Birthday freebies: how to cash in on UK retailers’ gifts and discounts

Celebrating your birthday isn’t just about getting presents and cards from family and friends. Signing up to loyalty schemes and newsletters can give you access to a host of freebies, deals and discounts from retailers to mark the big day.With my birthday on the horizon I decided to look at what was on offer, and see which gifts came with some small print.In one day in central London I collected£10.15of sweet treats from four retailers, although the sad thing was that no one had actually wished me a happy birthday.A further£44of free goodies were available from skincare and chocolate brands, although they would have involved a minimum spend.Then there were money-off vouchers for items such as trainers.Of course, unlike friends and families, companies are after something when they give us these gifts. Here’s my guide to the deals worth signing up to before you get older.Cakes and bakesView image in fullscreenBirthday treats, all free or nearly free from the shop (if you go via their app).Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The GuardianMany restaurants, coffee shops, cafes and retailers offer a free sweet treat on your birthday if you’ve signed up to their loyalty programme and entered your date of birth.There are often conditions, such as the need to have signed up a certain number of days in advance. Some require you to spend a minimum amount, but here are some of the goodies you can grab without touching your purse or wallet.GreggsOnce you have downloaded and signed up to theGreggsapp and added your date of birth, you will be offered a free treat on your birthday every year. This can be anything from the confectionery range, such as a cookie or doughnut.I chose a sugar-strand ring doughnut that would normally cost£1.40. Your birthday treat voucher will normally expire within a month. The voucher will appear in the wallet section of the app around the time of your birthday.View image in fullscreenGail’s gives you a free sweet treat during your birthday month.Photograph: Jill Mead/The GuardianGail’sBakeryWith the Gail’s loyalty programme, you need to download the app and sign up to get a free sweet treat during your birthday month. This includes any of the cakes, muffins or cookies.I picked a chocolate muffin normally costing£3.30.Ole& SteenThis Danish bakery chain offers a free muffin, brownie, cookie, banana bread or plant-based social slicewith its app. When you sign up, you will be asked to add your birthday details.View image in fullscreenA free cookie from Ole & Steen.Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The GuardianI went for the chocolate chip and hazelnut cookie, which would have normally cost£1.75. You need to be quick – the voucher expires seven days from your birthday.Krispy KremeOnce you’ve signed up to the Krispy Kreme rewards scheme, either online or via the app, you should get a voucher for a doughnut of your choice if you add your date of birth. It is only redeemable at Krispy Kreme stores. I picked the strawberry sundae doughnut, which was normally£3.65.Beauty productsSpace NKAt this luxury makeup and skincare retailer, you get a free birthday gift bag when you join the Ndulge loyalty programme online and add your date of birth – but only if have made a purchase within your birthday year.Different tiers of gifts are available based on your membership level , which is determined by the amount you have spent, and the standard tier still gets you a free gift.If you order it online, there is a unique promo code you can enter on checkout, but this requires a purchase. In-store, you can collect it without buying anything on the day, but you have to have bought something within the last 12 months – you just need to show your Ndulge membership (I logged in on Safari) and birthday gift barcode, which was emailed to me. I had to visit two shops as the first had run out of gifts (which I was told was quite common).The bag I received had a Juliette Has a Gun perfume sample (1.7ml), which typically costs £25 for an 8ml bottle, a 25ml Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, usually £21 for 75ml, and a 5ml Laura Mercier pure canvas primer, at £21.50 for 15ml. Very roughly, that comes to about£18worth of goodies. Each month the products change.You have between the first of your birthday month to the 14th of the following month to redeem the voucher.View image in fullscreenSigning up to loyalty schemes via an app leads to birthday freebies.Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The GuardianRitualsThis beauty and wellbeing brand offers a free birthday gift when you download the app and become a My Rituals member.To redeem it, you must be subscribed to the newsletter before your birthday and make a purchase.I was offered the Ritual of Mehr handwash, which usually costs £13.90.The cheapest things to buy were either a 50ml bottle of cleansing hand gel or some cleansing wipes, both costing £4.90.SephoraYou don’t get a gift when you sign up to the MySephora programme in the UK, but are offered 25 points on your birthday with the bronze membership – the lowest tier. You get the choice of a £5 reward or beauty gift every 100 points. The higher tiers, which you reach through earning enough points, offer a free beauty product.ChocolatesView image in fullscreenHotel Chocolat will let you gorge on an Everything Mini Selection (cost £5.95) for only 95p, effectively.Photograph: Hannah McKay/ReutersHotel ChocolatHere, you needed to spend at least £5.50 to redeem your “birthday reward”, which is £5 off. You need to download an app and join its VIP.Me membership programme with your date of birth. The £5 voucher can be used in-store or online, but sale items are excluded.The “Everything Mini Selection” – four of the chocolatier’s most popular chocolates – costs £5.95. If you buy this and use your voucher, you get the chocolates for 95p. If you order online, UK standard delivery starts at £3.95.LindtWhen you sign up to the chocolatier’sMyLindt Rewards membership programme, you get a 200g box of Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffles on the day you have registered as your birthday. On Lindt’s website, the box cost £7.50 when we looked.To redeem the treat, you need to visit Lindt’s own shops or website and spend a minimum of £10 in-store or £20 online.RestaurantsView image in fullscreenBurger King gives a free Whopper or Plant Based Whopper if you’re signed up to its rewards scheme online.Photograph: Matthew Ashmore/ShutterstockBurger KingYou can get a free Whopper or Plant Based Whopper burger if you’re signed up to the Burger King Rewards scheme online or on the app.According to the Ts and Cs, your date of birth must be provided at least seven days before your birthday to receive the gift. At the Burger King near Holborn, central London, a Whopper costs £6.59.ZizziYou can get a free main course on your birthday as long as you buy another main at this pizza chain. The cheapest is free. You must be signed up to the Zillionaires’ Club online.The voucher will appear in your “Perkz Wallet” and is valid for 28 days.FashionView image in fullscreenH&M gives you 25% off one item on your birthday. This discount is valid for two weeks.Photograph: Leonhard Föger/ReutersFashion retailers are typically offering discounts rather than freebies – but some are quite generous.H&MIf you sign up to become an H&M member and put in your date of birth, you can get 25% off one item on your birthday. This is valid for two weeks, and you must have one store or online purchase registered to your account.NikeAs a Nike member, you will get 25% off eligible products at the checkout on your birthday. You must have joined as a member at least 10 days before your birthday.AdidasWith Adidas’s loyalty programme adiClub, you get points added to your profile on your birthday, based on your membership level. You can use your points to get money off purchases. The amount varies based on your membership level.CamperIf you join the shoe retailer’s Walking Society, you get 25% off full-priced items on your birthday. You also get 10% off for joining.What about your data?View image in fullscreenProf Alan Woodward, computer security expert at the Surrey Centre for Cyber Security at the University of Surrey, says: ‘It is that old adage from the internet: if you’re not the paying customer, you’re the product.’Photograph: David Tramontan/SOPA Images/REX/ShutterstockWhen you sign up to these loyalty programmes via an app or online, you normally hand over personal data such as your name, email address, date of birth and phone number.Dr Maryam Mehrnezhad, a reader in the information security department at Royal Holloway, University of London, says companies can collect a host of other information about you on top of that.Data such as the time zone, the language and keyboards that someone uses to access the app, the unique ID of the phone and the location can all be collected to build a profile of the user. This information can be used for marketing purposes and is often sold on to third parties for a profit.“Usually, somewhere along the way, the user has ticked a box that enables companies to collect, store and sell on this data,” Mehrnezhad says.While this “third-party tracking” is common with big retailers, it could breach laws to protect individuals’ rights to privacy or data protection, Mehrnezhad adds.“A lot of online services don’t offer a pathway to withdraw consent from previously accepted privacy settings,” she says.Even if you opt out, it can be difficult to enforce the right to remove your personal data. Make sure you check the retailer’s policy on this before you sign up.How to protect yourselfView image in fullscreenA laptop screen showing a computer virus warning.Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAProf Alan Woodward, computer security expert at the Surrey Centre for Cyber Security at the University of Surrey, says you should remember that “the bottom line is, there’s no such thing as a free lunch”.“It is that old adage from the internet: if you’re not the paying customer, you’re the product,” he says.With this in mind, you can take simple steps, such as creating a dummy email and having two birthdays: your real one and the one you use for sign-ups.However, you need to keep in mind that using fake information may violate the terms and conditions.Mehrnezhad says she takes a paranoid view of online services in general, and recommends we all do.Here are her tips to protect yourself when signing up for offers:Use strong passwords and up your account security. “Look out for two-factor authentication, and regularly check account information is accurate.”Read the terms and conditions. “We should really read them to know what we’re agreeing to.”Control app permissions. “You can turn off certain features such as locations..”Uninstall apps you no longer need. These may still be collecting data about you, so if you no longer need an app, remove your account and delete it.