Ikea ‘freebies’. Claim an instant ‘free’ hot dog, £1,000 gift card or family holiday to Sweden

This is basically a prize draw for those shopping in store (not online) but a good one, because everyone wins something – it might be a hot dog (norm 60p) you can enjoy right away, or you could be really lucky and scoop a family trip to Sweden with £500 spending money.

All you need to do is scan a code from your receipt by Sun 12 Mar in participating stores (see below). The promotion launched on Mon 16 Jan, so receipts are valid from that date. We spoke to Ikea on Wed 1 Mar and it confirmed the offer’s still running in all of the participating stores, but it wouldn’t tell us how many of the bigger prizes are still up for grabs. However, everyone can at least still bag a smaller freebie.

Sounds like a good deal, but what’s the catch?

You have to buy something

This shouldn’t be too much of problem as anyone who’s ever been to Ikea knows how difficult it is to leave empty-handed. Yet if you do manage to navigate the Ikea maze without so much as a candle or a cactus falling into your trolley, you could always pick something up to try your luck in the draw.

Normally, we wouldn’t suggest spending money just to enter a competition, but as a win of some kind is guaranteed, grabbing a 40p beer glass or a 35p ice pack (both useful items and the cheapest we could find) will at least save you 20p on a hot dog, but, you never know, may possibly win you a seriously hot prize.

You need an Ikea Family card before you pay

To be entered into the giveaway, you need to scan an Ikea Family card when you pay (Ikea Family is just its free loyalty card, you can sign up online or in store).

When you initially sign up, it can take up to four weeks for the plastic card to arrive. Yet you’ll still be eligible for the freebies – just give your membership number at the till when you pay. You’ll find your membership number on the temporary paper card you’re given when signing up (you’ll need to print the card yourself if you sign up online).

You can also sign up using the Ikea app, which you can download for free on both Google Play and Apple App Store. You can then show your membership number via the app at the till in stores.

How to claim your freebie

1. When paying, swipe your Ikea Family card at the checkout. If you’ve only just signed up and don’t yet have a plastic card, show your temporary paper card at the checkout (or you can just quote the membership number from it). This is an in-store only promo.

2. To find out what you’ve won, take your receipt (which will have a unique code printed on it) to the Ikea Family kiosk in store and get it scanned. Alternatively, enter the code from your receipt on Ikea’s Swipe A Surprise website (winners at Ikea Wembley can only discover their prize this way online).

3. You’ll be issued a voucher saying what prize you’ve won. Smaller prizes can be claimed instantly. Winners of larger prizes (eg, Sweden holiday) will need to give their details to a duty manager who will pass them to a prize fulfilment company.

In theory, you can obtain multiple codes in one day by splitting items into two or more transactions. However, before you start thinking up tricks (eg, clearing the shelves of all the spatulas and putting them on separate receipts), bear in mind you can only claim one freebie per cardholder, per day, and the last date to claim is Sun 12 Mar.

The T&Cs do state it’s “subject to availability” so if all the free gifts are claimed before the end date, Ikea could decide to end the promotion early. Of course, it’ll more likely keep dishing out the cheaper prizes to all others who enter just to keep everyone happy. Who ever heard of Ikea running out of hot dogs anyway?

Not every Ikea’s participating

This promotion isn’t running at Ikea’s Croydon and Tottenham stores, or at its Aberdeen, Birmingham Central, Norwich and Westfield Stratford City order and collection points.

The participating stores are Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh, Gateshead, Glasgow, Lakeside, Leeds, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Reading, Southampton, Warrington and Wembley.

Prizes will be selected at random

There’s a full breakdown of each of the prizes in Ikea’s T&Cs, but here’s a summary of what you can win:

• Family holiday in Sweden and £500 spending money – 17 available, one per store
• Swedish cooking class for four in your own home – 17 available, one per store
• Spa stay for one night for four adults – 17 available, one per store
• Gift cards (£1,000, £750, £500, £150 or £50) – 85 nationwide
• Ikea products worth up to £50 (or as little as 95p) – 130,350 nationwide
• £5-£20 vouchers for Ikea to be spent on non-food items – 2,338 nationwide
• £5-£10 Swedish food market vouchers – 8,148 nationwide
• Food vouchers (eg, doughnuts, hot dogs, a family dinner) – 394,456 nationwide

MoneySavers’ success stories

Having covered this offer on multiple occasions, we’ve received plenty of messages from lucky winners. Predictably, lots won hot dogs and doughnuts – but some won bigger prizes too. A few examples:

“Cannot believe it. I won a Sweden holiday for four with £500 spending cash. Keep pinching myself thinking it is a dream. Cannot stop smiling.” – Maureen S

“If you win more than food, claim it another day – you have to swipe your card to claim the prize, which means ANOTHER go! I had a great chain like that last time, including two packs of cutlery, two packs of coat hangers, some large picture frames and several storage boxes – all from a 35p cup!” – Patricia B

“I won a Swedish dinner party in my own home at Lakeside today, looking forward to that!” – Laura Ann D

“I won the £750 gift voucher. ☺️ I’ve bought a lovely new table & chairs ” – Emma C

“I won a doormat. Surprised, because I never win anything. I expected a hot dog.” – Geraldine C

“I won a hot dog, and the next day a picture frame. I’ve two more receipts to try…” – Marion R

“I won a meal for four people in the Ikea restaurant, worth £26.” – Jo W

“Won a £500 gift card! The manager told us to wait and returned after about 15 minutes with the gift card and a box with two champagne glasses and a bottle of their fizzy pear juice! Amazing! Never won anything like that in my life – I’m lucky if I win a prize at the school raffle!” – Andrea A

“I won a doughnut, but they’d run out so I was offered a Danish pastry. They made me pay for the upgrade!” – Nicky K

Will you be trying your luck in Ikea’s prize draw? Maybe you’ve already won big? Leave a comment below, on Twitter at @MSE_Deals.