15 easy freebies that anyone can claim this January

Incl beer, tea, photo prints & make-up

Becky Mott

Updated 21 January 2020 | Created 14 January 2020

Everybody's freeeeee to feel good. Which is why I've rounded up these 15 easy-to-nab freebies to get your year going off with a bang.

January can be a tough time for many and it's the little perks in life that can help us get through it. So if you find yourself in times of trouble, this freebie blog is here for you, speaking words of wisdom, let it free-bie!

Treating yourself doesn't have to be costly and I'm going to show you how. I've calculated if you were to take advantage of all these rewards, you'd nab up to £35 of free goodies. Yet that figure doesn't include our blagged 7-day bootcamp (norm £70), so if that's your kinda thing you could actually bag £100+ of freebies all in all.

Yet if you're lucky enough not to have the January blues, or if you simply don't need all these freebies, you could always pass them on to someone else who does.

Free drinks

Doing ‘Dry January’? You can get a soft drink with the offer above, plus see our free hot drinks deals below. You can also download the free official ‘Dry January’ app, which helps track the units and calories you haven’t consumed, as well as showing you how much money you’ve saved not drinking.
Later this month: Free beer, wine or G&T, plus free whisky. From Fri 31 Jan until Thu 6 Feb, simply register using the Young’s ‘On Tap’ app to receive a complimentary drink – includes pints of beer, 175ml glass of wine or single G&T – in participating Young’s pubs across the country. Plus if you want something to warm the cockles or help ward off the sniffles (maybe, I'm not a doctor), you can celebrate on Burns night with a free dram of Glenfidditch whisky from Fri 24 Jan until Sat 25 Jan.

Free tea and coffee

There's nothing greater than hearing the word free before tea or coffee. According to the British Coffee Association (BCA), the UK's average coffee consumption is 95 million cups a day (roughly half of that is the MSE office). So why not nab all the free cuppas you can get with these free tea and coffee deals:

Hot drink at Greggs. If you download the Greggs app (available on Apple and Android devices) and sign up to an account, you can choose any regular size hot drink for free including tea, cappuccino, etc.
Hot drink at Caffè Nero. O2 customers can get a free hot drink from midday every Tue or Wed via the O2 Priority Moments app. Show the code from the app at the checkout but be quick as codes are limited. If you're not on O2 there's a way that anyone can get it. See our full write-up for info.
Free cup of tea or filter coffee at Ikea. Got an Ikea Family card? When you shop in store you can get a free cup of tea or filter coffee when you swipe your card at the in-store restaurant. If you don't have one, you can sign up for free online or in store and claim the freebie right away.

Free food

In the mood for free food? I think the answer to that question will always be yes.

Here are a few ways you can find it:

McDonald's daily deals, eg, free milkshake & fries Until Sun 26 Jan, McDonald's is offering a new deal every day when you order via its app, some of which have already been freebies and there are more still to come. For example, last Friday it was free fries up for grabs (and will be again this Friday), and this Thursday you can bag a free milkshake. Other deals have included free cheese melt dippers, a free McMuffin and a free bacon butty. Keep checking the app for new deals every day if you’re lovin’ it.
Take leftover food from your neighbours. It's not as bad as it sounds, I promise. Food sharing app Olio allows people to offer food out to their local community to cut down on waste. For more on how it works, see our full Free Food guide.
Free Krispy Kreme doughnut. Go nuts for doughnuts! When you first sign up to Krispy Kreme's newsletter, you'll get a free original glazed doughnut. You can get it in all of Kirspy Kreme's standalone stores, plus concessions at Tesco and service stations.
Free KFC hot wings, popcorn chicken, fries etc. You can get a free KFC side at most UK branches when you download its free 'Colonel's Club' app and register a new account. You don't have to purchase any food or drink, you can just claim the freebie.

Free photo prints

10 free 6"x4" photo prints delivered. We've blagged 10 free 6"x4" photo prints delivered for any new customers using the FreePrints app. No strings attached, all you need to do is follow the link via your phone or tablet and choose which snaps you like.

Fitness for free

At this time of year, it's natural to be in the mindset of getting back in shape. Anyone can put on a pair of trainers and go for a run or exercise at home, though if you'd rather work out at a gym or as part of a group, there are ways to do this for free:

Free 1-5 day gym passes. Many gyms let you test the waters and offer free gym passes. You don't have to sign up into a contract and can use the facilities. The length of the passes varies between gyms, and if it's more than one day these normally have to be used on consecutive days.
7-day bootcamp pass. Be Military Fit (formerly British Military Fitness) runs outdoor bootcamp-style sessions at 140 locations across the UK. We've a code to get a totally free 7-day pass to be used on consecutive days until Sat 1 Feb. While you can't technically buy a 7-day pass as such, I reckon this freebie's worth about £70 based on the cost of Be Military Fit monthly membership and its normal session pricing.
NHS fitness app. If you'd rather not be indoors at the gym, there's a free NHS fitness app 'Active 10' available on Apple/iOS and Android devices. It's designed to monitor your steps and encourage you to get more active.

For more ways to get fit for free, see our Free Fitness Videos & Smartphone Apps blog.

Free beauty samples

Debenhams Beauty Club. If you sign up to the Debenhams free beauty loyalty card, you can occasionally get free beauty samples, which can sometimes be full-sized products worth up to £10ish. At the moment, you can bag a Clarins Re-boost hydrating cream sample, but go quick as stock is limited.
Glamour Beauty Club. Tried and tested by myself and MSE Holly (it's a tough job, but someone has to do it), Glamour magazine has its own 'Beauty Club' that gives you occasional free beauty samples, delivered to your door. I've been using this for months and have received some great mini testers. So far, MSE Holly has received Kat Von D eyeliner, Boss 'The Scent' and Chanel 'Coco Mademoiselle' perfume, Burts Bees night cream, Givenchy mascara, Dior foundation and Nivea shower mousse.

Are there any other freebies you know about? Please share with us in the comments below or on Twitter @MSE_Deals.

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15 easy freebies that anyone can claim this January