I was a nerdy, smart kid with my nose perpetually in a book and that trait carried over into adulthood. I'm the guy at the end of the bar more interested in reading my Kindle than socializing with strangers. Yet I've never been offered freebies based on how much I read or how smart I am! Oh, to be a kid again.
There are a lot of other websites with outdated information on freebies for good grades. I only included offers I could verify to some degree, but I strongly encourage you check with your own locations no matter what! Since these restaurants are usually franchises, offers heavily vary by location.
That said, here are all the places that give free stuff for good grades!
Good Grade Rewards
Allstate – Full-time students getting good grades qualify for their Smart Student Discount. They don't specify what constitutes “good grades,” nor do they say what the savings will be, so you'll need to ask your personal agent.
Amica – They have a form you can fill out requesting a good grade discount.
Chuck E. Cheese – Anybody can print their Super Student Award 🙂 It's a redeemable certificate for 10 free tokens per day, however a food purchase is required.
Farmer's Insurance – They have a “good student” promo where full-time students in high school or college under the age of 25 may qualify for a discount as long as they have good grades.
Financial Institutions – Hundreds of small banks, credit unions, and even insurance companies offer rewards for good grades as well! I highly suggest checking the website of any smaller institution you're with, as well as asking your local branch. I've seen some small banks offering up to $25 for good grades! Others offered smaller cash rewards, discounts, and other prizes.
I wish these offers had been around when I was a kid. I would have made some serious cash!
Geico – They offer a “good student discount” on insurance that's available when driving aged teens maintain a B average or better.
Jason's Deli – They replaced their old JDPickleCards offer with a new Kids Cash system. Kids under 12 got a free kid's meal at participating locations.
Liberty Mutual – You'll need a GPA of B or better in order to trigger their good student discount.
Nationwide – Students drivers aged 16 – 24 who maintain a B average qualify for a discount on auto insurance. Homeschooled students also qualify if they score in the top 20% of a test's national performance.
Pizza Hut – Pizza Hut used to have a site dedicated to this, but I believe it's since degraded to a “location specific” freebie. I'd definitely call ahead and ask! Hopefully they still recognize the great and classic Pizza Hut good grades deal. Seriously, I can remember getting this freebie in the late 80s!
Each marking period, any child who has 3 A's or the equivalent thereof, will receive one Personal Pan Pizza and a small soft drink or carton of milk by presenting his or her report card to the manager. This offer is good for Elementary and Middle School students. Dine-in only. Students must be present and the original report card must be presented.
Progressive – Save an additional 10% in most states just by maintaining a B average or better.
State Farm – Their “Good Student Discount” lets you save up to 25% if your teen driver gets good grades. These savings may last until your teen turns 25. Homeschoolers may also qualify with other options, such as submitting evidence they've taken certain national standardized tests administered within the past 12 months and ranked in the upper 20%.
Regional Good Grade Freebies
A lot of restaurants responded to my outreach by saying some sort of variation of “you'll need to check with your local location to see if they're participating and what they're offering.” This is a common situation for chains that operate franchises, since each location owner is free to set their own promotions.
- Applebee's – While not quite nationwide, they confirmed on Twitter that it's up to your local restaurant as to whether or not they give out freebies for good grades. Many of the largest Applebee's franchises offer an “A is for Applebee's” reward program, where students 12 and under can get a free meal from the Kid's Menu if they receive an A on their report card.
Your best bet is searching for “A is for Applebee's” on Google and then adding your city or state. Many other freebie sites erroneously say this is a nationwide deal, but it's a great example of what kind of offer you can expect if your local franchise participates.
- Baskin Robbins – They also confirmed on Twitter that giving away free scoops is “at the discretion of each franchise owner.” So call your local creamery!
- Coldstone Creamery – They responded to my inquiry with “Hi, our stores are individually owned and operated. For special promotions and offers such as this, please reach out to your local store.” So it sounds like this might still be active on a regional basis.
- Culver's – They said “Thanks for asking! Each restaurant is family owned and operated and they make decisions like this, so feel free to reach out to your local Culver's to see if they do anything”
- IHOP – They said “Check your local restaurants for information on this!”
- Krispy Kreme – Free original glazed donut for each A, up to a half-dozen. They said on Twitter that “It varies by location, check with your local shop!”
- Marco's Pizza – Free one-topping pizza, but they said on Twitter “Thanks for reaching out. Because our stores are locally owned and operated, we suggest contacting your local Marco's Pizza directly.”
- Sonic – They say “promotions vary by drive-in, we recommend contacting your local SONIC directly for the most up-to-date information. Thank you!”
That's a plot of potential free food for good grades!
Unconfirmed & Outdated Offers
Other sites report the following companies give freebies for good grades, but I've been unable to verify these claims on a nationwide basis. I've reached out to the following companies on Twitter, so please feel free to also message them and help get an answer 🙂
In the meantime, before trying to redeem any of these below, I'd make sure you call ahead first.
- Bob Evans – As of 2019, the Star Student program “is not a program that is currently active at our restaurants.” A lot of other freebie sites say you can get a free scoop of ice cream with good grades from Bob Evans, but I can't find any confirmation on this.
- Burger King – Free hamburger or ice cream cone for scoring 100% on a test. This sounds crazy regional, so I would contact your local BK to see if they're participating.
- Cheryl's Cookies – Their Cookies for A's program is for K-8th grade students, but I can't find any information regarding this year.
A very popular program at Cheryl's is the Cheryl's Cookies for A's. Students present their report cards at retail locations and receive a free cookie per A, for up to 3 A's they have earned.
- Chick-fil-A – Free 8 pack of nuggets if you have all A's and B's on a report card. They are one of the hardest companies to get a corporate response from, but I've once again reached out to them and will report back here if/when they respond.
- McDonald's – K-5 grade students with straight A's get a free Happy Meal. 6-12 grade students get a free Value Meal.
- Red Robin – Some sites claim students aged 10 and under get a free kids meal and students aged 11 and up get a free Monster Milkshake.
- The Melting Pot – The Boca Raton, FL location used to offer a free three or four course meal for straight A's, but I'm not seeing any information for this year.
- Wendy's – Other sites claim a report card with As and Bs will get a free dessert, but I see no official confirmation on this.
I'll keep this list updated as I find new offers, so if you find anything I missed, please let me know in the comments.
