Life

40 Valentine's Day Deals & Freebies That'll Make Your Wallet Happy

by Mia Mercado
Where to get free food and deals at restaurants and more on Valentine's Day 2020.
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Money can’t buy you love, but it can buy you a pretty bomb Valentine’s Day celebration. Of course, not all of us are looking to take out a loan to afford a nice evening with the one with love the most, be it your spouse, your Tinder crush, or yourself and your Netflix account. If you’re looking for Valentine’s Day deals, exclusives, and freebies, welcome. You’ve come to the correct and frugal spot.

Make no mistake: we go hard on Valentine’s Day. The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts we’ll spend over $27.4 billion on Valentine’s Day 2020 in the U.S. While a 2019 survey from the NRF shows we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day less overall — just over half of all adults said they planned to Valentine’s Day compared to 60% overall in 2009 — we certainly haven’t cut back on spending.

In addition to flowers, cards, jewelry, and chocolate, we collectively spend most of our money on Valentine’s Day on an evening out. That date night — whether it’s dinner at a restaurant or ordering your favorite takeout — add up to $4.3 billion spent, according to the NRF. If you don’t want to go to hard on the wallet this Valentine’s Day, or you just want a few extra affordable goodies in addition to your big-ticket items, there are deals and freebies for you yet. Here are 40 different deals, exclusives, and freebies for Valentine’s Day 2020.

DINNER OUT

Olive Garden

California Pizza Kitchen (runs until Feb. 17): In addition to offering pizza with a heart-shaped crust, CPK is offering a Valentine’s Day meal for two for $35. Love is never having to say “uhhh how are we gonna split this bill?”

Chili’s (until Feb. 29): All month long, you can get a $5 “Hearts on Fire” margarita, made with Maker’s Mark bourbon, Lunazul tequila, Fireball whiskey, fresh sour and cherry grenadine.

Firehouse Subs (after 4 p.m. on Feb. 14): If you don’t have dinner reservations until late on Valentine’s Day, go to Firehouse Subs after 4 p.m. for a pre-dinner dinner. You’ll get a free medium or large sub with the purchase of a medium or large sub, chips, and a drink. Double dinner for everyone!

Fogo de Chão (Feb. 13 - 16): The Brazilian steakhouse is offering a complimentary dining card to couples who eat at the restaurant between Feb. 13 and Feb. 16. That dining card is redeemable for a full churrasco lunch, dinner or Sunday Brunch of equal or greater value. In other words, if you have dinner at Fogo de Chão this Valentine’s Day, you’ll get an additional meal to redeem later for free.

Moe’s (Feb. 14): Moe’s knows the only thing better than queso is free queso. Through the Moe's app, you can get a free side of queso on Valentine’s Day, the perfect gift for any hard-to-shop-for Valentine.

Olive Garden (starting Feb. 13 while supplies last): You can get a bouquet of breadsticks at Olive Garden restaurants, the more delicious alternative to flowers. If you want to take your meal to go, you can get a three course “Valentine’s Day ToGo Dinner for Two” for $34.99.

QDOBA (Feb. 14): In perhaps the most humiliation promotion, the Mexican-style chain is bringing back “QDOBA for a Kiss,” a deal where guests get a free entrée when they purchase an entrée (of equal or greater value) AND share a kiss with anyone or anything. Kiss your girlfriend. Kiss your mom. Kiss your quesadilla. Just do it at a participating location on Feb. 14 if you want it to get you free QDOBA.

Red Lobster (Feb. 10 until supplies last): The seafood restaurant is offering a limited-edition, heart-shaped “You’re My Lobster” boxes filled with warm Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

Ruth's Chris (Feb. 7 - 16): The steak chain is offering two different perfect date night deals : a 40 oz. porterhouse for two for $129 or the Celebration Surf and Turf for $50.

FOOD TO-GO

Papa John's

Auntie Anne’s (Feb. 14): On Valentine’s Day, the pretzel place is offering BOGO heart-shaped pretzels. You’ll need to download the Pretzel Perks app and redeem the offer in-stores to get your buy-one-get-one pretzel.

Baskin Robbins: In addition to their love-themed lineup, you can save $3 on orders of $15 or more with promo code BEMINE when you order ahead of time.

Chick-Fil-A (until Feb. 29): You can get a 30-count order of nugget or a 10-count Chick-n-Mini in a heart-shaped trays. It’s like a box of chocolate but instead of chocolate it’s chicken nuggets. In other words, it is perfect.

Drizly: The alcohol delivery service is Drizly is offering new users $5 off or free delivery with the promo code VDAY2020.

Einstein Bros. Bagels (while supplies last): Einstein’s has heart-shaped bagels in honor of the romantic holiday. There is truly no greater gift than carbs.

Jack In The Box (Feb. 14 - 16): Through the Jack In The Box app, you can get a chocolate overload cake, cheesecake, or five piece mini churros completely free with any purchase. If you're a member of the chain's text/e-club, you can unlock a deal for BOGO shakes.

Kraft (starting Feb. 5): Are you a parent and want a chance to win Kraft mac and cheese? (If you said “yes” to the first question, the second is a gimme.) Go to kraftmacisforlovers.com to enter for the chance to win a new Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Big Bowls. Winners will also receive some romantic goodies like candles, rose petals, and a card. That’s right, Kraft wants you to feed your kids mac & cheese on Valentine’s Day so you and your spouse can boink.

McDonald’s (Feb. 13 – Feb. 17): McDelivery and DoorDash have a deal for you and your Val-, gal-, or palentines this year: $5 off any purchase $15 or more. Just enter the promo code LOVEMCD when you order.

Papa Johns (Feb. 14 - 16): In the ultimate romantic gesture, you can get a heart-shaped pizza for $11 with promo code VALENTINE. If you want to add a double chocolate chip brownie to that, you can use the promo code BEMINE for a $16 dinner and dessert.

Papa Murphy’s: If you’re looking for something semi-homemade, Papa Murphy’s heart-shaped HeartBaker is just $9 and guarantees you’ll have fresh pizza (because you’ll be baking the pre-made pizza at home). You can also get a HeartBaker and a chocolate chip cookie for $12.

CANDY, SWEETS, AND TREATS

Cinnabon (starting Feb. 1): Cinnabon is bringing back heart-shaped CinnaPacks for a limited time. It’s decorative! It’s delicious! It’s a bunch of freakin’ cinnamon buns in honor of Valentine’s Day.

Dunkin’ (Feb. 12 - 15): Dunkin' is partnering with Grubhub to give you six donuts for free! When you make a purchase of at least $10 through the Grubhub app, you'll get a bonus half-dozen donuts at no additional cost. You can also get a 10-count box of Dunkin’s Munchkins donut holes for just $2 at participating locations.

Baked by Melissa: In addition to their spread of Valentine’s Day goodies, Baked by Melissa offered a limited-edition, bite-sized treat topped with edible 24K gold. While the gilded treats are already sold out, you can still get Valentine’s goodies by Friday if you order before 2 p.m. ET on Feb. 13.

Krispy Kreme: The donut chain is bringing back their Valentine's Day heart-shaped donuts that have messages like “Kiss Me” and “bae.” They’re like the now-extinct conversation hearts but they actually taste good.

Mrs. Fields: Still need a Valentine’s Day gift? Mrs. Fields is offering $15 off site-wide with code LOVE.

Sugarpova: Maria Sharapova’s candy line Sugarpova has cute gummy candies in honor of Valentine’s Day. You'll get a free Sporty Gumballs Tennis Can with any order. Plus, if you order $50+ of goodies (which won’t be hard to do), you’ll get free shipping.

Target: If you’re frantically figuring out what to get your significant other, Target has Valentine’s Day candy that will satiate any sweet tooth like Reese’s “love moji" peanut butter cups or Dove dark chocolate and almond candy.

TCBY (Feb. 14): Don’t want to split dessert? TCBY is offering a buy-one-get-one deal on Valentine’s Day. You can go for your favorite or try one of their seasonal flavors like Chocolate Covered Strawberry Swirl or Strawberry & Cream.

Theo Chocolate: Theo’s has a line of limited-edition Valentine’s Day chocolate that includes a 12-piece caramel collection and an 8-piece box of chocolate. Get one for the one you love and make sure to snag an extra for yourself.

Tim Horton's (Feb 14 from 2 p.m. until close): The chain is treating guests to a free heart-shaped donut with the purchase of any sized beverage. You can choose between a venetian cream-filled heart-shaped donut dipped in vanilla fondant topped with sprinkles or a chocolate heart-shaped donut filled with venetian cream, dipped in chocolate fondant and drizzled with pink frosting. Honestly, a little rude for Tim Horton's to make us choose between the two we love the most, but I'll let it slide.

Walmart: Want your sweet treat to be as extra as your love? Check out Walmart’s Oreo cookie dunking set for $17.98 or this giant Ring Pop for just $10.

GIFTS GALORE

Erin Lubin/Whole Foods

Disney: Whether you shop Rocklove jewelry’s Disney collaboration or peruse love-themed gifts from shopDisney, you’ll be able to find a unique Valentine’s Day gift for Disney fans of all ages. Plus, if you order $75+ from shopDisney, you can get free shipping with the code SHOPMAGIC.

Target: Yes, wine is a gift. And yes, you can get an affordable bottle of vino like Rosé Bae or Yes Way Rosé Mini Bubbles from Target.

Walmart: For the spiciest, spice-lover in your life, check out Walmart’s Sriracha Valentine’s Day mug bundle.

Whole Foods (Feb. 7 - 14): Prime members can get two dozen, ethically sourced Whole Trade Guarantee roses for just $19.99, while supplies last. You can also deliver them straight to your Valentine’s door with two-hour delivery, free with a purchase of $35 or more on Amazon.com.

Vinebox: What do you get for the Valentine who has everything? Wine, obviously. If you get two of Vinebox’s Reds and Rosés tasting box, you’ll get 10% off.

DOGS, FREE NUGGS, AND OTHER RANDOM THINGS LOOSELY CONNECTED TO VALENTINE’S DAY

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Dog Adoption Fees from Coors Light (Feb. 4 - 21): If you adopt a dog between Feb. 4 and Feb. 21, Coors light will cover up to $100 in their adoption fees. If you’re 21+, text “COORS4k9” to 28130 with a picture of your pup and their adoption receipt. Dogs are truly the best Valentine you can ask for.

Burger King (Feb. 14 at four participating locations): you can trade a picture of your ex for a free Whopper at participating locations in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Boston.

Hooters (Feb. 14): Still seek food-based revenge? Shred a picture of your ex for free Hooters wings.

Free Chicken Nuggets from Tyson (until Feb. 17): Tyson’s “Chicken Nugget Bouquet Contest” will award a year’s supply of chicken nuggets (and $10,000) to the person who makes the most glorious chicken nugget bouquet. Tweet your DIY nug bouquet to @TysonBrand with the hashtag #nuggetbouquetcontest to enter.

You can also get married at Denny’s for free this year. On Feb. 14 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. you can get married at Denny’s in Las Vegas for $0. That free price tag includes a walk down the aisle, an on-site officiant, a champagne toast, and Wedding Pancake Puppies. Do with that information what you will.

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Keep in mind, availability may vary from location to location or only run while supplies lasts. Best to check with your local restaurant or retailer to see if they're running the deal. Here’s to those of us whose love language is “free stuff.”