Jamba Juice

Jan 17, 2024

| UPDATED: January 17, 2024 at 6:53 a.m. I am so committed to loyalty programs, I can’t even tell you how many I’ve actually joined at this point. Probably enough to fill three or four wallets’ worth of loyalty cards — back when most of them still had physical cards, anyway, as opposed to just apps for your phone. I love earning free/discounted food through these programs, but I’m aware that not all them are worth joining, especially when they require you to do something like buy 25 large pizzas in order to get $1 off your slice (as long as you also purchase 62 orders of chicken wings and a jumbo soda). That said, the one time loyalty programs really pay off is on your birthday. And the deals aren’t limited to the day itself. Most of them give you days or even weeks to cash in. The result is that I can go an incredible amount of time around my birthday without buying a meal — or paying full price for it anyway. Over the years, I’ve wondered how much I’m actually saving while munching on free cookies, fro-yo and pizza. So I decided to keep track as I cashed in tasty bonuses, courtesy of loyalty program birthday coupons and discount codes, from 15 different Bay Area establishments during my monthlong celebration. Here’s the birthday breakdown (in fairly chronological order): 1. Vitality Bowl I kicked off the celebration in relatively healthy fashion by taking advantage of a birthday offer for a free small acai bowl. Mind you, not all the bowls are offered in small sizes — which are nearly Lilliputian in portion — so I went with the company’s eponymous acai offering. Let’s just say I had no problem finishing all of it. Savings: $12.49 2. Jamba Juice I next hit Jamba Juice to slurp down a small Orange C-Booster. It’s not as tasty as the Orange Dream Machine, but it costs more (a bonus for this particular endeavor), and the name sounds healthier. Savings: $9 3. Togo’s The South Bay sandwich purveyor stocked my account with a $10 discount coupon for my birthday, so my large No. 3 (subbing Swiss for cheddar, natch) only cost about $3. Savings: $10 4. Subway Was it worth my time to make a special trip to Subway to collect a single birthday cookie? Do you know how much money that sandwich chain has taken from me over the years with its overpriced turkey sandwiches? Five dollar footlong my foot! Give me my free cookie! Savings: $0.89 Bay Area News Group reporter Jim Harrington enjoys a birthday milkshake at Mooyah in Morgan Hill (Jim Harrington, Bay Area News Group). 5. Mooyah The chance to redeem a birthday offering for a milkshake provided the perfect excuse to reacquaint myself with Mooyah’s great burgers, too. (Which was probably their intention.) Savings: $6.99 6. Baskin Robbins Did Baskins-Robbins invent the birthday club? It feels like the free “31 Flavors” scoop has been part of my birthday celebrations since I was a kids. Of course, the prices have gone up a bit since then. Savings: $4.49 7. Red Robin To my mind, Red Robin makes the finest burgers of any of the major casual dining restaurant chains — and they give you one gratis just for turning a year older. The Banzai Burger — teriyaki-glazed patty topped with grilled fresh pineapple, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo — made for quite the tasty birthday meal. Savings: $14.39 8. Erik’s DeliCafe There’s a lot to like about these NorCal sandwich shops, but topping the list is their moist and savory carrot cake. I greatly enjoyed a free slice for my birthday. Savings: $5.49 9. Rubio’s Coastal Grill Even though I was just about to make my annual winter pilgrimage to the Land of Great Fish Tacos (aka San Diego), I still made time for two blackened mahi mahi numbers, as part of a buy one entree, get one free birthday promotion at San Jose’s sole remaining Rubio’s. Savings: $12.49 Related Articles