The fine print behind free birthday rewards

• Nearly all birthday freebies require a rewards account, your birthday saved in your profile, and email/app notifications turned on.

• Many brands require you to join days (sometimes weeks) before your birthday month, and some require at least one purchase in the past year.

• Prioritize true no-purchase birthday freebies first, then use purchase-required offers only if they fit into spending you were already planning.

Birthday freebies are still very real in 2026. However, theyre no longer walk in, show your ID, and get free stuff anymore.

Most brands have moved their birthday freebie behind these walls:

• A rewards account
• A birthday listed in your profile
• Push notifications / email turned on
• Sometimes a you have to buy something once a year rule

But if you do it right, you can stack a pretty awesome free birthday week: coffee, dessert, a burger, beauty gifts, and a few surprise offers.

Heres the full playbook, with redemption steps, gotchas, and pro tips.

Your 5-minute setup (do this before your birthday month)

1. Create a Birthday Freebies email folder

Most birthday reward offers arrive by email (even when theyre also in the companys app).

2. Add your birthday to every profile now

Some programs actually require it to be saved to your profile before your birthday month (Ulta explicitly calls that out as people have abused it).

3. Make one tiny activation purchase at places that require activity

Some programs require at least one transaction in the last 12 months to get your birthday freebie. This is where many people miss out.

I recommend making one small purchase, but only if you were planning on buying something. It doesnt make sense to spend money to get a freebie, unless you were planning on buying something anyways.

Here are the best birthday freebies in 2026 that are totally worth the effort:

Starbucks Free birthday item

What you get: Youll get a Birthday Reward that you can redeem in-store at participating locations. The freebie is any sized handcrafted beverage or food item of your choice.

How to redeem:

• Be a Starbucks Rewards member.
• Your birthday reward appears in-app.
• Redeem at participating Starbucks stores.

If youre an entry-level Starbucks Rewards member (Green), youll have to redeem the freebie on your actual birthday. Gold members get seven days, and Reserve members get 30 days to use their birthday reward.

Gotchas to know:

You have to make at least one Star-earning purchase prior to your birthday each year to qualify.

Exclusions include any multi-serve food or beverage item (think a tray of pastries or their 96-ounce Coffee Traveler), any drinks with alcohol, and merchandise/packaged coffee.

Also, you must join their rewards program at least seven days prior to your birthday.

Pro tip: If youre the type who always orders a basic drink, use your birthday reward on your most overpriced, loaded custom drink or premium food item that still qualifies.

Sephora Free birthday gift

What you get: A free Beauty Insider birthday gift set during your birthday month.

The gift sets typically include two to threepopular name brand items. Brands include Tower 28, Glossier, dae, and Dr. Dennis Gross.

How to redeem:

• Join Beauty Insider.
• Redeem any time during your birthday month, or twoweeks prior or after.
• Online redemption generally requires a $25+ purchase (Sephora states this on the birthday gift page).

Gotchas:

Sephora specifically says, While supplies last, and they mean it. The popular gift sets go quickly.

Pro tip: If you want the gift without spending $25 online, go in-store early in your birthday month. Online is definitely convenient, but its also where the minimum-spend rule takes the free out of the equation.

Ulta Free birthday gift

What you get: A free birthday gift during your birthday month. Youll claim it using a coupon code that theyll email you or you can find it on the Ulta app.

They give you a choice of five to six free birthday gifts to pick from, which you can find here.

Youll also get 2x reward points during your birthday month, along with a $10 off coupon for Diamond and Platinum members.

How to redeem:

• Join the Ulta Rewards program.
• Make sure your birthday is in your profile before your birthday month.
• During your birthday month, choose a gift and use the coupon code at checkout.

Gotchas:

• Ulta reserves the right to change/terminate the birthday gift benefit and change the gifts offered.

Pro tip: Dont wait until the last few days of your birthday month. These gifts can go out of stock fast, and then youre stuck with the least exciting option.

Red Robin Free birthday burger

This is one of the best real meal birthday rewards left, but it has some strings attached.

What you get: Every Royalty member gets a free birthday milkshake, but if you spend just $10 during the year, that milkshake turns into a free Gourmet, Tavern, or Veggie burger.

How to redeem (the practical version):

• Join Red Robin Royalty.
• Make sure your birthday month/year is in your profile.
• Spend at least $10 at RR in the year (Red Robins terms say you must buy something once per year and it must happen before the end of the month prior to your birthday month).
• Redeem during your birthday month.

Gotchas:

• Minimum purchase of $4.99 applies for the Birthday Burger Offer and you must dine-in.
• If you dont activate with a visit before your birthday month, you might not qualify.

Nothing Bundt Cakes Free Bundtlet

What you get: Youll get a free individual Bundtlet bundt cake (about 4 wide) as a birthday reward.

How to redeem:

• Just join the Bundtastic Rewards program.
• Redeem seven days before or after your birthday.

Gotchas:

• You can only redeem one reward redemption per order (so dont expect to stack a bunch of offers in one checkout).

Pro tip: Because Nothing Bundt Cakes birthday freebie doesnt require a purchase, and gives you a generous 14-day redemption window, use it as your true no-spend birthday treat.

Baskin-Robbins Free birthday scoop

What you get: Even though Baskin-Robbins has made some change to their rewards program, they confirmed that you still get a free scoop on your birthday.

How to redeem:

• Create an account in the BR App or online and complete your profile.
• Birthday rewards are automatically added to your account in the BR App on your birthday.

Gotchas:

• Plan to sign-up at least a couple weeks before your birthday month. If you wait to sign-up until right before your birthday, it probably wont trigger the free scoop promotion in your account.

Pro tip: Screenshot the coupon in the app before you get in line for your free scoop of ice cream. Some stores have spotty reception, and this avoids the I swear its in my app moment.

IHOP Free birthday pancakes

What you get: IHOP says youll receive five PanCoins to redeem for a full stack of pancakes on your birthday.

How to redeem:

• Join IHOP Rewards.
• Add your birthday to your account.
• Get five PanCoins on your birthday to redeem for pancakes.
• Use those coins to get a free Full Stack of Original Buttermilk pancakes.

Gotchas:

• This is points-based, so youre redeeming a currency (PanCoins) rather than getting an automatic free stack voucher. Not a big deal, you just have to know how it works.
• The PanCoins will be added to your account on the first day of your birthday month.
• This means you must be a Rewards member by that day to get your free pancakes.

Pro tip: If youre doing a birthday freebie run, IHOP is a good morning anchor because its an actual meal, not just sugar. And there is no minimum purchase required when you get your free stack.

Jersey Mikes Free birthday sub

What you get: Jersey Mikes says you can enjoy a free birthday sub with the purchase of a regular sub in the past year. If youre like me and like their subs, this is a no-brainer.

How to redeem:

• Join MyMikes (email club / account)
• Make at least one qualifying purchase in the past year.
• Receive your 72 Shore Points on your birthday.
• 72 Shore Points is what you need to get a free regular-sized sub, sub bowl, or wrap.
• You can then redeem those 72 points at any time; you do not have to use them on, or near, your birthday.

Gotcha:

That purchase in the past year requirement is the entire game and what you have to remember.

Pro tip: This is an easy one to activate once a year. Go split a regular sub with someone and youve basically bought next years birthday lunch.

Chipotle A 'birthday reward'does exist

What you get: Chipotle confirms that there is indeed a Birthday Reward, but they also are tight-lipped about what it is.

All they say is that youll, Get a surprise on us. But from scanning several Reddit threads, it appearsyoull usually get free guacamole or a free drink.

How to redeem (general):

• Join Chipotle Rewards.
• Make sure your birthday is saved to your profile.
• Watch the app for the loaded reward near your birthday.

Gotchas:

• Chipotles birthday reward is intentionally described as a surprise, so it can vary from month to month.
• Also, be sure to keep your account active as Chipotlesays points can expire after 180 days of inactivity (so dont create an account and ignore it for months).

Pro tip: Chipotle is one of those apps where being active tends to unlock better promos over time. Even if you only go once every couple of months, always scan your app at checkout.

A quick 'best of the best'cheat list (if you only do six)

If you want the biggest payoff for the least effort, consider these six:

• Starbucks (high value, easy)
• Ulta (free gift + strong beauty value)
• Red Robin (best meal freebie if you activate)
• Jersey Mike's (high value, use whenever)
• Nothing Bundt Cakes (flexible window)
• Baskin-Robbins or IHOP (pick your vibe: ice cream or pancakes)

New research takes a closer look at the connection between elevated blood sugar and hearing lossand the science behind it

• People with type 2 diabetes have a much higher likelihood of hearing loss than those without.

• The research reviewed 17 studies and found hearing difficulties occur most often at higher sound frequencies.

• Longer diabetes duration and poorer blood sugar control were linked to greater hearing impairment.

Most of us think of diabetes in terms of blood sugar, diet, and maybe eye or nerve issues but hearing?

A new comprehensive analysis published in OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery suggests we might want to change that.

Researchers found a strong link between type 2 diabetes and hearing loss, particularly in the higher pitch ranges that help us understand speech and enjoy music.

How did the study work?

The research team from Hospital Clnic and Universitat de Barcelona in Spain sifted through thousands of published studies, ultimately selecting 17 that met rigorous scientific standards.

In total, data from 3,910 adults with type 2 diabetes were compared with 4,084 people without diabetes. The researchers looked at hearing test results especially pure-tone audiometry, a common way to measure the quietest sounds a person can detect across different frequencies and analyzed how often hearing loss occurred in each group.

They also examined subgroups, such as how long a person had lived with diabetes and how well their blood sugar (HbA1c) was controlled, seeking clues about who might be at higher risk.

What did they find?

Across the studies analyzed, hearing loss showed up in 40.6% to 71.9% of people with type 2 diabetes far higher than in the non-diabetic comparison group. Overall, individuals with diabetes were more than four times as likely to have measurable hearing impairment.

Interestingly, the difference in hearing was most noticeable at higher frequencies, which can affect how clearly someone perceives speech and certain sounds in noisy environments. On average, people with diabetes needed sounds to be about 3.2 decibels louder to hear them compared to controls.

Duration of diabetes and blood sugar control seemed to matter too: people with diabetes for more than 10 years had a notably higher risk of hearing loss, and those with poorer glucose control tended to have more severe impairment.

The researchers proposed that changes in the tiny blood vessels of the inner ear similar to the microvascular damage diabetes can cause elsewhere in the body might underlie the hearing difficulties.

Top takeaways

If youre living with type 2 diabetes or caring for someone who has it this research adds one more area to keep on your radar: hearing health.

• Dont ignore subtle changes in hearing. Because the study found differences most often at higher frequencies, difficulty following conversations or hearing clearly in noisy settings may be worth mentioning to a healthcare provider.

• Talk with your care team about hearing checks. Given the higher rates of hearing loss found in people with type 2 diabetes, especially those with longer disease duration, asking whether a baseline or routine hearing evaluation makes sense could be a practical next step.

• Stay focused on blood sugar management. The analysis found that longer duration of diabetes and poorer glucose control were associated with greater hearing impairment, reinforcing how closely overall diabetes management is tied to broader health outcomes.

Harley-Davidson, Nissan, and Cadillac are in this week's weekly roundup

A recent study examined how rest patterns relate to injury rates

• Runners who sleep less or have poor sleep quality and more sleep problems are significantly more likely to report injuries.

• Researchers grouped runners into distinct sleep profiles to better understand how patterns of sleep relate to injury risk.

• Those with the poorest sleep were nearly twice as likely to sustain a running-related injury over a year.

If youre a runner whether youre gearing up for your next 5K or just enjoy pounding the pavement on weekends injuries are a familiar risk.

However, a new study suggests the culprit might not just be how far you run or how heavy your training load is it could also be how well (or poorly) you sleep.

Researchers know sleep is essential for repairing muscles, regulating hormones, and keeping your focus sharp. But until now, the relationship between specific sleep patterns and running injuries hasnt been thoroughly explored in everyday runners. Thats what a team led by Professor Jan de Jonge set out to investigate.

While runners specifically focus on mileage, nutrition and recovery strategies, sleep tends to fall to the bottom of the list, de Jonge said in a news release.

Our research shows that poor sleepers were 1.78 times more likely to report injuries than those with stable, good quality sleep, with a 68% likelihood of sustaining an injury over a 12-month period. Thats a strong reminder that how well you rest is just as important as how hard you train.

The study

Rather than just asking runners how many hours of sleep they got, the research team took a deeper look at sleep in several dimensions how long runners slept, how good their sleep was, and whether they struggled with sleep problems like difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently.

About 425 recreational runners filled out surveys about their sleep and injury history. Using that information, researchers used a statistical method called latent profile analysis to sort runners into four sleep profiles based on their sleep characteristics:

• Steady Sleepers, with average sleep and fewer problems.

• Poor Sleepers, who got less sleep and reported worse quality and more disruptions.

• Efficient Sleepers, with decent duration and high sleep quality.

• Fragmented Sleepers, who had mixed signals some sleep issues despite average sleep time.

This approach let the team explore whether patterns of sleep not just hours logged were linked to injury risk.

What the results showed

When researchers compared injury rates across the sleep profiles, a clear pattern emerged: runners in the Poor Sleepers group were significantly more likely to report injuries over the previous 12 months compared with the Steady Sleepers.

In fact, poor sleepers were about 1.78 times more likely to have been injured, translating to roughly a 68% chance of reporting a running injury in a year.

Other sleep profiles didnt show a meaningful difference in injury risk compared with the reference group. But this link between poor sleep and injury risk suggests that sleep isnt just a nice-to-have it might be a factor worth prioritizing alongside training and recovery if you want to keep your runs injury-free.

Sleep is a vital biological process that allows the body and mind to recover and adapt to the physical and mental demands of training, de Jonge said . When sleep is disrupted or insufficient, the bodys ability to repair tissues, regulate hormones and maintain focus diminishes, all of which can increase injury risk.

Runners especially those balancing training with work, family and social commitments may actually need more sleep than average adults to recover properly. Sleep should be treated as a performance priority, not an afterthought.

Starting April 2, cardholders can earn up to twice as many miles

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• United Airlines is giving travelers three new reasons to hold and use a United MileagePlus credit or debit card: the ability to earn up to twice as many miles as non-cardholders, at least 10% off United award tickets, and access to special inventory of its lowest-priced award seats.

• Starting April 2, primary cardholders can earn significantly more miles per dollar on United flights and receive automatic discounts on award redemptions.

• Cardholders will also gain expanded access to Saver Award seats in United Polarisbusiness class, with some seats priced as low as 68,000 miles.

United Airlines is enhancing its MileagePlus loyalty program with a number of new perks designed to reward customers who carry and use a United-branded credit or debit card.

Beginning with tickets purchased on or after April 2, primary United MileagePlus cardholders will earn more miles per dollar on United-operated flights than non-cardholders in some cases up to twice as many miles. Cardholders will also receive automatic discounts on award tickets and gain expanded access to Saver Award inventory, including in the airlines premium United Polaris business class cabin.

Andrew Nocella, Uniteds chief commercial officer, said the changes are aimed at strengthening the value of the airlines loyalty ecosystem.

The most rewarding way to fly United is as a MileagePlus member, and the best way to get the most value from the MileagePlus program is to have one of our credit or debit cards, Nocella said.

MileagePlus members can now earn more miles faster with a United card and every one of those miles will go further with our always-on award ticket discounts and expanded access to Saver Award fares.

Earning more miles

Under the revised earning structure, MileagePlus primary cardholders will receive boosted mileage accrual on standard United tickets, with additional miles awarded when paying with an eligible United card.

For example, a MileagePlus 1K member using a United Club card can earn up to 17 total miles per dollar spent on eligible United flights among the highest earn rates in airline or travel rewards programs, according to the airline.

Other examples illustrate the shift:

• A MileagePlus Gold member using a United Quest card will earn 13 miles per dollar more than double what a Gold member without a card would earn.

• A general MileagePlus member using a UnitedExplorer card will earn nine miles per dollar, triple the rate of a non-cardholder.

• A general member paying with a United Club card will earn 11 miles per dollar, nearly four times the non-cardholder rate.

Other changes

United also tightened earning rules for members without a co-branded card. General members must now hold a United card to earn miles on Basic Economy tickets, and non-cardholders will earn fewer miles overall compared to cardholders at the same status level.

Customers can review the updated accrual rates and calculate potential earnings using the airlines online mileage calculator.

In addition to enhanced earning potential, United cardholders will receive automatic discounts on every United award flight they book.

Primary cardholders will save at least 10% on award tickets, while Premier members with a United card will save at least 15%. The discounted pricing is displayed during booking on Uniteds website and mobile app.