The Best Free Food Apps UK
Money is tight for most families at the moment, and it’s more important than ever to know that there are ways you can feed yourself and your family for less. As well as budgeting and meal planning, there are lots of ways that you can get free food too.
Over recent years, apps have really come alive, and there’s an app available for pretty much anything. Here is a breakdown of the best free food apps UK.
Apps that give you free food UK
Some of the best free food apps UK will give you completely free food, whereas others work on a kind of loyalty or points system. Obviously, these have the potential to change, so if you notice an app missing from this list, or you’ve spotted a change in the ways one of these works, then please let me know by dropping a comment in the comments section below this post.
- Olio
- Too Good To Go
- Shopmium
- McDonald’s Rewards
- KFC
- Taco Bell
- Greggs
- Burger King
- Costa Coffee
- Krispy Kreme
- Toby Carvery
- Nando’s
- Beefeater
- Meerkat Meals
- Tastecard
- O2 Priority
- Three +
- Lidl Plus
What is the best free food app UK?
There are only two apps that I’m aware of that give away completely free food, and those are Olio and Shopmium. Shopmium gives away free food to new members, but Olio has free food available every day for anybody who wants it. So, if you haven’t already, then Olio is the first app you should download.
All of the other apps shared here involve spending some money initially, but they’re still worth having and using if you already shop with the relevant retailers.
Olio
The idea behind Olio is to prevent food waste. Shops and individuals can sign up to Olio and list food items that they are giving away for free. And it’s not just limited to food, there is also a section for non-food items too.
Olio is completely free to use for both people giving away surplus food and those taking in the free food. People and stores can list their items along with photographs which you can then click on and request.
If you have some free time on your hands, you can also opt to be a Food Warrior who collects surplus food from retailers and lists it on the app.
Shopmium
Shopmium is a great app for grabbing discounts and freebies in supermarkets. Their offers change regularly so it’s always worth taking a look to see what they have available.
New Shopmium members can claim a completely free tub of Pringles. All you need to do is download the Shopmium app and enter the code AEYHKHAF.
With Shopmium freebies, you will need to head to the relevant shop and buy the products as you usually would. Make sure you keep hold of the receipt though because once you upload it, you’ll receive the cash straight back into your PayPal account.
McDonald’s Rewards
The McDonald’s Rewards app is one of the newest apps that offers free food having only been released in 2022. The app is worth downloading and using even if you don’t eat at McDonald’s regularly.
Every order you make will earn you rewards points which can then be used to redeem a free item such as fries, burgers or coffee. My husband recently had a free McChicken Sandwich with his points. You earn 1 point for every penny you spend and can redeem your first reward when you reach 1500 points.
The app also has money-off coupons regularly, so make sure your notifications are turned on so that you get notified when there
KFC Rewards Arcade
The KFC Rewards Arcade replaces their previous app the Colonel Club. The newer app isn’t quite as generous as the Colonel Club was, but it’s still worth downloading if you ever eat at KFC.
When you buy anything in KFC, scan the QR code in the app before paying. When you spend £3, you will receive an invite via a notification to play a game. You could win free food, a hot drink, or you could end up with nothing, but it’s worth doing as it’s free food at the end of the day!
Taco Bell
With the Taco Bell app, you earn 10 points for every £1 you spend.
- 200 points gets you free churros or cinnamon twists
- 300 points gets you a free Cravings Value menu item
- 500 points gets you any menu item worth up to £6
Use the code CLA1MC2280 when you download the app and you could get free points when you sign up. The offer changes regularly.
Greggs
When you first download the Greggs app, you’ll receive a free hot drink and a free bake.
Every time you make a purchase using the Greggs app, you will earn a stamp. Once you’ve earned 9 stamps you’ll be able to claim a free item. However, there is a bit of a twist with this one. Greggs separate purchases into different categories, and you’ll need to earn 9 stamps in a category in order to get another item in that same category free of charge. For example, you’ll need to collect 9 stamps in the sandwiches category in order to get a free sandwich, or you can get a free hot drink once you’ve collected 9 stamps in the hot drinks category.
The Greggs app isn’t the best of the bunch by any stretch of the imagination, but if you do treat yourself to a Greggs lunch every now and then, it’s worth collecting the stamps anyway.
Burger King
Burger King have the YourBurgerKing app which gives you points every time you make a purchase at Burger King. You will earn 10 points for every £1 you spend, and 400 points will get you a free Whopper.
At the moment, you will also receive a free Cheeseburger just for signing up to the app.
Costa Coffee
If you love a Costa, then downloading the app can get you free drinks. Here are some of the benefits of downloading the Costa Coffee app:
- Free drink after buying 8 drinks
- Free drink after buying 4 drinks if you use a reusable cup
- Free cake on your birthday
Krispy Kreme
If you’re a doughnut lover, then this is the deal for you.
Every Krispy Kreme box comes with a code. Enter these codes into the Krispy Kreme app and for every £1 you spend you will earn 10 smiles. You can then redeem your smiles for free items.
- 100 smiles = an original glazed doughnut
- 150 smiles = a hot drink
- 700 smiles = a six pack of doughnuts
- 1,000 smiles = a dozen doughnuts
Toby Carvery
You can get free desserts when you use the Toby Carvery app. Every time you buy a dessert, you will earn a stamp. Once you have three stamps, you’ll be eligible for a free dessert. Note that you can only earn one stamp per day, so if all the family have a dessert after their carvery, you’ll still only earn one stamp from that visit.
The Toby Carvery app also has regular offers such as money off roast dinners or children’s meals.
Nando’s
You can earn chillies every time you spend money at Nando’s which can be redeemed for free food.
You will earn 1 chilli on every order worth £7 or more.
- 3 chillies = 1/4 chicken or a starter
- 6 chillies = 1/2 chicken, a single wrap, burger or pitta
- 9 chillies = whole chicken or single combo meal
Beefeater
The Beefeater app gives you 5 points for every £1 you spend at Beefeater. Once you’ve earned 500 points, you’ll be able to use that to pay towards your bill or redeem free food offers. You will also receive a free treat on your birthday as well as exclusive email offers.
When you first sign up to the app, you’ll get 50% off main meals.
Meerkat Meals
With Meerkat Meals, you can get money off meals at a range of restaurants when you make a purchase through Compare the Market.
Tastecard
With Tastecard, you do need to pay a subscription, although you do get one month free when you first sign up. So if you want to use it for one month and then cancel, then it’s definitely worth doing. But if you regularly eat out at one of the eligible restaurants, then you might think it’s worth paying the monthly subscription fee.
With a Tastecard membership, you get access to 2-for-1 offers at a range of restaurants including Prezzo, Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge, Zizzi, ASK, Strada and Pizza Hut. They also have regular cinema deals too.
O2 Priority
If you’re an O2 customer, then you’ll have access to a number of deals through the O2 Priority app. Here are just some of the ways you can get free food or discounted offers with O2 Priority:
- Kids eat free at Harvester every Sunday
- Any Prezzo pizza or pasta for £7
- Free coffee at Greggs
Three +
Three + gives Three customers regular deals and discounts on eating out. Whilst it’s not strictly “free” food, it does shave a lot off the bill. One of their most popular deals is 2 mains for £10 at Frankie and Benny’s.
Lidl Plus
The Lidl Plus app is a great one to download if you shop regularly at Lidl. As well as earning money off when you’ve spent a certain amount in-store, you can also get regular freebies too. I’ve had a few free bakery items from there, and we all know how good Lidl’s bakery section is!
Too Good To Go
Strictly speaking, Too Good To Go shouldn’t appear on this list of free food apps UK as they don’t actually give away free food. But, they do work to prevent food waste by offering surplus food at a heavily reduced price.
The idea is that shops and restaurants bag up their excess food at the end of the day and you can grab it for a low price. I’ve had Too Good To Go bags from Starbucks and Costa Coffee. I wasn’t impressed with the bags from Costa as they only contained two sandwiches for £3, but I have seen some other Costas put together some fantastic bags. My Too Good To Go bags from Starbucks have been much more impressive. They have all contained at least six items including paninis, cookies, sub rolls, pizza toasties and cakes for a fiver. When I get one of these, I freeze the sandwiches and pizza ready to use another day. The cakes and cookies don’t last that long in our house, so they’re usually devoured immediately.
Whether you’re struggling to pay for food at the moment, or you just want to help to cut down on food waste, these apps are all well worth downloading and using, as is any loyalty scheme that earns you free stuff or money off vouchers.
There are bound to be new apps popping up all the time, so if you spot one I haven’t listed, please let me know so I can keep this list of best free food apps UK up to date for those that need it.
