From complimentary meals to free samples, the best Birthday freebies in Calgary are a great way to celebrate your big day without damaging your wallet. Best of all, some of these freebies are available for a few weeks, so there’s plenty of time to plan your attack.
Whether you’re looking for free breakfast on your actual birthday or multiple bubble teas during your birthday week, the rewards are easy to redeem. All you need to do is have your ID handy and know what’s available so you can enjoy the best Birthday freebies in Calgary.
The best birthday freebies in Calgary
A surprising number of restaurants and retailers in Calgary offer free gifts on your birthday. With so many choices available, you’ll need to plan your day – or days – accordingly.
The Alley
The Alley has several locations in Calgary: one downtown, one right by the University of Calgary, and one at the Chinook Centre. Although it’s not advertised and may change at any time, if you download The Alley’s app, you’ll get coupons and discounts. One year, the app gave me a free bubble tea coupon that was good for five days from my birthday.
Applebee’s
When you sign up for Club Applebee’s online, you’ll get access to exclusive discounts. Come your birthday, you’ll get a free appetizer, dessert, or entrée (it depends on the offer at the time). Note that for this free meal, you usually need to pay for at least one entrée at regular price. Applebee’s only has one location in Calgary: Harvest Hills Blvd. N. and Country Hills Blvd. NE.
The Body Shop
When you sign up for the Love Your Body Club from The Body Shop, you’ll get a free gift of $10 that can be spent on anything on your birthday. Note that you must make at least one purchase with your Love Your Body Club account at least 12 months before your birthday to be eligible for this gift. The Body Shop has multiple locations in Calgary, but note the Sunridge Mall location is closing.
Booster juice
One of the most popular birthday freebies in Calgary is a regular size, classic smoothie from Booster Juice. To be eligible, you must download the Booster Rewards app, create an account, and add your birthday. You’ll get a free drink if you do this at least seven days before your birthday.
Boston Pizza
Family restaurant Boston Pizza’s loyalty program, MyBP, gives you a free dessert on your birthday and a free individual pizza every year on your MyBP anniversary. In addition, you’ll get $5 off after your fifth online order and 15% off your 10th online order. Boston Pizza has over a dozen locations in the city, so it’s a good place to spend your birthday.
The Canadian Brewhouse
Those looking to spend their birthday at a sports bar should consider the Canadian Brewhouse. When you download the Canadian Brewhouse app, you’ll get a free order of nachos. This offer is good anytime during your birthday month, so there’s no rush.
Chatime
One of my favourite bubble tea shops is Chatime, and it’s even better on my birthday since I can get a free birthday drink as a Chatime Societea member. Although you’re only entitled to a regular size drink, you can upgrade it by paying a small upcharge. The trick here is to order a drink with a topping by default, so you don’t need to pay extra.
The Cheesecake Cafe
The Cheesecake Cafe is a family restaurant located at 7600 Macleod Trail SE. If you dine in on your birthday and tell your server it’s your birthday, you’ll get a free slice of cheesecake. Enjoy flavours like caramel brownie, chocolate strawberry, London fog, and chocolate banana.
Chicken on the Way
Chicken on the Way doesn’t advertise their birthday freebies in Calgary much, but they offer a snack pack on your big day. The snack pack includes two pieces of fried chicken, fries, and a corn fritter. Since all you need to do to get your free meal is show your ID, you could easily visit a few of their locations to make it one giant chicken party.
Cobs Bread
Another bakery where you can score a free birthday gift is Cobs Bread. To get your present, you must join the Cobs Club, a loyalty program app available on the App Store and Google Play. As long as you have your birthday information in your profile, you’ll get a special treat on your birthday. Although the app doesn’t say specifically what you’ll get, many people have said they’ve been able to get a free cinnamon bun.
Cold Garden
Even though it’s not advertised on their website, Cold Garden Brewpub gives you a free birthday cake lager on your birthday. Admittedly, this is a niche product, so it may not be worth the journey, but it’s a nice gesture nonetheless. You can find Cold Garden at 1100 11 St SE.
Costa Vida
You’ll find Baja-style Mexican food at Costa Vida, which won’t disappoint. To get your free birthday dessert, you must sign up for CostaVida Rewards. As an added incentive, you’ll get $5 off your next purchase after you register for an account.
Cowboys Dance Hall
If you’re looking for an epic celebration, you may want to take a look at Cowboys Dance Hall since their birthday package is free. The package includes VIP list for you and your entire party, unlimited gaming in the arcade, VIP entry for you + 1 for a year, and two tickets to any upcoming event or concert at Cowboys Dance Hall.
Crave Cupcakes
With two locations in Calgary, Crave Cupcakes has quickly become the go to spot for gourmet cupcakes. When you sign up for the Crave newsletter, you’ll get 15% off your first cupcake order. As for your birthday, you’ll get a sweet treat, which is usually a cupcake. With fun flavours such as, lemon drop, crave-o-licious, nutty over chocolate, and dirty blonde, it’ll be hard to choose just one.
Cultures
Cultures serves health food and offers a free sandwich or smoothie that’s redeemable within five days of your birthday. To get this offer, you need to sign up for Cultures Collective, which is the store’s loyalty program. Pro tip, if you redeem your birthday gift at the Chinook Centre location, you can also grab some of the best birthday freebies in Calgary from some of the other retailers on this list.
DQ
DQ or Dairy Queen to older people gives Blizzard Fan Club members a free Blizzard on their birthday. Although you can get any size, you must buy one of the same size to get your free Blizzard. There are more than a dozen Blizzard flavours to choose from, but some of my favourites are chocolate chip cookie dough, Oreo cookie, choco dipped strawberry and caramel fudge.
Denny’s
Enjoy a free grand slam breakfast or a credit for an equivalent amount for your meal. Best of all, you can get this deal even if you’re dining alone, so you can start your day early. This offer is only available for dine-in, and you must have a valid picture ID. It can also only be redeemed on your actual birthday.
Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue
If you’ve joined Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue’s Rodizio Rewards, you’re entitled to a free dessert on your birthday when dining in. Joining the program is free, and you get some additional perks, such as invites to special events and exclusive discounts. Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue is located at 100-5920 Macleod Trail SW. They also have a location in Canmore.
Good Earth Coffee House
Good Earth Coffee House has a loyalty program called Good Earth Rewards. Anyone signed up and has entered their birthday will get a free drink or food item of their choice on their birthday. In addition, you get a free medium drink as soon as you sign up. Good Earth Coffee House has quite a few locations downtown, and by the University of Calgary, so this is one of the easier birthday freebies in Calgary to redeem.
Harvey’s
To get one of the best birthday freebies in Calgary at Harvey’s, you must join their Burger Boss Club. Although you won’t earn any points, Harvey’s will give you occasional gifts and discounts. For example, as soon as you sign up, you get a free order of Frings. As for your birthday gift, it changes, but people have reported getting free burgers and drinks in the past. Harvey’s has only a few locations in the city, but you won’t find any downtown.
IHOP
The International House of Pancakes, more commonly known as IHOP gives you free pancakes after your first purchase when you sign up for the MyHop loyalty program. You’ll also get free pancakes on your birthday and each anniversary of your sign-up date. There are two IHOP locations in Calgary, one near
Jugo Juice
Jugo Juice Rewards from Jugo Juice is a highly underrated loyalty program. When you sign up, you get a free small smoothie right away. On your birthday, you get a free large smoothie. Plus, throughout the year, you’ll get personalized offers that will help you save more. Of course, when you buy seven smoothies, your eighth one is free.
The Keg
When you dine in and purchase an entree, you can enjoy a free slice of the Keg’s famous Billy Miner Pie. Have you ever heard of Billy Miner Pie? It’s like a slice of ice cream cake with a cookie crust at the bottom. It’s definitely worth saving room for, Be sure to bring your ID, as they will check. This offer is only available on your actual birthday.
London Drugs
London Drugs may seem like a random retailer to offer birthday freebies in Calgary, but if you have the LD Extras app, you’ll get a coupon for $5 off anything on your birthday. There’s no extra purchase required, so you could get anything that’s $5 or less and not have to pay any extra money.
Marble Slab Creamery
Free ice cream on your birthday is arguably better than cake, so be sure to sign up for Marble Slab Creamery’s Marble Mail. As long as you sign up at least 48 hours before your birthday, you’ll get a coupon in your e-mail for a sweet surprise. While this offer does change, it’s usually a scoop of ice cream. Enjoy flavours such as candy cane, English toffee, guava, and more.
The MASH
Although not listed online officially on their website, users have reported that the MASH gives you a free 10-inch pizza on your birthday. It’s for dine-in only, but it can be redeemed within seven days of your birthday as long as you show your ID. If you sign up for their newsletter, you’ll get 10%
Montana’s
Montana’s may only have one location in Calgary, but at least they offer you something free for your birthday as a member of Montana’s Grill Lovers Club. On your birthday, you’ll get 10% off when spending at least $30 and get a free sweet treat. You also get a free appetizer as soon as you sign up and each year on your Montana-versary.
Olive Garden
The famous American Italian food chain Olive Garden offers a free dessert when you dine in on your birthday. To get this offer, you need to sign up for their newsletter. It’s also worth mentioning that Olive Garden offers unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks.
Pacini
Casual Italian eatery, Pacini has a unique birthday. While not free, you get a percentage discount based on your birthday. For example, if you’re turning 45, you get 45% off your main course only. However, if you’re turning 100, you get your main course completely free. You can take advantage of this offer the day before your birthday, on the day of your birthday, or the day after your birthday. Pacini has two locations, one near the airport, and one in the south by IKEA. In other words, you could get this discount twice.
REGRUB
Mant Calgarians will say that REGRUB has the best milkshakes in the city. If you’ve never had one, you can enjoy one on your birthday. To get your free birthday shake, you must sign up online for the REGRUB newsletter and provide your birthday. A coupon will be e-mailed to you when your birthday approaches.
Sephora
Sephora’s Beauty Insider is one of the most popular loyalty programs in Canada. During your birthday month, you’ll be able to choose a gift from the beauty bizarre. While these free gifts are always changing, some previous products available include face cream, primer, lipstick and more. These are sample-size products, so don’t expect anything that’s full-size.
Starbucks
Anyone who’s joined Starbucks Rewards and made at least one purchase within the last 12 months is eligible for a free birthday drink. This is one of the most generous free birthday gifts in Calgary since Starbucks will give you any drink for free. That means you can order any size and add as many extras to it as you’d like.
South Street Burger
Craving a burger? South Street Burger gives anyone that’s signed up to their birthday club a free burger on their birthday. There is one catch, it’s a buy one, get one free burger so you may want to visit with a friend. The good news is that South Street Burger has multiple locations in the city, so it shouldn’t be too hard to redeem your gift.
Subway
Be sure to sign up for the Subway Rewards program as you get two free cookies on your birthday. While that may not sound like much, no purchase is necessary. In addition, as a Subway Rewards member, you get some extra perks such as free chips on Friday with any purchase. You’ll also get 250 points right away just for signing up.
Sunterra
Sunterrra is the only grocery store in Calgary that offers a free birthday gift. As long as you have the Sunterra Fresh Rewards app downloaded and an active account, you’ll get a free cake slice and brewed coffee on your birthday. Sunterra has locations in Elboya, downtown, Westgate, and West Hillhurst.
TacoTime
With more than a dozen locations, TacoTime is the largest taco chain in Calgary. When you download the TacoTime Rewards app and create an account, you’ll immediately get 1,000 points. On your birthday, you’ll get 2,500 points, which is enough for a few different menu options, including a taco.
Tim Hortons
Tims Rewards from Tim Hortons is incredibly popular since it’s an easy way to get free stuff. Every time you scan your app when making a purchase, you’ll earn points. Those points can later be redeemed for baked items, beverages and even sandwiches. As your birthday approaches, you’ll get an offer in the app for your free birthday gift. This deal changes, but in the past it’s been drinks and baked goods.
