Making the Most of Restaurant Bonus Gift Card Deals

My mom and dad get the credit for this idea! As they were out to eat at a couple of different restaurants recently, they noticed that the restaurants were offering a free bonus gift card when you purchased a gift card. There wasn’t anything saying that you couldn’t use the gift cards yourself, so that’s exactly what they did. At Bob Evans, they purchased a $50 gift card and got a free $10 bonus gift card. They used the $50 gift card the next couple of times they ate at Bob Evans, and they still have the $10 bonus gift card to use for another visit.

We did this today at Eat ‘n Park. (Emma loves their smiley cookies!) We bought a $25 gift card, got a $5 bonus gift card, and paid for our meal today with the $25 card.

We’ve noticed more restaurants offering these free bonus gift cards, so I thought I’d give you a run-down of the ones I know about. That way, if you’re already planning to eat out somewhere, you might be able to stretch your restaurant dollars even further!

**Note: Many of the bonus gift cards aren’t good until January. So check the fine print of each offer before you head out to spend your bonus cards.

• Bob Evans: Buy $50 – Get $10 bonus
• Eat ‘n Park: Buy $25 – Get $5 bonus
• Fazoli’s: Buy $20 – Get $5 off coupon
• Ruby Tuesday: Buy $25 – Get $5 coupon or Buy $50 – Get $10 coupon
• Red Robin: Buy $25 – Get $5 bonus
• Outback Steakhouse: Buy $100 – Get $20 bonus
• Applebee’s: Buy $50 – Get $10 bonus
• Bruegger’s Bagels: Buy $25 – Get $5 bonus
• Romano’s Macaroni Grill: Buy $25 – Get $5 bonus
• California Pizza Kitchen: Buy $100 – Get $20 bonus
• Carraba’s: Buy $100 – Get $20 bonus
• Steak ‘n Shake – Buy $25 – Get $5 bonus
• Denny’s: Buy $25 – Get $5 bonus
• Sonic: Buy $25 – Get $5 bonus
• Buffalo Wild Wings: Buy $25 – Get $5 bonus
• Joe’s Crab Shack: Buy $25 – Get $5 bonus
• Fuddruckers: Buy $25 – Get $5 bonus

Some fast food restaurants are jumping in with a free menu item with a gift card purchase.

• Wendy’s: Buy a gift card – get a free small fries
• Arby’s: Buy a gift card – get a free combo meal
• Jamba Juice: Buy a gift card – get a free 16 oz. smoothie

There are LOTS more out there! Just use Swagbucks to search for your favorite restaurant, and you may find that they’re offering a special deal too.