Free stuff: 43 freebies in the UK
Everyone loves free stuff, so we've compiled a list of the best free things you can get in the UK. We've got everything here, from free food to money (yes, really).
Getting your hands on free stuff is always satisfying. That feeling you get when the online freebie you’ve claimed drops through the door is difficult to beat.
We've listed some of our favourite things that are genuinely free of charge. All freebies mentioned below have been tried and tested by us. The total value is well in excess of £200!
How to get free things
Best free stuff in the UK
Here's our pick of the very best free stuff available right now:
- Free £5 with Plum – Find out how to get the free £5 after signing up to Plum in our deals post.
- CV review – Join GRB and receive a free CV review, plus help with finding your dream job.
- eBooks – Pick up free books, Kindle eBooks and free audiobooks.
- Money – Yes, really. As we explain in our guide, there are loads of ways to get free money.
- Premium rate calls – Call premium rate numbers for free using our tips.
- Beauty samples – From perfume to foundation, we're always sharing free beauty samples. Join our Facebook group and follow us on Instagram where we share the best freebies.
- O2 sim card – Perfect for claiming O2 Priority Moment deals. If you don't have one, you're missing out on offers like free cinema tickets and pizzas.
- £5 H&M voucher – H&M will take your old clothes to recycle them, and they'll give you a £5 voucher. We've even heard that if you bring in multiple bags, you'll get a voucher for each one. It's a good way to recycle clothes for money.
- New products – Join product testing websites and get sent free stuff in exchange for sharing your thoughts.
- Vodafone VeryMe freebies – Are you on Vodafone? They've got a great freebie app.
- Free lottery draw – Sign up to Pick My Postcode (one of our favourite free lotteries) and check the site daily to see if you've won.
- Haircut – You can look into becoming a hair model to get a free haircut. Or, if you're brave enough, you could cut your own hair. See more ideas in our guide to getting a free or cheap haircut.
- Watch Freeview channels online – The Freeview website directs you to all the places you can access the channels online. You can watch without a TV Licence as long as the loophole applies to you.
- Free photo prints – Start building your personalised bedroom wallpaper with hundreds of free prints (P&P isn't free). These can be ideal as cheap but thoughtful gifts.
- Free bets – If you're over 18, it's possible to make money from free bets through matched betting. It's not gambling, but if you're not careful, it is possible to lose money. You can find out more in our guide to matched betting.
- Birthday freebies – Our ultimate list of birthday freebies (free stuff you can get on your birthday) includes dozens of free things like food, drink, beauty products and more.
- Cinema tickets – Read our guide to getting cheap and free cinema tickets.
- Cloud storage – Use Google Drive to back up or store 15GB of files, which should speed up your computer or free up space on your phone. Additional storage space can be bought, but 15GB for free is a good start. We've listed the best cheap and free cloud storage providers.
- Coffee – You can get a free hot drink when you download the Greggs app. But that's just one of many ways to get free coffee (see our full guide for more tips!).
- Software – Find antivirus protection, office software, image editing and more in our free software list.
- Boots products – Get loads of free stuff if you become a Boots tester.
- Samples, vouchers and money – Sign up to the best-paid survey sites and get free stuff (or money) in return for your opinion.
- Online courses – Try a free online course with a qualification to boost your CV.
- International calls – Use Skype to make free calls when you're abroad (and at home) using WiFi.
- Quit smoking plan – Start your road to recovery today with this NHS freebie.
- Food – They say there's no such thing as a free lunch, but our list of ways to get free food would suggest otherwise.
- Household items – Check out local free listings on Gumtree and Freecycle for people's unwanted stuff.
- Recipes – There are loads of cheap and cheerful ideas on our student recipes page, plus a few ideas for dinner parties.
- Drink – After downloading the Ember Inns app, you can get a free drink in participating venues. Not all drinks are included in the offer so check the T&Cs for more info.
- Cashback – Join Quidco and/or TopCashback for free and get some money back when you shop online. If you're new to all this, check out our guide to cashback.
- Water-saving pack – Be kinder to the environment and cut down your water bill with water-saving freebies.
- Doughnut – See our deals post to find out how to get a free Krispy Kreme doughnut.
- Student money cheat sheet – This great page will change your life and save you loads of money (and yes, it was written by us).
- Magazines – Catch up on current affairs with six free issues of The Week magazine.
- Supermarket cashback – As we explain in our guide to the best supermarket cashback apps, you can sometimes get up to 100% off selected items in your weekly shop.
- Meal plan – Our free meal plan has loads of cheap and easy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
- Museum entry – National museums and art galleries have free entry in the UK. To discover more, see the list of national museums on Wikipedia.
- Eye tests – It's well worth a check-up, so get a free eye test if you can – even if you don't think you need to get glasses.
- Condoms – Find out where you can pick up some free condoms near you.
- Gym pass – Grab a free pass for Anytime Fitness and read our guide to getting a cheaper gym membership for more ways to save money.
- Sanitary products – Some student unions have committed to offering free sanitary products. Bodyform also sometimes offers free samples. Visit our deals section to see if one's available right now.
- STI test – It's better to be safe than sorry! Discover all the ways you can get a free STI test (it's possible to do a test at home if you'd prefer).
- Contact lens trials – Try contact lenses on a free trial before signing up for any paid subscriptions.
Best free trials
These freebies are for the seasoned money saver. The companies below offer you a free trial with the hope you'll convert into a paying customer. But you can beat the system by cancelling just before your trial is over, so you don't have to pay a penny.
Here are some of our top free trials:
- Amazon Prime + Prime Video – Students get it free for six months. This offer is one of the best, especially as you can use it to watch the Premier League for free!
- Audiobooks – Join Audible and download a free audiobook. Cancel within 30 days.
- Kindle Unlimited – Always got your head in an (e)book? Sign up to Kindle Unlimited for a 30-day free trial and get access to loads of books, audiobooks and selected magazine subscriptions.
- Credit report – Find out your credit score and what the banks think of you. If you're on a free trial and don't want to pay for the service, you could cancel after receiving your report.
These are all 100% safe and legit, so you don't need to worry about your details being shared anywhere.
As soon as you've received your freebie, set a reminder on your phone to cancel the trial before it ends so you don't get charged to continue using it. And for more freebies like this, check out our list of the best free trials.
Limited time freebies
Understandably, most good freebies won't hang around for too long and will be subject to availability. You've got to act quickly!
We post any limited edition freebies we find on our Instagram, Facebook page, Facebook group and WhatsApp channel. Alternatively, you can sign up for our newsletter for a roundup of the best.
And if you're looking to get things for free, it's always worth checking our regularly updated freebies page.