Birthday freebies
Birthdays are a marvellous thing. You have made it to another birthday! And let’s face it, after the scary times we have all lived through, a birthday celebration is more important now than ever!. Just think about all the birthday freebies you can get to celebrate!
My birthday is in January, January the 9th to be precise, and all I can say is MEH! Thanks, mum, for that – no one wants to go out. Everyone is partied out after the new year celebrations! So I decided to sign up for every birth freebie I could lay my hands on. Guess who wants to know me now? Everyone!
No matter what date your birthday falls on, there’s a birthday offer or discount for you to enjoy. Here’s my round-up and top suggestions of all the best birthday freebies and discount deals in the UK:
Food and drink birthday freebies:
Treating yourself to a meal out on your birthday is a great way to celebrate. And there are plenty of restaurants that will give you a freebie just for turning up! Here are a few of my favourites:
– Nando’s – Sign up for the Nando’s Peri-Perks loyalty scheme! You’ll get a free ½ chicken or burgers on your birthday.
– Caffè Nero – Join the Caffè Nero Rewards scheme, and you’ll get a free drink on your birthday. You can choose from hot, iced or frappe coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
– Pret A Manger – Sign up for the Pret A Manger newsletter! You’ll get a voucher for a free hot drink and cake on your birthday.
Hello, complimentary champagne! Miller & Carter offers a ‘free’ champagne deal when you dine out with three mates. I signed up for their newsletter and got a complimentary glass of wine just for signing up. At this point, I want to say it’s about the free stuff, not the booze ;).
Although the All-Bar-One sharing cocktail or four bottles of soft drinks as a birthday treat is my favourite. January, even dry January, doesn’t have to be a washout.
Beauty birthday freebies and discounts:
Many great beauty brands will give you a little something on your birthday, including L’Occitane, Clarins, Origins and Benefits.
Back in the day, I worked for The Body Shop (Covent Garden). It was my first Saturday job, and I loved it! So when I signed up for the £5.00 birthday gift voucher, the great memories started to flood back. But, I am sad they no longer make the delicious orange cream bath oil. No amount of emailing on my part has prompted The Body Shop to remake this product, but there’s time and many more emails in my arsenal.
Here are some other suggestions for free stuff.
– Boots – Sign up for the Boots Advantage Card scheme, and you’ll get 10 points for every £1 you spend in-store, plus a free birthday gift. You can also take advantage of the many other great offers throughout the year.
– Superdrug – If you’re a member of the Superdrug Health & Beautycard loyalty scheme, you’ll get 500 points (worth £5) to spend on or after your birthday.
– ASOS – Sign up for an ASOS account, and you’ll get a 10% discount code on your birthday. You can spend this discount code on fashion or beauty.
– Space NK – If you sign up for a free Space NK loyalty card, you’ll get a free birthday gift and points. The points are worth one point per £1 spent (it’s easy to spend a lot of cash in Space NK), and if you reach 100 points, you’ll get a £5 discount loaded onto your card. The perks and lovely black and white product bags are great for loyal customers.
Don’t be scared to tell people, especially those talented folk working on the make-up counter in your nearest department store (Harvey Nicols for me), that it’s your birthday. You can get a complete makeover for the price of a new lipstick. You may need to book in advance, but if it’s quiet, you can usually rock up, and they will make you birthday ready in no time.
Free gifts and experiences:
If you fancy doing something a bit different on your birthday, plenty of companies offer freebies and discounts on experiences. Here are a few ideas:
– National Trust – If you’re a member of the National Trust, you’ll get free entry to over 500 historic houses and gardens on your birthday, and if you tell them in advance about your visit, you could score a free slice of cake.
– Virgin Experience Days – Sign up for the Virgin Experience Days newsletter, and you’ll get a £10 voucher on your next booking. This voucher can be used on any experience, including afternoon tea, driving experiences and spa days.
– Buyagift – Sign up for the Buyagift newsletter, and you’ll get a £5 discount code for your next purchase. This discount code works on any gift experience, from skydiving to a champagne afternoon tea dance.
Birthday discounts on clothes and fashion:
If you’re looking for a new outfit to celebrate your birthday in style, plenty of retailers offer discounts and freebies. Here are a few of our favourites:
– H&M – Sign up as an H&M member, and you’ll get 10% off your next purchase. Use this discount on any item. Here’s the exciting news – H&M will send you a 25% off unique birthday code to spend online or in the store, and yes, it works for the sale too.
– Miss Selfridge – Sign up for the Miss Selfridge newsletter, and you’ll get 15% off your next purchase. Using this discount on sale items is a real bonus.
– Nike Store – Download the app you’ll get a 25% discount code to use during your birthday month. There’s no minimum spend, but a maximum spend of £450 ( I should be so lucky). So, as they say at Nike, ‘Just do it.’
If you’re lucky enough to splash the cash and buy something designer, then it’s always worth going shopping on your birthday as many brands offer significant discounts. Here are a few of my favourites:
– Selfridges – Sign up for the Selfridges newsletter, and you’ll get 10% off your next purchase, plus free delivery. The designer floors at Selfridges are a great people-watching space, and the discount comes in handy if there might be something affordable that catches your eye.
– Harvey Nichols – Sign up for the Harvey Nichols newsletter, and you’ll get 10% off your next purchase, plus free delivery. I went to HN on my birthday and made an appointment with a personal shopper (no, I’m not rich). Stay with me on this one…
Top tips for free things
As you know, my birthday is in January (although this tip works at other times of the year too), so on my birthday this year, I booked a personal shopping experience at my favourite store. I emailed in advance and told them it was my birthday and that I was very excited to visit them.
January, as you know, is a terrible month except that it’s the month that retailers slash their prices in the sales, so from a shopping point of view it’s a great month.
The January and summer sales are significant in the retail calendar, so armed with this information; I went to my personal shopping appointment.
After regularly mentioning it was my birthday, I think January the 9th might induce PTSD in the personal shopping department. Harvey Nichols treated me to two glasses of champagne and a biscuit. At this point, I should say I had already been out for my free birthday coffee at Pret and free birthday doughnut at Greggs (don’t judge me), so freeness was becoming a habit that I could get used to (how many birthdays can I have in a year?)
Here’s the money shot: I asked the stylist to bring me sale items only, and the discount had to be 70% or more of those items. To ensure I didn’t buy a lime green and purple jumpsuit (tempting but not practical), I asked that the styles and colours be classic so that the item I purchased would be timeless and my cost per wear would be meagre.
The result was a fabulous LBD (little black dress) reduced from a frankly ridiculous £375.00 down to £70.00, and I used my loyalty points for a further 10% off – result!
When two glasses of champagne cost £32.00 in the terrace restaurant, my dress looked like a beautiful bargain.
Dress in hand, make-up looking stunning (thank you, MAC), it was time to head off to Prezzo for their birthday dinner deal and birthday cocktails at all-bar-one. Who said being bougie broke was a bad thing?
FREE STUFF
So as you can see, taking advantage of your birthday freebie can be more than just a coffee and a doughnut, although those are fabulous too.
I hope you have as much fun with your birthday freebies as I do!