Domino’s Is Offering Free ‘Emergency’ Pizzas to Customers

Few food rivalries are as fierce as the pizza market, with major chains like Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa Johns, and others trying to convince consumers they have better pies than local independent shops. Marketing gimmicks abound, and now Domino’s has gone all in: You can now order a “free emergency pizza.”

The chain is enticing customers to sign up for their Domino’s Rewards program by offering a free medium two-topping pizza to anyone who first makes a qualified order of $7.99 or more. Once you pony up for a regular pie, you’ll be eligible to claim a “free” pizza offer within seven days. After you accept the reward, you’ll then have 30 days to actually redeem the pizza. 

Obviously, this isn’t health insurance, and you don’t need a qualifying event. But Domino’s guesses you might want to redeem your free pizza upon burning dinner, running late, or for a study group.

Domino’s has been behind a number of clever marketing campaigns over the years, including a 2010 ad approach in which they confessed to their pies being subpar and promised to do better as well as a 2018 effort to fill potholes and mark them with a Domino’s logo. (The three dots on the signage represent the first three stores.)

The chain was founded in 1960 by brothers Tom and Jim Monaghan, and Jim handed over his share of the business to Tom in exchange for a 1959 Volkswagen Beetle. According to Tom’s 1986 autobiography, Pizza Tiger, customers needed a different kind of emergency aid early on: When someone refused to pay for a pizza delivery, Tom wrote that he “didn’t hesitate to swing a punch.” 

There are asterisks to this latest offer, of course: You can’t order the pizza on October 31, Halloween, or on New Year’s Eve. Otherwise, you can redeem the pie through Super Bowl Sunday on February 11, 2024.