Using real birthday when online shopping could cost you extra money

Numerous retailers, restaurants and cafés request your birthday details when you join their rewards programme, frequently sending members a voucher or complimentary gift to mark the occasion.

Yet, if every account is tied to your genuine birthday, you may find yourself inundated with dozens of offers simultaneously – many of which will expire before you get the opportunity to redeem them.

Instead, shrewd shoppers are urging people to distribute their birthdays throughout different months of the year.

The strategy is straightforward – retain the same day of the month but alter the month each time you register for a new rewards programme.

For instance, if your birthday is on 20 July, you might use 20 January for one loyalty scheme, 20 March for another, 20 May for a separate retailer and so forth.

This approach ensures you’ll receive birthday perks year-round rather than all in one go.

Maintaining the same day also renders the system far easier to recall, as you’ll know to monitor your emails around the same date monthly for any vouchers or complimentary items.

The tip has gained traction amongst bargain enthusiasts, who claim it helps guarantee fewer rewards are wasted while providing them with something to anticipate throughout the year.

Of course, it’s important to bear in mind that not every retailer provides birthday gifts, and some may require customers to verify their date of birth or insist they have been a member for a specified period before they qualify for a reward.

Others may have terms and conditions stipulating that the information supplied must be accurate, so it’s always advisable to check the requirements before registering.

Commenting on this hack, one Reddit user said: “That’s brilliant.”

Another added: “Every time I’ve ever tried to get a birthday freebie it always required some type of proof.”

A third user said: ” I’ve been doing this for years and no one’s ever asked for ID because you enter your birth date on the website and they email you a coupon and you show them the barcode to scan.”