April 3, 2026

Free Isn't Too Good to be True

Your guide to getting freebies, samples, cash back and more.

As a company that provides phone service for free, we often hear the phrase “that’s too good to be true.” Actually, “often” is an understatement — we hear it a lot.

We get it, getting something as essential as phone service for free — something that no other provider has done before — sounds too good to be true. But we figured that if streaming services figured out a way to make entertainment free, why couldn't we? And so we did, by using ads in our texting & calling app to keep you connected wherever you go without ever worrying about a bill.

But that's not the only way you can get free things. In fact, there is a lot of “free” out there if you know where to look, so let us show you.

Free food & drinks

The best kind of treat is a free treat, and there is more than one way to get it:

Birthday Freebies	Sign up for loyalty programs with Starbucks, Dunkin', IHOP, Panera, and Baskin Robbins to enjoy a free item or other reward for your birthday.
Fast Food Apps	Fast food restaurants — McDonald's and Wendy's to name a couple poplar choices — often offer a free food item when you download their app. Many apps also award points for your spending, which can be redeemed for freebies, such as a free drink at Starbucks or food at Chick-fil-A.
Receipt Surveys	Check receipts, especially from fast food restaurants, because they may offer a free item if you complete a quick survey. Retailers with rewards programs may also offer points for responding to a survey request.

Free shopping

Not many stores offer items for free, but there are still hacks to get samples and other free gifts from your favorite retail stores:

Birthday Freebies	Join loyalty programs with retailers including Sephora, Ulta, CVS, etc. to get free birthday gifts and/or extra rewards.
Free Samples	Grocery stores may offer product samples at demo stations — Costco is famed for this, but other stores offering demos may include Whole Foods, your local grocery chain, or some Walmart stores. There are also sites like SampleSource and PINCH Me that will send you free products in skincare, beauty, or snacks in exchange for a review.
Baby Gifts	Retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Babylist will send you a free baby welcome box filled with samples and other items when you create a registry with them.

Free money & gift cards

Cash Back	Some credit cards offer cashback rewards. You can also use websites like Rakuten, Honey, or TopCashback to earn money back for shopping at sites you already use.
Surveys	There are a lot of sites and apps that will grant you rewards in the form of money or gift cards for taking surveys, like InboxDollars, Swagbucks, or you can sometimes find similar offers on TextNow Perks.

Everyday freebies

While online marketplaces are still valuable for finding things at more affordable prices, you can go one step further and use marketplaces that allow you to find things at no cost at all:

Free Items Online	Check out sites like Freecycle.org, the free section of Facebook Marketplace, or local Buy Nothing Facebook groups. These sites gather postings of free furniture, tools, clothes, and more.
Local Libraries	Did you know that your local library offers more than just books? You can borrow video games, movies, power tools, musical instruments, even exchange plant seeds! They don’t make ‘em like they used to anymore, in the best way possible.

The best things in life can be free, you just have to know where to find them.

Got questions or comments? Send us a note at [email protected]!