'GMA' savings guide: Discounts and freebies on food, fun and more to help you save
As prices on everyday items continue to rise, it's more important than ever to find ways to get more with less.
Some businesses and retailers have small perks, discounts, and in some cases even freebies, that all add up and can help your bottom line.
"Good Morning America" has rounded up a selection of current nationwide offers available through rewards programs to giveaways and more to help you save. As always, contact retailers for any questions and read the fine print. New discounts will be added, so be sure to save this page.
Food and drinks
Smashburger: $5 hot crispy chicken sandwiches.
Smashburger is turning up the heat and bringing back its Scorchin' Hot Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Customers can grab one for $5 when they order online or in store through Sept. 30.
Carl's Jr. & Hardee's: Perks for rewards members.
The fast-food chain has a new rewards program and customers who join will get their choice of a free Western Bacon Cheeseburger, Famous Star, or Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich just for signing up.
Domino's Pizza: $5.99 Mix & Match two or more menu items.
The pizza chain has an ongoing Mix & Match Deal that allows customers to order any two or more items from its menu for $5.99 each when carrying out. The deal includes a selection of medium two-topping pizzas, breads such as stuffed cheesy bread, chicken, salads, sandwiches and more. Domino's also has an assortment of additional coupons available on its site for online ordering.
Jimmy John's: Free subs for rewards members.
When customers join the sandwich shop's Freaky Fast Rewards program, they can earn a free eight-inch sandwich after the first order through the app.
Krispy Kreme: Sweet doughnut deals every week until Labor Day, including free doughnuts.
Krispy Kreme has sweet summer deals for doughnut lovers. The beloved doughnut franchise is giving customers free Original Glazed Doughnuts every day until Sept. 5. When the Hot Light is on in the store window, that means there are fresh doughnuts available and customers can request their free treat. You can check your local Krispy Kreme's Hot Light hours ahead of time on the company's website.
Also, every Wednesday, Krispy Kreme is inviting customers to "Beat the Pump" by offering a dozen Original Glazed doughnuts (which typically costs $11.99) for the average price of one gallon of regular gas. Prices are updated weekly on Tuesdays and the deal runs through Aug. 31.
Steak n' Shake: Half-off drinks and shakes during Happy Hour.
Happy Hour isn't only for cocktails. Steak n' Shake offers half off drinks and shakes from 2-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Shake Shack: Buy-one-get-one shakes during Milkshake Happy Hour.
If Shake Shack is your speed, customers can earn a free milkshake with any shake ordered online or through the app during their Milkshake Happy Hour. The promotion runs weekdays from 2 - 5p.m. until Aug. 31.
Auntie Anne's: Free pretzels when you download the Pretzel Perks app.
Auntie Anne's is celebrating the "Dough Days of Summer," by offering a free Original or Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel when customers sign up for the company's Pretzel Perks. Download the app on a Wednesday in August to receive your free treat.
Sonic Drive-In: Half-price drink and sandwich deals.
Sonic Drive-In is helping you beat the summer heat with drink deals every day. Visit Sonic during its "Happy Hour" from 2-4 p.m. for half-price drinks and slushies -- or if you don't want to wait for your discount, order online or in the app for half-priced drinks all day. The restaurant has also combined two comfort foods into one delicious sandwich, the Grilled Cheese Double Burger, which customers can get half-off when ordering in the app or online through Aug. 28, 2022.
McDonald's: A week full of back-to-school deals.
McDonald's is trying to make the back-to-school transition a bit easier with a week full of tasty discounts that are college course-themed. Starting on Monday Aug. 15, customers can get a McChicken sandwich for $1.01. On Tuesday Aug. 16, the chain is offering a Chicken or Sausage McGriddle and a large Coffee for $2.01. Wednesday Aug. 17 features 10 McNuggets for $3.01. On Thursday Aug. 18 you can score a Big Mac and medium Fries for $4.01.
If customers have "perfect attendance" all four days, they can double their MyMcDonald’s Rewards points on an order anytime from Aug. 22-31 for extra credit.
All of the deals are available in the McDonald's app.
Entertainment and Activities
AMC Theaters: $5 movie deals on Tuesdays.
Just in time for summer blockbuster season, the movie theater chain is offering customers $5 movie deals every Tuesday through October to members of its free AMC Stubs ticket program.
Ticketmaster: Score summer concert and sports tickets for less.
For those wanting to see a concert or sporting event, check out Ticketmaster's Ticket Deals. The company has a number of promos such as 2-for-1 tickets or Me+3, a discounted price for four tickets, specific to your area.
Amazon: Save $5 when you spend $20 on select books.
Need a few books to add to your summer reading list? Amazon is giving readers $5 off when they spend $20 or more on select books including, "It Ends with Us" by Colleen Hoover, "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens and more.
Kids Bowl Free: Kids Bowl Free at participating bowling alleys across the U.S.
Nearly 1,500 bowling alleys across the U.S. and Canada are participating in the Kids Bowl Free program, which allows kids to play two free bowling games a day all summer long. Each alley has its own guidelines on what dates and times are available for free bowling, whether shoe rentals are included and maximum age cutoffs. To find out what alleys in your area are participating, visit the Kids Bowl Free website.
Travel
Disney: Disney+ subscribers can save up to 25% on rooms at Disney Resort hotels.
Disney, the parent company of "Good Morning America," is offering up to 25% off rooms at select Disney Resort hotels to Disney+ subscribers. The offer lasts until Sept. 30.
Hertz: Travelers ages 50 and over receive 20% off rentals. Hertz's Fifty Plus program allows customers over the age of 50 to save 20% off base rates for rental cars.
VRBO: Save 20% when you book a new listing on the vacation home rental site.
VRBO has millions of vacation home listings across the world. The company offers 20% off rental fees for new listings posted to the site. This helps both renters and property owners alike: New properties are more likely to be discovered and receive reviews from renters, and vacationers can save on their nightly rate. It's a win-win!
Southwest Airlines: One-way tickets starting at $59.
If you're in need of a last minute end-of-summer getaway, check out Southwest Airlines' fall sale. The airline advertises one-way Wanna Get Away fares starting at $59 and Wanna Get Away Plus fares as low as $79, for tickets booked by Aug. 26.
Southwest also has a Low Fare Calendar where you can track flight pricing for your desired destination and month so you can easily monitor what the most cost-effective options are.
This story was originally published on July 14, 2022.
