose from their selection of bagels, scones, rolls, cookies, brownies, and available pastries on your day for FREE.
I enjoy a Frappuccino® as much as the next person, so this would be a much-wanted treat. The only thing is this reward becomes available in the app and is only valid on your actual birthday. After your birthday, it's no longer available for baristas to scan the code and apply it to your order.
That part sucks (read: Starbucks, reconsider the b-day reward availability period, please), but it's worth joining if you're a frequent Starbucks patron and coffee lover. Join the club now online or download the app to receive offers and collect stars to use towards menu items.
Receive $10 off your meal of $25 or more at Village Tavern for your birthday. The scratch kitchen and craft bar has American cuisine, which means there is a variety of options to choose from -- whether you have a taste for a New England dish, Southern shrimp and grits, street tacos, pizza, or even a burger. They've got a pretty good selection. Become a citizen of the "Village" by signing up here.
"Grab your straw and get ready to sip" by joining the Healthy Rewards with Smoothie King. These rewards are sweet and loaded. When you sign up, automatic rewards include:
A $5 20-oz.-coffee smoothie
An immediate $2 reward for joining
A FREE 20-32-oz. upgrade on any smoothie on Fridays
Reaching levels to receive 25% more points for every $1 you spend
A FREE bonus birthday smoothie
I learned the hard way that there are membership tiers that dictate the type of birthday reward you get. My meager silver-tier birthday treat of choosing from Chick-Fil-A's less-than-stellar desserts paled in comparison to my mom's red-member-tier birthday treat of a delicious chicken sandwich or nuggets. This just inspires me to spend more money to earn a FREE sandwich on my birthday. I'm not gonna lie. The desserts ain't it (they're trash, in my opinion). But the rest of the food hits. Chick-Fil-A periodically gives rewards (FREE food items) just for being a member, so it's worth it to download the app -- especially if you're a frequent guest. Download the app here for iOS or Android.
How'd you like a FREE hamburger just for being born? Red Robin has a vast variety of burgers, and when you join Red Robin Royalty, you'll be entitled to one. Nice, right? Pair this with their existing perk of FREE, unlimited refills on bottomless sides when you dine in. Score!
The FREE medium sub you get for your birthday is sizeable and filling. It's more packed than a Subway Sub, to be honest. And it tastes delicious. These are one of the better sub sandwiches out there for a chain restaurant, and it's worth signing up for one of their FREE sandwiches. Sign up here.
Here's another FREE sub for you to enjoy for your birthday. When you sign up for a "MyMike's" email account, you'll earn "shore" points toward another FREE sub of your choice. You'll also have dibs on special promotions going on in your area.
Move aside cheddar bay biscuits, because the quadruple-layer chocolate cake is to die for. Seriously, that's all I want. The FREE chocolate cake is everything you could want as a chocolate lover with a sweet tooth and it's all you need. Sign up to join "My Red Lobster Rewards" here and anticipate to have your cake and eat it too.
Get that discounted merchandise!
Makeup lovers and skincare enthusiasts can get a high-quality beauty sample on their birthdays. 🥳 If make-up and skincare are a big part of your daily routine, I highly recommend signing up to join the "Ultamate Rewards" program. Take a trip to Ulta, make your purchases, and be sure to scan your member ID when you check out or give the associate the phone number attached to your Ulta profile. When you earn points, they add up to more rewards. Keep track of your points in the mobile app and take advantage of the rewards and offers throughout the year.
"Ultamate Rewards:"
Get the latest sales, deals and offers
Earn double the points or more during your birthday month
Earn double the points or more during special times of the year (i.e. the holidays; end of the year)
Custom recommendations based on your beauty preferences
Beauty tips
Rejoice for another beauty and cosmetic birthday freebie! Sephora has a loyalty program called the Beauty Insider Rewards Bazaar that offers savings, samples, and experiences that vary based on tiers: Insider (free the join), VIB (when you spend $350/year), and Rouge (when you spend $1K/year). Members earn one point per each dollar spent. And y'all know that makeup/cosmetics/beauty items cost a pretty penny, so you're going to rack up points in no time. Let's get to the birthday freebie, though. When you sign up and join the introductory Insider level, you'll receive a few choices of mini samples to pick from and add to your stash at home.
DSW's loyalty program includes FREE shipping, points for every purchase, a reward for shoe donations, 20% OFF your first purchase after joining the program, and...you guessed it -- a birthday discount of $5 OFF your order. I'd take the 20% OFF a purchase over the $5 OFF, but a discount is a discount nonetheless. You'll also receive 5% back in rewards when you sign up and join the DSW VIP rewards program.
I just learned this THIS year. Joining Target Circle has perks. I signed up long ago, but I clearly never paid much attention because I casually strut into Target expecting to window shop and end up frolicking up and down the aisles filling my cart with $100 worth of items easily. It's light work. And then I'm always surprised at my receipt at self-checkout. It gives me solace to know I'm not alone in my predictable Target adventures. I said all of that to say join the Target Circle and reap the benefits to get a little cash back for all the cash you spend on a store run. I got a pleasant, unexpected email to save a dime at Target.
The benefits include:
Access to top deals (think 30% OFF select items)
Chances to receive a FREE gift card (once you spend money 😂)
Make a list to plan your visit (Psh! Are we going to stick to that list, though?)
Save your offers to use later
Birthday reward of 5% OFF your purchase
I LOVE clothes. So I appreciate a good discount from a clothing store -- especially a pricier store. Torrid offers a $10 OFF birthday discount, and you better believe I take advantage of it by making my annual purchase from them. There are some nice perks to joining Torrid's loyalty program, though, like earning points that add up to rewards and then acquiring Torrid cash. You'll also earn FREE shipping and FREE returns the more money you spend, quite naturally. Sign up here.
Lane Rewards gives you a whole month to use your birthday discount, and I appreciate having time to plan my store trip, especially when it falls in the month of one big holiday, while you basically prepare for another major holiday the following month *cough* *cough*.
Lemme break down Lane Bryant's loyalty reward system: You'll earn 10 points for every $1 spent. It's super easy to spend a lot in Lane Bryant because it's one of the pricier stores -- for a reason. You'll get a $10 reward for every 3,000 points earned. You'll get FREE shipping on online purchases of at least $75. It's a worthy loyalty program to be a part of. Sign up to join here. And last but not least...you'll wake up to a nice birthday discount in your email inbox. This reward doesn't involve spending a wad of money just to get the discount. Yeah, I said that.
I wanted to highlight another clothing store that offers a good birthday discount and allows a whole month before it expires. I just learned this, but it appears Express has been named "one of America’s best loyalty programs by Newsweek (for 2021 and 2022)." At the Insider base level of the program, each dollar spent equates to 10 points, and for every $5 spent, you'll earn 1,250 points. Sign up to join the Express Insider Loyalty Program and spend money to get money. Express's clothes are cute, and it's worth signing up for rewards because this is a pricier store as well.
Express Insider rewards program benefits:
Earn Express cash with points
Upgraded status levels with more perks
Early access to sales and offers
Free birthday cash
Though this list is pretty long, there are loads of rewards and birthday freebies out there to grab. Some of these depend on your region and area, but it's cool to know about them in case you're ever in the neighborhood. Thank goodness for the internet and shipping and handling...if applicable.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Birthday freebies
Time with friends and family
Self-care and self-love activities
Note: This post features an item through affiliate marketing linking. The links included in this blog post are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I use the products featured in my blog post and recommend them because I have found them helpful.
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