Birthday freebies are a popular promotional strategy used by brands across various industries to attract and reward loyal customers. These offers typically require signing up for a company's rewards program or email list, often with specific enrollment deadlines and redemption windows. Based on the provided source material, this article details available birthday freebies in 2019, focusing on food, retail, and beauty categories. It outlines the types of freebies, eligibility requirements, and redemption processes as documented in the source data. The information is drawn from multiple deal-focused websites that compiled offers from official brand programs, though the primary source of each offer's details is the brand's own promotional structure as reported by these aggregators.
Food and Restaurant Birthday Freebies
Many food and beverage companies offer complimentary items on a customer's birthday. These promotions often require joining a loyalty program or email club, with specific advance sign-up periods. The source material lists numerous restaurant chains providing free desserts, appetizers, or full meals.
A&W provides a complimentary small root beer float. Applebee's offers a free dessert, and an additional free appetizer for signing up. Auntie Anne's gives a complimentary classic pretzel. Baskin Robbins offers a complimentary scoop of ice cream. Beef O' Brady's provides a beignet with the purchase of any entrée coupon. Ben & Jerry's gives free ice cream to Flavor Fanatics members. Benihana offers a $30 gift certificate. Bennigan's provides a burger, salad, or sandwich. Black Angus gives a complimentary reward. Blimpie offers a birthday reward. Bruegger's Bagels provides a free bagel and cream cheese on the special day, plus another for signing up. Buca di Beppo gives a reward on the special day.
Panera offers a complimentary treat. P.F. Chang’s provides a free appetizer or dessert during the birthday month. Quizno’s gives a coupon for buy one sub get one. Red Lobster offers a complimentary reward on the special day, requiring signing up at least 7 days prior to the birthday. Red Robin provides a freebie and additional rewards. Smashburger offers a complimentary gift, with the reward varying depending on points level. Smokey Bones gives a complimentary reward. Starbucks provides a free treat and other rewards, requiring sign-up 30 days prior to the special day. Steak N Shake gives a reward. Texas Roadhouse offers a free appetizer or sidekick. TGI Friday’s provides a complimentary dessert. Waffle House gives a free waffle.
Additional food-related freebies include Menchies, where Smilage Rewards members receive $5 to spend on their birthday. The $5 credit is placed on the account up to 3 weeks before the birthday and does not expire until 3 weeks after. The Sun eClub provides a free lunch or breakfast entrée item coupon up to 3 weeks before the birthday, sent via email, and must be printed and shown to the waiter. The coupon expires 3 weeks after the birthday. Firehouse Subs offers a free medium sub on the birthday through their app rewards program, redeemable in-store by selecting the reward and showing the cashier.
Some offers have specific requirements. For example, a user noted that the offer for Menchies is only good with a purchase, though this is not explicitly stated in the primary brand description. Red Lobster requires signing up at least 7 days prior to the birthday. Starbucks requires sign-up 30 days prior.
Retail and General Merchandise Birthday Freebies
Retailers also participate in birthday freebie programs, often providing coupons or store credit. These typically require enrollment in a store's rewards program.
DSW's VIP rewards program provides a $5 birthday reward. Ace Hardware's ACE reward program gives a $5 off coupon for any purchase over $5 on the birthday. Aerie offers a $5 off coupon. Adidas provides a "Birthday offer" for members at least level 2 in their rewards club. Barnes and Noble offers a free cupcake, cookie, or Rice Krispies for children who are members of the Kids’ Club at a store on their birthday. Hallmark was listed but the freebie details were cut off in the source material.
Beauty and Personal Care Birthday Freebies
Beauty brands frequently offer deluxe samples or kits as birthday gifts for loyalty program members. These are often tied to specific enrollment dates and can be redeemed in-store or online.
Sephora's Beauty Insiders can choose between a free makeup or skincare kit. The birthday gift changes annually and is added to the account, with an email notification sent about 2 weeks before the birthday. It can be redeemed in-store or online any time during the birth month or 2 weeks prior. Ulta's Ultimate Rewards program offers a free beauty gift during the birth month, provided the member joins at least a month before and adds their birthday to their profile. An email with a gift code is sent during the birth month, which is shown to the cashier for redemption. Bare Minerals' FAB Friends and Benefits program provides a free beauty gift for the birthday. If the reward does not arrive via email, customer service can be contacted to select a full-size item. Aveda's Pure Privilege program gives a free $23 birthday gift, but requires a purchase on Aveda.com or at an Aveda store in the 12 months leading up to the birthday and remaining on the newsletter.
Activity and Entertainment Birthday Freebies
Entertainment venues also offer birthday freebies, primarily through loyalty programs.
AMC Theatres' AMC Stubs members receive complimentary popcorn. AMF Bowling's Pinsiders Club provides free bowling on the birthday. B&B Theatres' Backstage Rewards members get a soda and popcorn combo on their birthday. Cinemark Cinemas offers a free gift plus other offers for signing up. Dave and Busters provides game credit as a Rewards member.
Eligibility, Sign-Up, and Redemption Rules
The source material highlights several key rules for obtaining birthday freebies. Most programs require advance sign-up, often at least 30 days before the birthday, as seen with Starbucks and Ulta. Some, like Red Lobster, require at least 7 days prior. Others, like Sephora, allow sign-up and reward addition close to the birthday, with redemption available during the birth month or shortly before.
Membership in a rewards program or email club is almost universally required. For example, Sephora requires joining Beauty Insiders, Ulta requires the Ultimate Rewards program, and Menchies requires Smilage Rewards. Some programs have tiered rewards, like Adidas, where the birthday offer is only available at certain membership levels.
Redemption methods vary. Some freebies are automatically added to an account or app (e.g., Firehouse Subs, Sephora), requiring the member to present the offer at checkout. Others send a coupon via email that must be printed or shown on a phone (e.g., Sun eClub). In-store redemption is common, though some brands like Sephora allow online redemption.
Purchase requirements are occasionally attached. The source notes that the Aveda gift requires a purchase in the 12 months prior. The Menchies $5 credit is noted by one source as requiring a purchase, though this is not confirmed by the primary brand description. Beef O' Brady's free beignet requires the purchase of an entrée coupon. Generally, many offers are described as "no-purchase-required," such as those from A&W, Panera, and AMC Theatres.
Geographic restrictions are not detailed in the source material for most offers, though the source listing for A&W includes a long list of states where it is available, suggesting availability across most of the U.S. However, the source also notes that "participation by local retailers may vary" and advises checking with local stores.
Conclusion
Birthday freebies in 2019 provide a wide array of complimentary offers from food, retail, beauty, and entertainment brands. To access these, consumers typically need to join a company's loyalty program or email list, often well in advance of their birthday. Redemption usually occurs during the birth month, either in-store or online, with specific rules varying by brand. While most offers are straightforward, some have purchase requirements or geographic limitations. Deal seekers should verify details directly with the brand, as offers can change frequently. The provided source material compiles these offers from various deal websites, which aggregate information from official brand programs, but the most reliable details are found on the brands' own sign-up pages.