14 Brands Offering Freebies for Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine

Budweiser thinks vaccinated folks deserve a free beer.
Budweiser thinks vaccinated folks deserve a free beer. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

There are certain things you definitely should do after you’ve gotten your COVID-19 vaccine (like hanging onto your vaccination card) and things you definitely shouldn’t do (like abandoning your mask). And then there are things that you can do, but don’t have to. You can, for example, claim a free Krispy Kreme doughnut, or buy discounted tickets to Cincinnati Reds games.

Those aren’t the only two perks you qualify for after getting the vaccine—read on for all the best freebies.

1. Krispy Kreme

Flash your vaccination card to the Krispy Kreme cashier to get one free Original Glazed doughnut per day, no purchase necessary. You qualify as soon as you’ve received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

2. Budweiser

As Food & Wine reports, Budweiser is offering $5 “Beer on Bud” vouchers to the first 10,000 people who upload a selfie snapped at their vaccination site, a picture of their “I Got Vaccinated” sticker, or a picture of their bandaged upper arm. (You don’t have to share a photo of your vaccination card, and you shouldn’t.) You will have to register for Budweiser’s free “My Cooler Rewards” program to claim your reward; and residents of Alabama, California, and Texas are unfortunately excluded from the promotion.

3. Sam Adams

Sam Adams is sponsoring a similar promotion for the first 10,000 participants—a $7 payment via Cash App. You can earn it by posting a photo of your vaccine sticker or bandage on Instagram or Twitter, hashtagging #ShotforSam, and tagging @samueladamsbeer. If you don’t have social media, you can email your photo to samadamssocial@bostonbeer.com. It’s worth looking over the extensive list of photo restrictions to make sure your pic is appropriate. (It can’t, for example, show any trademarks or copyrights that aren’t affiliated with Samuel Adams. It also can’t depict Santa Claus.)

4. Drop

Rewards app Drop is awarding points redeemable for gift cards to people who post an Instagram selfie with their vaccine sticker (or of them actually getting the shot, though other people can’t be in the photo). Your Instagram account has to be public, you have to geotag your location, and you have to include #DropCOVID and @JoinDrop to qualify. The first 10,000 people will get $50 in points, and the next 10,000 people will earn $20 in points.

5., 6., and 7. Staples, Office Depot, and OfficeMax

Staples, Office Depot, and OfficeMax are all offering free in-store lamination for vaccination cards. The deal at Office Depot and OfficeMax runs through July 25, 2021; you can view the coupon here. According to CBS Boston, Staples will end its promotion on May 1, and the coupon code is 81450.

8. So Good So You

Organic juice company So Good So You will mail you a voucher for a free probiotic juice shot if you’ve gotten your COVID-19 vaccine. The promotion ends June 30, and all you need to do to qualify is fill out a few personal details here.

9. Nathan’s Famous

If you live close enough to the Nathan’s Famous location at New York’s Coney Island to make it there the same day you get a vaccine dose, they’ll give you a free hot dog. Be sure to bring your vaccination card.

10. Junior’s Restaurant

From now through Memorial Day, you can bring your vaccination card to the original Junior’s Restaurant location in downtown Brooklyn, New York, to claim a free mini cheesecake.

11. Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are giving baseball fans the chance to purchase View Level tickets for just $10 if they bring their vaccination card to the ticket window at Great American Ball Park. The promotion applies to home games on Mondays through Thursdays in April and May.

12. Super Duper Burgers

At four locations in downtown San Francisco, Super Duper Burgers will hand you free fries if you show the cashier a social media selfie of you at your vaccination location. The post has to include the hashtag #COVIDVaccine.

13. Up-Down Bar and Arcade

The Midwest arcade chain will give you 20 free tokens if you bring your vaccination card to one of their six arcades (located in Iowa, Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, and Oklahoma) within three weeks of receiving your final dose. The program, called “Tokens for Poke’ns,” is open through July 2021.

14. The Greenhouse of Walled Lake

Now through April 30, you can stop by The Greenhouse in Walled Lake, Michigan, with your vaccination card (or other proof of vaccination) and claim a free pre-rolled joint, courtesy of cannabis company UBaked.