I spent my birthday looking for freebies in New York City — here's what I got

Arielle Berger

It turns out that family and friends aren't the only ones who like to spoil you on your birthday — a bunch of restaurants (and a few other retail spots) offer generous gifts on your big day.

I wanted to see whether these places stuck to their word, so on July 14 — my 23rd birthday — I schlepped across Manhattan with my coworker Arielle Berger, who was also celebrating her birthday in July, to see what I could accumulate.

A bit of planning is involved if you want to rack in the freebies. Most places require you to sign up for their email club or rewards program at least a week before your birthday (I registered three days in advance, which cost me in some situations).

We stopped at 15 places overall and had a pretty impressive success rate. Here's how the day went:

1. Starbucks Coffee

Thomson Reuters

I kicked off the birthday bright and early at Starbucks, where you can get a free drink if you're a member of the Starbucks Rewards program. I'm not a member but thought I'd give it a try anyway and rely on birthday cheer.

A combination of early-morning Tuesday blues and me not actually being a rewards member sent me out the door empty-handed.

It's worth a try — you have nothing to lose — but don't enter Starbucks with high hopes on your special day if you're not a rewards member.

If you have time to plan ahead, sign up here. (Note: You must register a Starbucks gift card to join.)

2. Jamba Juice

Kathleen Elkins

I took a morning break from work and headed over to Jamba Juice, which advertises a free birthday smoothie for all Jamba Insiders (you can sign up free here).

I signed up ahead of time, but not enough in advance. You have to sign up at least a week before your birthday to capitalize on the freebie.

As a new member of the Insider club, however, you receive $3 off your first visit, so my $6 "Greens 'n Ginger" smoothie ended up being about $3.  

While I hadn't actually received anything free yet, I was getting closer, and already planning next year's excursion.

 

3. CVS

Kathleen Elkins

On my way back from Jamba, I stopped in CVS, where you get $3 ExtraBucks on your birthday if you join its Beauty Club.

The two cashiers could not have been nicer about it being my birthday, but I needed to present a coupon that should have come in the mail in order to use the $3 ExtraBucks. Once again, I had signed up too late in the ballgame, and I ended up dishing out a few dollars of my own to buy a Vitamin Water.  

By 11:30 a.m. on my "freebie day" I had already spent about $5 and had yet to actually get anything free. 

 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider