From cake to pizza: How to get the best birthday freebies (and why there's a catch)

From meals to beauty products, you can get a lot of freebies on your birthday

"It's your birthday!" Cue the influx of emails offering you all sorts of freebies.

Here are some of the things you can get on or around your birthday - and why they may not all be as free as they seem.

Most chain coffee shops and bakeries offer a birthday treat through their loyalty apps.

You can get a free sweet treat, usually a cake, cookie, muffin or doughnut, from Greggs, Costa, Caffè Nero, Krispy Kreme, Gail's, Subway and Ole & Steen if you have registered your date of birth in advance.

Lidl Plus members can claim a free bakery doughnut within seven days of their birthday, while M&S Sparks members can choose two gifts on their birthday from a range of 15 which includes cookies and chocolates.

Hotel Chocolat gives members a £5 birthday reward with a minimum spend of £5.50 and Lindt offers a free box of truffles when you meet its minimum spend requirement.

Some fast-food chains offer a free birthday meal or snack - Burger King members can claim a free Whopper or Plant-Based Whopper, while Chopstix offers a free small noodle box.

However, most restaurant birthday offers are buy-one-get-one-free deals rather than completely free meals.

At Harvester and Zizzi's it's a free main when buying another full-price main.

At Frankie & Benny's you get a free main when purchasing two or more main meals.

Byron offers a free burger with a £5 minimum spend, while Wagamama offers free gyoza when you spend £12 and have earned at least one stamp on your loyalty card in the last six months.

Some chains give money off instead.

Turtle Bay offers members a £20 birthday credit with no minimum spend, while Bella Italia gives you £15 off your total bill when you spend a minimum of £30.

Las Iguanas offers a free main when two other meals are purchased or a 20% off voucher.

Pizza Express birthday rewards depend on your loyalty level.

Bronze members may get a free dessert with a £10 spend, while higher tiers can get a free pizza or drinks with a £15 minimum spend.

At Prezzo, members receive drinks or desserts when they spend at least £25, while Bill's offers a bottle of prosecco or pancakes when qualifying meals are ordered and the booking is made in advance.

Fashion brands generally offer birthday discounts rather than freebies.

Members of schemes run by brands such as Nike, Asos, River Island, Levi's, Timberland and H&M may receive money off, but some offers are personalised and not guaranteed for every customer.

Beauty birthday gifts are often linked to your purchase history or require you to buy something.

Space NK members can receive a free set of three beauty minis, provided they have shopped with the retailer during the previous year.

The Body Shop offers a £5 birthday voucher to members.

At Rituals, a birthday gift of a full-sized product or deluxe mini comes with another purchase, while Sephora rewards vary depending on membership tier.

Boots usually offers double points during your birthday month rather than a free product.

Odeon Extras members can claim a free large popcorn, even without buying a cinema ticket, while Hobbycraft Club members receive £5 of birthday credit with no minimum spend.

You can get 20% off at the Disney Store during your birthday month and £5 off with a minimum of £20 spend at Smiggle.

Always check the small print as some freebies have exclusions and can't be redeemed with other discounts.

Weigh up if it is really a freebie if you have to spend a certain amount to qualify.

Many of these freebies require you to join a loyalty scheme, enter your date of birth and opt into marketing several weeks before your birthday.

Consumer finance expert Sue Hayward says the most generous freebies don't last particularly long and have to be redeemed on your birthday, within the week or sometimes within the month.

Some only unlock after a qualifying purchase or once you have reached a particular membership tier so it can encourage you to spend money you had not intended to.

Emma Richards, operations manager at Data Privacy Advisory Service, says businesses can collect more than just your date of birth when you sign up for a freebie.

"People like something for nothing without considering the implications," she says.

"So always read the small print and check to see whether your personal data will be used purely for generic marketing, or whether this will be used to build a profile of spending habits."

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