We get freebies including free Greggs and Caffe Nero, it is so easy – and millions are missing out

WHO doesn’t love a free Greggs sausage roll? Mobile phone, energy firms and even insurance providers all offer tasty discounts to existing customers. 

But millions of us could be missing out on savings, a consumer expert has warned.

The freebies and discounts can be substantial when you add them up.

We’ve spoken to customers who estimate the savings can be as much as £120 per month. 

Helen Dewdney, consumer expert for The Complaining Cow, says there are some great offers around, so customers need to keep an eye out – and act fast so they don’t miss them.

“Everyone from energy companies to mobile phone operators use discounts and freebies in deals with the likes of restaurants, cinemas and TV subscriptions in order to entice new customers to join them, buy their products or stay with them,” she explained.

“Companies are constantly trying to keep you as a customer, and rewards schemes and perks are the way they do it.

“But forgetting to apply the discounts codes and offers you are entitled to is very common. Millions of these deals go unclaimed every year.”

Below, we have broken down some of the best freebies on offer and how to bag them.

WHO OFFERS THE BEST FREEBIES? 

O2 Priority 

O2 mobile customers can get six months free access to Disney+, saving £47.94 total. 

At Pizza Express, O2 customers with a reward code – 4,000 released each day – can purchase one Classic pizza for £6.95, Sunday to Thursday. 

At lastminute.com, you can get £200 off when you spend £2,200, £100 off when you spend £1,000 and £75 off when you spend £750.

You can also get two Vue tickets for £9, plus 20 per cent off treats. 

Free weekly coffee, tea or hot chocolate are also available – with at least 10,000 codes released at 7am each day Monday to Saturday and 7,000 codes released each Sunday. 

Meerkat Rewards from CompareTheMarket 

Buy a qualifying product from CompareTheMarket and get 25% off your total bill for all restaurants partnered with Meerkat Meals and 50 per cent off pizzas at Pizza Hut Delivery, Papa Johns & Domino’s, seven days a week. 

You can also get 25% off barista-made drinks & pastries from Caffe Nero, and two-for-one cinema tickets on a Tuesday or Wednesday each week. All via the Meerkat Rewards app.

Octoplus Rewards (Octopus Energy)

Octopus Rewards gives a free hot drink every week at Greggs and Caffe Nero. 

Discounts on meals are also available between Monday and Thursday at any Harvester, Stonehouse Pizza & Carvery, Toby Carvery, Ember Inn or Sizzling Pub. 

Weekly two for £10 cinema tickets at Odeon from Monday to Thursday are up for grabs.

And once a quarter the National Trust will provide a day pass for two, valued up to £44, for 6,000 Octopoints (£7.50), with a similar scheme for the National Trust for Scotland.

Often it is simply a case of checking their website or downloading an app.

Deals tend to change regularly, so it is worth keeping an eye out for new discounts and freebies.

Rewards schemes are never the main reason you should go with a particular company. 

But if they are offering the best deal anyway the perks are an added bonus.

The best way to use the discounts is to apply them to purchases you were going to spend money on anyway. 

Some rewards are totally free so you don’t need to buy anything extra to get them.

We spoke to four savvy savers who make the most out of their customer perks to find out what they get. 

‘I get four coffees for £2.50’

• Saving: £50 a month 

Luke Denley, 41, a pastoral worker in a secondary school in the Midlands, saves around £50 a month with rewards perks.

Luke is a big fan of Caffe Nero where Meerkat Rewards gets him 25% off – “a good deal when coffee prices are becoming  more and more expensive as the weeks go by”, he said.

He’ll often use another rewards voucher to double up his savings at Caffe Nero, like a free coffee from Octoplus Rewards from Octopus Energy.

“That means each week I get two coffees for the price of one, plus 25% off babychinos for my three-year-old twin boys.

“I can spend about £2.50 for four drinks which makes family time special and not so expensive,” Luke said.

Luke always uses Meerkat Meals – giving 25% off main meals out – unless he can find a better offer. All his savings go towards holidays or treats with his family “to make memories together”. 

‘I never go out for dinner without checking my app first’

• Saving: Between £40-£50 a month

Lucie Glanville, 32, a support manager, from Northamptonshire, saves a up to £40-£50 a month on meals out.

“When planning to go out for dinner with a friend I’ll always check the Meerkat app first and often choose to go somewhere my rewards can be used,” Lucie said. 

“My favourite takeaway is pizza so the 50% off at Papa John’s on pizza delivery is great for treat night!”

She also loves the Meerkat Movies deal.

“I normally go to my local Vue where the tickets are often only £5.99 normally plus you can use the deal so it makes it super affordable: there aren’t many places these days where you can enjoy a day out for less than £3 a head,” she said.

Lucie used CompareTheMarket whenever she needs to buy insurance because of the deals available.  

‘I love my freebie-fuelled date nights’

• Saving: £120 a month

Georgia Mackie, 26, loves making the most of a date night with her partner by using freebies. 

Georgia, from Bromley in London, estimates her tricks save them £120 a month. 

First, they go to Pizza Express and get a double American classic pizza – usually £15.50 – for just £6.95 with O2 Priority rewards.  

She added: “Following that, we went to the cinema. Using the Priority app prior to going we booked our tickets through that and got two tickets for £9 at Vue cinema usually £9.99 per ticket,” she says.

Most Fridays as a lunchtime treat Georgia pops to Greggs for the free sausage roll she gets with O2 Priority, saving her £1.45. 

Finally, ahead of going on holiday next week, Georgia bought sunscreen from Green People and got 30% off using a code from O2 Priority. 

“The sunscreen I bought was supposed to be £31 but I only paid £21.70,” she said.

This gave her a bit extra holiday spending money.

‘I get a free drink and cakes every week’

• Saving: £20 a month

Lucy Bareham, 47, a teaching assistant from Frinton-on-Sea, saves a total of £20 a month.

In May, Lucy used her Octoplus Rewards from Octopus Energy every week to get a free Greggs hot drink.

“I also was able to get free cakes as part of a special promotion from Greggs,” she said.

Lucy is hoping to use the Toby carvery incentive this month for 25 per cent off – “this will be my biggest saving to date,” she added.

She also logged in for every Octopus saving session, where customers can earn points to get money off of their electricity bill.  

“On average I would say I’m saving at least £20 a month through the rewards. Any money I save goes towards days out in the holidays with friends and family,” Lucy said.