A savvy shopper has shared how using a fake birthday when signing up to websites has saved them money all year round – but while some people swear by the hack, others fear it could backfire
Everyone loves getting a birthday freebie – whether it’s a free doughnut, coffee or dessert. But one money-saving expert claims you’re missing out on months of rewards if you always use your real date of birth when signing up to loyalty schemes.
Many retailers, restaurants and cafes ask for your birthday when you join their rewards programme, often sending members a voucher or free gift to celebrate.
However, if every account is linked to your actual birthday, you could find yourself bombarded with dozens of offers at once – many of which expire before you have the chance to use them. Instead, savvy shoppers are encouraging people to spread their birthdays across different months of the year.
The trick is simple – keep the same day of the month but change the month whenever you sign up to a new rewards programme.
For example, if your birthday falls on 20 July, you could use 20 January for one loyalty scheme, 20 March for another, 20 May for a different retailer and so on.
That way, you’ll receive birthday rewards throughout the year instead of all at once.
Keeping the day the same also makes the system much easier to remember, as you’ll know to check your emails around the same date each month for any vouchers or freebies.
The hack has proved popular with bargain hunters, who say it helps ensure fewer rewards go to waste while giving them something to look forward to throughout the year.
Of course, it’s worth remembering that not every retailer offers birthday gifts, and some may ask customers to verify their date of birth or require them to have been a member for a certain amount of time before qualifying for a reward.
Others may also have terms and conditions stating that the information provided should be accurate, so it’s always worth checking the rules before signing up.
Commenting on this hack, one Reddit user said: “That’s brilliant.” Another added: “Every time I’ve ever tried to get a birthday freebie it always required some type of proof.”
A third user said: ” I’ve been doing this for years and no one’s ever asked for ID because you enter your birth date on the website and they email you a coupon and you show them the barcode to scan.”
