Real freebies: birthday rewards and loyalty sign-up perks

"Free" is the most clicked word in couponing and the least reliable. Some freebies are real: a reward that costs you nothing beyond joining a program you'd use anyway, or a coupon that covers an item's full price. Others are a purchase with a condition attached, or a subscription in disguise. The play here is to find the real ones at the source and to read every "free" offer the way regulators expect it to be written.

Where real freebies come from

Loyalty program rewards. Free programs like CVS ExtraCare, myWalgreens, Target Circle and the Kroger card pay rewards for shopping you'd do anyway. Some programs also include birthday rewards. CVS's ExtraCare pages, for example, describe a birthday reward for members, with the amount and the window to redeem it set in the terms. Whether a given program currently offers a birthday or sign-up perk, and what it is, belongs to that program's terms page, not to a roundup post. These perks change often, which is why we don't list them here.

Sign-up offers. Retailers sometimes run time-limited offers for new loyalty members. Target, for one, has advertised Target Circle sign-up offers for set date ranges. When one is running, its terms say who qualifies, which purchase it applies to and when it ends.

Free-item coupons. Manufacturers occasionally issue coupons for a free product, usually with a maximum value printed on the coupon. Store policies still apply: CVS says a coupon's value can't exceed the price of the item, and Walmart and Target say they don't pay out the difference when a coupon is worth more than the item.

Rebate offers that cover the price. A cash-back app may offer back the full price of an item. You still pay at the register and get the money later, under the app's terms. See our cash-back app comparison.

Steps: collecting the real ones

1. Join the programs you'll use. Only the stores you actually shop at.
2. Complete your profile. A birthday field, an email address or a mailing address may be needed for some rewards to reach you. Walgreens, for instance, says you need an email or home address on your profile to redeem rewards.
3. Read each program's rewards section in the app once, and note any perk and its expiration.
4. Set reminders for rewards with short redemption windows.
5. Use them on things on your list. A free reward spent on an impulse buy isn't really a saving.

Reading a "free" offer

The FTC has a guide on how sellers should use the word "free." In short, it says the conditions for getting a free item should be stated clearly at the start of the offer, and that a seller shouldn't recover the cost of the "free" item by raising the price of the item you have to buy. So when you see "buy one, get one free," the guide's baseline is that the first item is at its regular price. If the conditions are buried or the regular price looks inflated, that's worth noticing.

"Free" offers to walk past

• Free trials that need a card. The FTC's consumer advice on free trial offers warns that some turn into recurring charges unless you cancel. Read the cancellation terms before you sign up.
• Freebies that need a survey and your details. If a "free coupon" site asks for personal information unrelated to the offer, skip it.
• Coupons for free items from unknown sources. If it isn't from the brand's own site, the store's app or a recognized coupon insert, the store may refuse it.

Baby and kids programs

Some brands and retailers run loyalty or registry programs for new parents with their own perks. These are defined entirely in each program's terms and change frequently, so treat any list you see online as a starting point to verify, not as a promise.

Loyalty program perks change. Check each program's current terms, linked below, before you plan around a freebie.