Tax Day 2018 Freebies And Deals A Consumer Guide To April 17 Savings

Nov. 10, 2025, 12:03 a.m.

Tags: day loss tax

The deadline to file 2017 federal tax returns in the United States fell on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. Marking the occasion, numerous businesses offered free items, discounts, and limited-time promotions to help consumers “cushion the blow” of the filing process. Coverage across multiple sources indicates that a broad set of national chains and service providers participated, with most offers available at participating locations and some restricted to the specific date. A notable number of deals were framed with playful nods to the tax system, such as pricing items or discounts at $10.40 to reference the “1040” tax form.

Overview of Tax Day 2018 freebies and deals The offers spanned several categories, with food and beverage freebies forming the largest segment. These included free cookies, biscuits, and小吃s, as well as limited-time discounted meals and margaritas. Several service providers—particularly office supply retailers and a massage chain—tied their promotions to practical, tax-related needs such as document shredding and stress relief. A few national parks offered fee-free admission as part of a recurring national program. Most food deals were available on April 17, while a small number launched before or continued after the filing deadline. Participants were generally required to visit participating locations, and some free items were contingent on making a purchase.

Food and beverage freebies Multiple restaurant chains offered free food items or beverages on Tax Day 2018. Great American Cookie locations provided a free Cookies & Cream cookie to anyone who visited on April 17. Hardee’s gave away a free sausage biscuit during morning hours, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., at participating locations. Hot Dog on a Stick offered a free original turkey or veggie dog on April 17. BurgerFi provided a free regular order of hand-cut fries with any purchase on Tax Day, a promotion tied to celebrating a NASCAR driver’s performance and requiring mention of a specific race. California Tortilla offered a free small chips and queso with any purchase; redemption required saying the phrase “chipping in” and was valid in-store only. Kona Ice provided free shaved ice at participating locations on April 17. Some sources additionally referenced potential participation by Chick-fil-A, with mention of three free minis; however, availability was to be confirmed with local restaurants.

Discounted meals and beverage specials A significant set of offers featured discounted pricing rather than free items. Boston Market’s Tax Day special was priced at $10.40 and included a half chicken individual meal with two sides, cornbread, a regular fountain beverage, and a cookie. Bruegger’s Bagels offered a $10.40 Big Bagel Bundle, available with a downloadable coupon, and extended 20% off catering orders through April 17. Grimaldi’s Pizzeria listed a $10.40 Traditional Cheese pizza offer. Captain D’s provided a $10.40 combination of six pieces of batter-dipped fish, one family side, and six hush puppies at participating locations. At Applebee’s, margaritas were promoted for $1 throughout the month of April, and Chili’s offered $5 Cherry Blossom Margaritas all month. Cici’s Pizza published a coupon for an adult buffet priced at $4.17, usable via printed coupon or phone display with a limit of one per order. Sonic Drive-In featured half-price cheeseburgers on Tuesday with a limit of five per customer at participating locations, and additionally promoted half-price shakes, floats, and ice cream slushes daily after 8:00 p.m. Firehouse Subs offered a free medium sub with purchase of a full-priced medium or large sub, chips, and drink from April 17 to April 19, with a coupon available. Quiznos provided Toasty Points loyalty members with a 10.40% discount on any purchase, including catering, and gave a free four-inch sub for downloading the smartphone app. Chuck E. Cheese promoted a “buy one large cheese pizza, get one large cheese pizza free” offer from Tuesday through Thursday.

Service-related offers In addition to food, some businesses tied promotions to tax-day needs. HydroMassage offered free massages from April 14 to April 21. Office Depot and OfficeMax provided free document shredding up to five pounds, while Staples offered free shredding up to one pound. These offers aligned with common pre-filing tasks, giving consumers a practical benefit around the deadline.

Recreation and leisure A small number of non-food promotions appeared, such as free admission to national parks on April 21, part of a recurring fee-free program. One source mentioned a Hard Rock Cafe promotion tied to singing on stage for a free burger, presented in a lighthearted tone, but without detailed terms.

Access requirements and participation Most free items and deals required a visit to a participating location. Several food offers were contingent on a purchase, while others, like the free cookie at Great American Cookies, required no purchase. Certain deals specified in-store only redemption, such as California Tortilla’s free chips and queso. Redemptions through coupons were common, and some offers required the use of a mobile app or loyalty program. Several sources emphasized the need to confirm participation with local restaurants, as availability and terms could vary by location. The Boston Market and Bruegger’s Bagels $10.40 specials, as well as the Captain D’s combination, each specified “participating locations.” Some offers were date-limited, for example, Hardee’s free sausage biscuit, Firehouse Subs’ buy-one-get-one free medium sub, and HydroMassage’s extended free massage window.

Overview of participating brands Food and beverage brands listed as offering free items or discounts included Great American Cookies, Hardee’s, Hot Dog on a Stick, BurgerFi, California Tortilla, Kona Ice, and Chick-fil-A (reported by one source, pending local confirmation). Discounted meal brands and beverage specials included Boston Market, Bruegger’s Bagels, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, Captain D’s, Applebee’s, Chili’s, Cici’s Pizza, Sonic Drive-In, Firehouse Subs, Quiznos, and Chuck E. Cheese. Service-related offers came from HydroMassage, Office Depot/OfficeMax, and Staples. Recreation and leisure promotions included national parks and a playful reference to Hard Rock Cafe.

Redemption process and practical tips Consumers typically needed to present a coupon, mention a specific phrase, or show a mobile app to redeem offers. Where pricing referenced the tax form, such as $10.40, the connection to the “1040” was intentional, and the price point served as a thematic tie-in to Tax Day. Offers with percentage discounts aligned with the date: for example, Quiznos’ 10.40% off matched the tax form number. Some promotions required the download of a loyalty app to access benefits. When coupon-based, redemption could be done via printout or mobile device display. As availability varied by location, verifying participation ahead of time was recommended. Consumers were also advised to observe any limits, such as Sonic’s five-cheeseburger-per-customer rule and Cici’s one-coupon-per-order limit, and to note time windows, such as Hardee’s morning-only free biscuit.

Variations in reported offers Sources differed in which brands were included, how the offers were framed, and what redemption details were provided. For example, InvestorPlace listed BurgerFi, Kona Ice, Hot Dog on a Stick, and California Tortilla among freebies, while USA Today emphasized BurgerFi’s race-related phrasing requirement and California Tortilla’s “chipping in” tagline. Making It Pay to Stay included Sonic’s half-price cheeseburgers and daily half-price shakes after 8 p.m., while other sources focused on date-specific specials. CNBC highlighted the $10.40 pricing for Boston Market and Bruegger’s Bagels, plus California Tortilla’s in-store-only free chips and queso. Bustle and Refinery29 presented broader overviews of Tax Day deals but lacked the detailed redemption terms found in other articles. These differences underscore the importance of checking local store participation and specific terms before attempting to redeem an offer.

Category and redemption breakdown Free food and beverage items included cookies, biscuits, hot dogs, fries, and小吃. Discounted meals and beverage specials encompassed chicken meals, bagel bundles, pizza, fish combinations, margaritas, and pizza buffets. Service-related benefits included free massages and document shredding. Recreation offers included fee-free national park entry. In terms of redemption, consumers needed to navigate coupon requirements, loyalty app signups, in-store limitations, and time-bound windows. These conditions shaped access and had to be satisfied to successfully obtain the free item or discount.

Context of the Tax Day 2018 promotional landscape Reporting noted an increase in the number of Tax Day offers compared to previous years, reflecting a broader trend of brands aligning promotions with major consumer events. Food-based freebies and discounts remained popular, as businesses sought to provide small tokens of appreciation to taxpayers. Offers referencing “1040” or similar price points were a distinctive feature of the 2018 Tax Day promotions.

Limitations of the available information Details about minimum purchase requirements, the precise geographic coverage of participating locations, and brand-specific terms were limited in the source material. Availability could vary by restaurant and region, and not all offers were uniformly accessible. Some brands provided no public-facing terms or redemption instructions in the sources, which required consumers to contact local stores for confirmation.

Practical guidance for consumers Given the location-specific nature of many offers, the most reliable approach involved verifying participation with the nearest restaurant or service provider. Reading coupon terms carefully helped ensure compliance with in-store limits and time windows. Consumers who valued convenience could prioritize offers without purchase requirements or with straightforward redemption, such as the free cookie at Great American Cookie or the free sausage biscuit during specified morning hours at Hardee’s. Those willing to make a purchase could access broader discounts, such as the $10.40 themed meals or percentage-based savings. Mobile app-based promotions offered additional value for frequent customers, but required an upfront download.

Conclusion

Tax Day 2018 saw a diverse slate of freebies and discounts, concentrated in food and beverage and complemented by services that addressed filing-related needs. Consumers could obtain free items like cookies, biscuits, and小吃s, or take advantage of themed pricing and percentage-off deals. Practical benefits such as free massages and document shredding added utility beyond dining. The overall landscape indicated heightened brand participation relative to prior years, with a strong emphasis on date-specific offers and in-store redemption. Success depended on verifying local participation, following coupon or app instructions, and observing any purchase, time, or quantity limits.

Tax Day 2018 Freebies And Deals A Consumer Guide To April 17 Savings

Conclusion

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