Get Freebies from Local Businesses using the Paypal Mobile App

Every once in a while there's a deal that just seems too good to be true. When a friend excitedly told me he had gotten free breakfast for a week using the PayPal App, I was skeptical. But never one to pass up a chance for a freebie, I downloaded the app to see what the hype was all about. Here's the skinny:

What is Paypal? An international e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet (Thanks Wikipedia!) Or in other words, it's a way to pay for items without cash or a physical credit card

How does it work? Once you've downloaded the app onto your phone (it's free and compatible for iOS, Android and Windows Phones), you link your account to an existing credit or debit card. You'll be asked to take a photo so that when you make a purchase, participating retailers can verify your identity. The app uses your location to display restaurants and retailers that accept Paypal in the area. Then you can select a restaurant and in some cases order ahead.

How can I get free stuff? The app's "Offer" section is where you'll find freebies and discounts. Businesses that are doing promotions are displayed in this section. The Bean, Pomme Frites, Viva Crepe, and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream are among the business that currently have offers which range from $3 to $10 off any purchase. What's great is that unlike a lot of couponing apps, there's no minimum purchase. In fact, you can redeem the offer for less than the promotional price and save the rest for another visit. For example, I used the $3 off offer at The Bean for an ice coffee and still have 50 cents I can use the next time I order there.

So go ahead and treat yourself to a free cone or coffee or muffin- you deserve it for being so frugal! 

Enjoy Free Gourmet Treats from TableHoppingNY!

TableHoppingNY is a company that partners with restaurants throughout New York to connect customers with culinary experiences in the city. It is a great resource to find restaurants, bars, and events according to your specific tastes and neighborhood. As an added perk, members of TableHopping's mailing list regularly receive exclusive offers for free treats. Registration is easy and, of course, free! Simply fill out their registration form (click here) and you'll begin receiving emails with their exclusive offers. Once you are notified of an offer, simply confirm receipt of the email and they will send you a second email with a confirmation number to show the restaurant when you redeem the offer. Over the past three months, I've received offers for a personal chicken pot pie from Tuckshop, a cupcake from Billy's Bakery, an ice cream sandwich from Melt Bakery, and an order of Pommes Frites among other things. Most of the offers are valid for a limited time so be sure to redeem them promptly after receiving the email. What could be better than opening you're email just to find out that there's a free ice cream sandwich waiting for you just down the street!

Free Yogurt Day on Monday September, 23rd!

Alert frozen yogurt fans! This Monday, Yogurtland is celebrating CBS Premiere Week with free frozen yogurt. Just redeem the online offer on their Facebook page and they'll email you a coupon for 5 oz of the good stuff free! (Link here). There are four locations in New York, including one just a few blocks from FIT for all my fellow classmates. And they also recently opened one in Park Slope! My personal flavor recommendation? Their praline and pecan yogurt. Super yummy!

NYC Yogurtland Locations:

Lenox Hill

1275 First Ave @ 69th St

Midtown

358 Seventh Ave @ 29th St

Downtown

420 Amsterdam Avenue

Corner of Chamber St

Park Slope

207 Seventh Ave @ 4th St

Check out their website for more details about flavors, nutrition, and locations!

Get Free Stuff with Wrapp Mobile App

Before I launch into how amazing Wrapp is, I would like to point out that they did not paid me to write this glowing review. They should have, considering how much I'm going to rave about them but, as Tech Nine would say, "they ain't payin' me for it, at least not yet." (Caribou Lou, anyone?). So when I say Wrapp is amazing, you can trust that it's coming from the most sincere of places.

Currently in my Wrapp wallet

So what is Wrapp? It's a gift giving service that allows members to give and recieve free (or paid if you choose) gift cards to their Facebook friends. You can access the service through their website or download the free app. I recommend getting the app since some of the gifts can only be redeemed in-store via a mobile device. Gifts are stored in your "wallet" and can be used either in-store or online depending on the vendor.  The first gift I received was for Fab.com which I used to buy a cute cat print which is now on my wall. I paid only for shipping. And the $5 H&M gift I received for my birthday got me a pair of sandals from the fast-fashion retailer for close to nothing. Some of the free gifts I've given to my Facebook friends include $10 to H&M, $5 to American Apparel, and $10 to PACT.  Gifts are sent either via Facebook or email. All your friends have to do is download the app as well, and they'll be able to redeem their gifts. It's literally like giving away free money! And there is no limit (or at least I haven't encountered any) for the number of gifts you give. So feel free to go hog wild!

Wrapp is really a great resource. Many of the vendors sell items for amounts comparable to the gift amount so you can potentially get free stuff. Or you can use the gifts towards bigger purchases. If you're lucky enough to be my Facebook firiend, let me know if you want me to send you a free gift, I'd be happy to do so :)

Free Donuts for National Donut Day

If you're a foodie like me, all you've been hearing about recently is the Cronut craze. The new dessert is taking NYC by storm and quite frankly, I'm offended. As a lover of both donuts and croissants, I firmly believe that they should be enjoyed separately and never mixed! Luckily for me, tomorrow June 7th is National Donut Day; a chance for all of us to celebrate donuts in their original form. And what better way to do so than with free donuts! The Krispy Kreme at 2 Penn Plaza (Amtrak Level) will be giving away free donuts all day.  Dunkin Donuts is also offering a free donut with any beverage purchase in honor of the holiday. And Canadian pastry purveyor Tim Hortons is getting into the spirit with this coupon for a free donut with any purchase.

Happy National Donut Day everyone!

Get a Free Shake Shack Burger!

If you've ever walked past Madison Square Park on a summer day, you've seen the line of people snaking through the park waiting to get their hands on a juicy Shake Shack burger. Having never tried one (I'm not one to wait more than forty-five minutes for a meal), I can't attest to their deliciousness. But according to everyone I've ever talked to, they're to die for. And today through Wednesday, May 22nd, you can get one free! 

How? Delta Airlines is preparing for the launch of JFK Terminal 4, part of a rejuvenation project at JFK airport. The new terminal will feature restaurants from several world-renowned chefs including (you guessed it) Shake Shack! Part of Delta's marketing strategy was to open T4X, a pop-up space in Soho where visitors can "preview JFK T4’s new state-of-the-art features." Today through Wednesday between 11 AM and 3 PM they're giving out vouchers for free Shake Shack burgers at participating locations! But buyer beware: the website specifically says "while supplies last" without any indication of how many vouchers they plan to give out. It's a marketing ploy to pull people into the pop-up space and supplies are surely limited. If you're really interested in scoring a free burger voucher, I'd suggest going this morning. They're sure to go fast!

JFK T4X POP UP

376 WEST BROADWAY AT BROOME STREET

Website

Facebook Page

Twitter

Daylight Savings Brings Free Doughnuts

              It's hard to believe that it's almost time to set our clocks ahead. Although I'm none to pleased to be losing an hour of sleep on March 10th, I am excited for the longer days, increased sunshine, and warmer weather that daylight savings time signifies. And this year, I'm even more excited because Krispy Kreme is offering a free original glazed doughnut to every guest who stops by one of their shops on Sunday. Only select locations are participating in the offer (full list here) but luckily their 24 hour spot in Penn Station is one of the chosen. And as an added bonus, if you sign up for their Friends of Krispy Kreme program, you'll get a coupon via email valid for a free doughnut of your choice. The coupon is good for ten days after you sign up so that's potentially two free doughnuts in one day.  With new flavors like their Cookies and Creme Doughnut (yep...topped with Oreos!) and old favorites like the Glazed Cruller and Boston Creme, I dare you to not sign up!

Side note- The latest issue of Saveur Magazine is devoted to doughnuts and is filled with lots of fun, interested doughnut facts. Here's one I didn't know: Doughnuts did not always have a hole in them. The practice of cutting out the middle of the pastry began when doughnuts started being mass-produced so that they would cook more evenly in a shorter amount of time. 

Add that to your collection of useless facts!

Get a Free Small Plate at California Pizza Kitchen!

California Pizza Kitchen is a great family restaurants that specializes in innovative, oven-baked pizzas. Prices are good and portions are hearty. They have locations throughout the United States and luckily one on Park Ave South. As a means to promote their new small plate menu (found here) and to say thank you to all their loyal customers, the restaurant is offering a free small plate to customers until January 31st. Choose from one of six scrumptious options and get it totally free. Be warned that these are, in fact "small plates" so don't expect a full dinner. They are snack size dishes that should be ordered as a quick nosh or in combination with a drink or two at the bar. I stopped by last night and ordered the Asparagus and Arugula Salad. Very tasty and completely complimentary! Print this coupon to get your free small plate too!

Asparagus and Arugula Salad

California Pizza Kitchen

440 Park Avenue South

(212) 685-6700

Free "Skinny Slice" at Sbarro

For all you health freaks and pizza lovers (can you be both?) tomorrow's your lucky day. Sbarro is handing out free slices of their new "Skinny Slice." Advertised as being only 271 calories, each slice is topped with portobella mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted red and green peppers, and soft mozzarella cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. All you have to do is like Sbarro on Facebook and print the coupon. Not all Sbarro locations are participating in the giveaway but there are still several in NYC who will be handing them out. Check out the list below to see where you can get your free slice.

In Manhattan...

• 34th Street
• 5th Avenue And 46th St
• 33rd And 7^th
• 701 7th Avenue
• 49th And Broadway

And for you outer-borough folks...

• Kings Plaza Mall
• Staten Island Mall

I'll be dreaming of the cheesy goodness tonight! 

Japadog on the House

I was walking through Union Square the other night on my way home from work. As usual, there were a bevy of people handing out flyers on the street. Anyone who lives in New York City can attest that this is an annoyance and most people just avoid the flyer-wielding individuals. Which is what I did, until I heard one of them utter "free". My ears perked up and I immediately strolled over to one. Lo and behold, they were passing out coupons for a free hot dog at Japadog! If you're unfamiliar with Japadog, it is a restaurant that specializes in Japanese hot dogs who recently opened a branch at St. Mark's Place. With toppings like seaweed, pickled ginger, miso sauce, fried cabbage, and noodles these hot dogs are truly an Asian taste adventure. I redeemed my coupon yesterday for a Terimayo dog. Teryaki sauce, Japanese mayo, and seaweed topped the hearty beef hot dog.

Japadog is definitely not a budget restaurant. The Terimayo usually retails for $4.51 (and is the least expensive dog on the menu). But don't fret! While I was dining, I spied some of the employees organizing another stack of coupons. Head down to Union Square and you may find yourself with a free Japadog coupon! It's well worth it!

Free Pancakes at IHop!

It all started on Monday, when the L train was delayed. Flustered, I decided to walk instead of spending my evening trapped in the train. While I was strolling along, I stumbled across an IHop. Yes, an IHop in Manhattan! Right on 14th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. I could barely contain my excitement and when I got home, I immediately logged onto their website figuring they would offer some sort of freebie for signing up with their email club. I was right! Within one day I had received the coupon below for a free Rooty Tooty Combo (or any item on the menu of equal or lesser value!). Two of my friends signed up too and we made a (free) evening of it last night. Nothing beats chocolate pancakes for dinner...unless they're free! Follow this link to get your very own coupon. Just beware, the fine print on the coupon says there is a limit of one per customer, per table. We still all got our meals for free but I'd double check with your waiter before ordering, just in case.

Free Dessert at Edible Arrangements

Pineapple dipped in chocolate? Yes, please. For free? Hold this girl back!

Now through Sunday September 23rd, Edible Arrangements is offering a voucher for a free "Lovely Cupcake Pineapple Pop." Simply print out the coupon, fill out your personal info, and bring it to a store. There are locations in Brooklyn, the East Village, Midtown West, and the Upper East and West Side. I stopped by their location on St. Mark's Place to pick up mine. What a perfect (free) way to end the night. Bon Appetit!