How to get freebies from shops like Boots, Greggs, M&S and Tesco
THE best things in life are free – especially if you’re making a big saving in the process.
With a few little tricks, you can get your hands on plenty of branded items including food and beauty products without having to spend a penny.
In some cases, you will need to simply join a newsletter or mailing list.
Here we explain how to get items from your favourite brands for absolutely nothing…
Birthday freebies
Many brands will reward customers with a freebie on your birthday. You can tuck into free food, bag free products and more when it’s your special day.
Savings Expert from VoucherCodes.co.uk, Anita Naik says: “Brands want to reward their loyal customers, so often just by signing up to their newsletter or downloading their app, and adding your birthday to your account, you can bag yourself a free item.”
Anita warns that some retailers require you to have entered your birthday up to two months before the actual day in order to qualify for the free item, so there’s no time to lose if your big day is coming up soon.
She adds: “Check the expiry date. When you receive the offer in your emails or reward section of your app, check the expiry date.
“Many offers only last for a certain amount of time and this can be limited to just your birthday itself.”
Sign up to all your favourite brands newsletters or loyalty schemes to make sure you don’t miss out.
Here are some of the freebies you can get your hands on from shops.
- Costa
Download the Costa app or sign into your account to get a free for your birthday such as a cake, muffin, pastry or tart.
- Greggs
Sign up to the loyalty app and you’ll get a free sweet treat on your birthday such as a doughnut.
- Krispy Kreme
Join Krispy Kreme‘s Rewards programme and you’ll get a free doughnut on your birthday.
You also get a freebie just for joining the scheme.
You can join through the brand’s website.
- Sephora
You will receive a free birthday gift when you sogn up to MySephora. The freebie depends on your rewards tier.
A Bronze Tier member will get 25 points added to their account while a Silver Tier members can get a sample sized product. Gold Tier members can get a full-sized selected item .
- Rituals
You can get a free Rituals product worth £12 on your birthday when you sign up to the My Rituals club.
The item varies from month to month but you could expect a shower oil or free hand soap.
- SpaceNK – Free trio of samples or full-sized product
Sign up to the NKNDULGE loyalty scheme and you’ll receive a free trio of sample-sized beauty items for your birthday.
There is no minimum spend needed. However, you will have had to have made a purchase online or in-store in the last 12 months.
If you happen to be a big beauty spender and splurged over £1,000 to become a Deluxe tier member, you’ll receive a free full-sized item.
- Build-a-Bear
When you sign up to the Build-a-Bear Workshop loyalty scheme, you can pay your child’s age for a bear that’s usually worth £14 to celebrate their birthday.
The offer must be claimed in-person during their birthday month and you should bring your child with you.
Become a tester
Another way to get your hands on freebies is by offering to test products.
You can trial everything from make-up and perfume to food and cleaning products.
And lots of big name brands will give free products for testing to those on their panels.
You may be asked to test consumer claims or to spread influence.
You can sign up directly with some selected brands but usually it is specialist firms that run tests for lots of different household names.
Most companies target specific demographics, so will likely have to give some specific details about yourself.
Here are some of the firms using product testers..
- Boots
You can apply to join the Boots Volunteer panel to test its brands including, No7, Soltan and Botanics.
Not everyone is accepted as they look for volunteers across specific demographics.
You can take part in home user ones where you test products and then complete feedback surveys online.
Or there are also controlled on-site studies carried out in the Boots evaluation centre in Nottingham.
- Elemis
Test and review new Elemis products by joining its review panel.
For each new product launch, the brand selects a panel of reviewers based on their demographic and provides full size items to be tested and reviewed.
To apply to join the panel you can fill out a short form online.
- Tesco
You will need to be a Clubcard holder to sign up to the supermarket’s Home Panels scheme.
The panel is currently fill but you can join the waitlist through its website to get notified when they are again taking applications.
You can expect to test non-food products, with freebies including skincare, haircare, toiletries, household cleaners and clothing.
It can be quite hard to get selected, but you still get a points for filling in the survey to put yourself forwards. These become vouchers that you can spend elsewhere.
- Clicks Research
This firm gives free products on behalf of brands such as Liz Earle, Sanctuary, M&S and Boots.
Even if you’re not selected for a trial, you’ll still earn points each time you take part in a survey which builds up to a cash bonus.
Sign up online.
- Alba Science
You’ll get freebies such as branded shampoo, lotion and oil through Alba Science in exchange for a review that is posted on its website.
Again, you’ll need to be part of a selected demographic for most trials.
Just sign up and register through its website.
- Glamour Beauty Club
Sign up to the Glamour Beauty Club and you’ll get all sorts of face care and beauty products to test in return for honest feedback.
To sign up, all you need to do is create your own beauty profile online by providing a few bits of personal information.
Each beauty product is free, tailored to your taste, and will include top name brands such as NARS.
How to get free cofee
Virgin Media O2 customers are cutting back on Greggs freebies including coffee.
But there are plenty of other ways to get a free brew. Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains..
Download the Greggs’s app and sign up to its loyalty scheme for the first time to get a free hot drink.
The offer includes tea, coffee and hot chocolate.
You’ll be able to collect loyalty stamps through the app, too, which add up to freebies.
Octopus energy customers can also get a complimentary hot drink every week at Greggs by signing up to the Octoplus section on the power provider’s app.
Pop into Ikea during the week to get a free cup of tea or filter coffee with the store’s loyalty card. It costs nothing to sign up to Ikea Family.
You can also bag a free hot drink at Waitrose if you’re a MyWaitrose member when you make a purchase instore.
Get a tea, coffee, cappuccino or latte with the deal.
And the purchase need not cost a lot – buy a piece of fruit or a cheap chocolate bar. Sign up at waitrose.com.
Plus, don’t forget about loyalty schemes at the high street coffee chains.
Starbucks, Costa Coffee and Caffe Nero all offer free drinks after a certain number of purchases — usually around nine or ten.