I spent my birthday week walking around NYC looking for freebies. Here's how I saved $140.
Advertisement
Jordan Parker ErbAug 13, 2022, 17:48 IST
Some brands that offer birthday freebies include Chipotle, Dunkin', and Sephora.Jordan Erb/Insider
I spent the week of my birthday scouring New York City for birthday freebies and discounts.
In total, I visited 10 businesses around the city and saved nearly $140.
Advertisement
I love free things (who doesn't?)! And since many brands offer birthday freebies, I recently decided to see how much free stuff I could get ahead of my 25th birthday.
The author is shown on her birthday.Jordan Erb/Insider
Over approximately one week, I stopped by 10 stores around New York City and received many gifts, from a dozen donuts to a handful of beauty samples. In total, I scored $138.57 worth of stuff.
Advertisement
But this was no easy feat. I started planning at least a week ahead, plotting out the places I knew had discounts or freebies and entering them all into a spreadsheet.
An example of the spreadsheet I used to find birthday freebies in NYC.Jordan Erb/Insider
The spreadsheet started with dozens of stores that offer birthday discounts. I whittled down the list by determining which brands don't have locations in New York City and which ones had the best deals.
I had to figure out which ones required you to sign up for their rewards program before you receive a birthday gift — it's most of them.
To make sure I qualified for each one, I started signing up at least a week ahead of my birthday.
Three days before my actual birthday, I headed out to start collecting freebies. My first stop: Krispy Kreme.
A Krispy Kreme storefront.Newscast/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Advertisement
The experiment started off strong. About a week before my visit, I had signed up for a Krispy Kreme rewards account, which is required if you want a birthday treat.
Krispy Kreme emailed me this coupon ahead of my birthday.Jordan Erb/Insider
When I got to the store, I told the employee it was the week of my birthday and showed her an email I'd received that promised a free box of a dozen donuts anytime during my birthday month.
She asked for my phone number, confirmed my name, and passed over a toasty-warm box of glazed donuts worth $15.29 free of charge. My sense of victory made them taste that much sweeter.
The author smiles with a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.Jordan Erb/Insider.
I'm a benevolent being, so I brought the donuts to my office in New York to share with my coworkers.
As if hitting up one doughnut shop wasn't enough, I dragged my coworker across the street from our office to Dunkin' later that day.
A map shows Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts are about 2 minutes away from each other.Jordan Erb/Insider
Advertisement
Even though I had signed up for their "DD Perks" about a week in advance, I still hadn't received a coupon for their promised birthday beverage, but I gave it a shot anyway.
A Dunkin' Donuts storefront near Insider's New York City headquarters.Jordan Erb/Insider
The employees initially told me they couldn't offer me a free drink. But after some explaining (and perhaps to get me to stop talking), they asked for my order and handed me a medium iced coffee, valued at about $3.19.
The author smiles with an iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.Jordan Erb/Insider
Advertisement
After finishing up my iced coffee at a nearby park, my coworker and I took a short walk over to Sephora.
The author holds an Amika mini set outside of a Sephora.Jordan Erb/Insider
I'm a Sephora rewards member already, so they started emailing me early in July about cashing in on birthday rewards, and I couldn't wait to snag mine.
Amika's mini set, pictured here, comes with two hair masks and a dry shampoo.Jordan Erb/Insider
This year, Sephora's rewards members — or "beauty insiders," as they call them — can choose between a Laura Mercier, Amika, or Tatcha mini set, or 250 bonus points.
Advertisement
I opted for an Amika mini set of dry shampoo, a "nourishing" hair mask, and an "instant shine" hair mask, which, according to one Reddit sleuth, is worth about $10.82.
The Amika birthday set came with two hair masks and a bottle of dry shampoo.Jordan Erb/Insider
Sadly, when I asked an employee for my free birthday gift, she said they'd already sold out of them for the month.
A digital coupon shows Ulta's July birthday gift, which was a mini mascara.Jordan Erb/Insider
I left the store empty-handed and pretty bummed, making Ulta the first flop of my experiment. Since you can grab your birthday gift as soon as they send you the coupon, I plan to score mine earlier in the month next year.
The author poses with a "thumbs down" outside of the Ulta in Midtown Manhattan.Jordan Erb/Insider
The employee suggested ordering the gift online, but I'd have to pay $7 worth of shipping and handling. I decided it wouldn't be worth it for a travel-sized mascara.
Advertisement
I ended the day with a visit to Times Square, home to one of the only Olive Gardens in New York City. I didn't love getting jostled about in the busy tourist destination, but I thought it was a fair price to pay for a freebie.
The author at Olive Garden in Times Square.Jordan Erb/Insider
Olive Garden doesn't require you to sign up for any rewards memberships to get a complimentary dessert on your birthday, so I dragged my roommate to Times Square to get some fine Italian dining.
I told the waiter it was my birthday, and he returned with a fleet of employees who clapped, sang, and delivered a slice of cake worth $12.29. I was mostly delighted and only a little bit embarrassed.
The black tie mousse cake at Olive Garden.Jordan Erb/Insider
Olive Garden's black tie mousse cake is valued at $12.29.
Advertisement
While not technically a freebie, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a seriously discounted tattoo. So the next day, I headed to Uplift, a tattoo studio in Soho that offers a 25% birthday discount.
The author at Uplift, a tattoo studio in Soho, which offers a 25% birthday discount on tattoos.Jordan Erb/Insider
Nothing's ever really free, is it? That was the case with this one: The tattoo wasn't free, but it was 25% off, which is a pretty good deal for body art in New York City.
The tattoo ended up being $75 off.
Mom, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. I know. My body is a temple.
When I got home that night, I was pleasantly surprised to see I had an email from Delta Air Lines. I wasn't planning on flying any time soon, but I was happy to add 500 free miles to my rewards account.
A digital coupon from Delta.Jordan Erb/Insider
As a Delta SkyMiles member, the airline offered me a choice between three birthday gifts: 500 free miles (which is only worth about $5), a voucher for two free drinks, or $500 off a flight and hotel purchase of more than $6,000.
Because I'm not planning on spending $6,000 on flights anytime soon, I opted for the 500 miles, which were added to my account.
Advertisement
A few days later, on my actual birthday, Chipotle sent over a birthday coupon for a free bag of chips and a side, about a $6.15 value.
A digital coupon advertises Chipotle's birthday gift, which is a free bag of chips and a dip — either queso or guacamole.Jordan Erb/Insider
To get your free birthday guac or queso, you have to sign up for Chipotle rewards at least a week before your birthday.
Because it was raining in New York and I hadn't bought groceries for the week, I opted to treat myself to delivery. As a huge fan of Chipotle's chips, I loved that this freebie came to me.
The author holds up a bag of chips she got delivered from Chipotle.Jordan Erb/Insider
I highly recommend using your promo code on a delivery order.
Advertisement
Four days after my birthday, I went to frozen-yogurt shop Pinkberry to score their birthday treat: a free small swirl with toppings.
The author at Pinkberry, where she got a free frozen yogurt.Jordan Erb/Insider
Pinkberry rewards members can get the birthday swirl if they sign up for an account. I signed up a week before my birthday to make sure I'd be eligible.
I loaded up a small cup with $7.64-worth of mango frozen yogurt, fruit, and mochi. Considering the serious heat this summer, I was glad of the cold, sweet afternoon treat.
A small mango frozen yogurt with kiwi, mango, and mochi toppings.Jordan Erb/Insider
Advertisement
Finally, I wrapped up my birthday freebie experiment with a visit to Panera in New York City's Koreatown.
Panera's birthday coupon.Jordan Erb/Insider
Panera offers rewards members a free pastry or dessert on their birthday and doesn't require you to make a purchase to qualify.
I picked out a flip-flop-shaped sugar cookie worth $3.19 for my birthday treat.
The flip-flop-shaped cookie the author got from Panera.Jordan Erb/Insider
Advertisement
Not every store was a success. Some of the birthday "freebies" required a purchase I just wasn't willing to make, while others had rules that I wasn't aware of.
A tin of cookies from Milk Bar.Milk Bar
Milk Bar, a popular bakery with locations in New York City, offered me a free tin of cookies for my birthday treat. But there was a catch — to get the cookies, you had to buy one of their cakes, which start at $62.
Even though I'm a sucker for cake, and I'm sure it's as delicious as the rest of Milk Bar's sweets, I couldn't justify spending $62 on a cake to get a few extra cookies.
BareMinerals offers rewards members a birthday gift, but you have to buy something first. Because I didn't need any more beauty products than I already have, I opted not to go for this one.
bareMinerals' rewards program.Jordan Erb/Insider
The birthday gift from BareMinerals is only available to rewards members, who also must buy something online to qualify.
Advertisement
Starbucks offers rewards members a free birthday drink, but only if they've made a "star-eligible purchase" before the day of their birthday. I didn't realize this in time and missed out on my birthday freebie.
A cold Starbucks drink with whipped cream.Bankoo/Shutterstock
About two weeks before my birthday, I signed up for Starbucks' rewards program and downloaded their app, excited to receive a much-needed pick-me-up.
But I failed to read the fine print in time, which explained the whole "star-eligible purchase" thing, so I missed out on a free Starbucks drink.
Overall, this was a fun experience, and I'll do it again, though not to the same extent. Now that I've done much of the legwork, I plan to redeem a few birthday freebies at my leisure next year.
The author with a box of donuts and a piece of cake.Jordan Erb/Insider
Overall, I thought Krispy Kreme and Olive Garden offered some of the best birthday deals.
Because of the number of donuts you get at Krispy Kreme, I'd definitely go back next year to get a box to share with friends.
The cake from Olive Garden was delicious, and it felt like a throwback to my childhood when the staff came out singing, so I think I could be convinced to return for another birthday treat.
Should you be worried about the potential side-effects of the Covishield vaccine?
India T20 World Cup squad: KulCha back on menu, KL Rahul dropped
Sales of homes priced over ₹4 crore rise 10% in Jan-Mar in top 7 cities: CBRE
Next Story
