Best birthday and sign up freebies worth knowing about

[SilverSurfer]

Plenty of shops, cafes and apps offer free treats if you sign up to their loyalty schemes, especially on your birthday. A free coffee, cake, meal discount or product sample might not sound like much, but they can add up across the year. Some people plan their birthday around collecting freebies, which sounds a little extreme but can make for a fun day out

There are also freebies that come from signing up to services, rather than loyalty schemes. Library cards give free access to books, ebooks, audiobooks and magazines. Many museums and galleries are free to enter. Some apps and services offer generous free tiers that are good enough for most people, while bank switching offers and refer a friend schemes can pay out real money

Offers change constantly, and terms and conditions vary, so please check before relying on anything mentioned here. It is also worth being careful about which schemes you join. Signing up usually means sharing personal data and receiving marketing emails, so think about whether a free biscuit is worth the inbox clutter

My favourite freebie is my library card. I borrow ebooks and audiobooks through the library's apps, and I have saved a fortune compared with buying them. It surprised me how many people do not know about this. Most libraries also have free events, computer access and even things like tools or musical instruments to borrow

What birthday and sign up freebies do you know about? And which ones are worth the marketing emails?