18 Chick-Fil-A Hacks That Will Save You Big Bu-Bu-Bucks!
Want to know how to save money at Chick-Fil-A? These Chick-Fil-A hacks will help!
Don’t pay full price — use these Chick-Fil-A hacks instead!
Who doesn’t like saving more money? When even fast food is expensive, it’s important to know how to mitigate the cost. Luckily, there are ways to save from earning rewards to using clever ordering techniques. If you have a hankering for a juicy chicken sandwich or one of your other favorite dishes, you need to know these savvy Chick-Fil-A hacks!
18 Chick-Fil-A hacks that will save you money:
1. Use the Chick-Fil-A app to earn points and rewards.
Become a Chick-Fil-A One member to earn points and score all kinds of delicious goodies. You can sign up by downloading the app or visiting the Chick-Fil-A website. New members receive 10 points for every $1 they spend and the amount of points received goes up with every membership tier.
Right now, if you accumulate 200 points, you can receive free items like hash browns, an Icedream cone, or a chocolate chunk cookie. The more points you rack up, the better the reward! With 700 points you can even score favorites like Chick-fil-A Nuggets or a Hash Brown Scramble Burrito.
Another good reason to join the app is that members receive a FREE birthday reward each year. Plus, you’ll be the first to know about new menu items and insider scoop!
2. Order chicken strips and a bun instead of a Chick-Fil-A sandwich.
Build your own chicken sandwich for less when you use this popular Chick-Fil-A hack!
Instead of springing for a Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich which costs $4.85 (may vary by location), order this instead. Get 1 Toasted White Bun for 25¢ cents and a 2 Ct. Chick-Fil-A Chicken Strips for $3.85. You’ll have a similar sandwich for 85¢ less.
3. Spruce up a side salad for FREE with this Chick-Fil-A hack.
This incredible tip comes from Hellthy Junk Food. Apparently, if you order in the restaurant, you may be able to order a side salad and add any topping you want for no extra charge!
HJF instructs how to make a budget Cobb salad this way. A regular Cobb salad is $9.49 near me, but you can save by ordering a side salad for around $3.79 and then adding egg, bacon, roasted corn, and the dressing of your choice. You’ll save $5.70! You can even add a 5-piece nugget to your salad for $2.85 and still save $2.85! 🙌
The side salad is only available at select locations so check the app or website before heading to the restaurant.
4. Make your own frozen drink.
Ordering a Frosted Lemonade can cost around $4.19. Make a similar drink by using this Chick-Fil-A hack. Order a plain lemonade for $2.39 and a cup of ice cream for $1.35. Just mix them together! You can also do this trick to make your own root beer float or coke float. You’ll get a specialty drink for between 45¢ to 65¢ less!
Save even more with this hack when you order a kid’s meal and opt for ice cream instead of a toy. Since you get both a drink and the ice cream with your meal, you’ll have a specialty beverage for no additional cost. Thanks, HJF, for this savvy tip! 🍦🥤
5. Order a kids’ meal and try these money-saving Chick-Fil-A hacks.
The Copycat McFlurry Hack
We love this tip we learned from The Deal Guy. 🙌
Head on over to Chick-Fil-A and order a kids’ meal. Instead of accepting the toy, ask for an ice cream cup instead. The swap is free of charge. Then, ask for crumble topping (you may or may not be charged an extra 30¢). You’ll get a meal and a dessert similar to a McFlurry or Blizzard for a fraction of the cost of ordering an adult meal and ice cream!
The Buffalo Mac N Cheese Hack
This is yet another nugget of wisdom from Hellthy Junk Food. Order a Chick-Fil-A kids nuggets meal and upgrade your side for about 50¢ to mac n’ cheese. Then, ask for a side of Buffalo sauce and/or ranch (free of charge). Mix your sauce, nuggets, and macaroni for a delicious meal you won’t find on the menu. You can also swap out your kid’s toy for a free ice cream. Eat it plain or add it to your drink to make your own root beer float or Frosted Lemonade. This hack might not save you money but it sure gives you more for your money! 🤑
The Budget Chicken Sandwich Meal Hack
A Chicken Sandwich Meal costs $8.09 by me. If that seems pricey, here is an alternative order for you to try. Request a Kid’s 2 Ct. Chicken Strips Meal which costs about $5.95. Then, for a charge of about 25¢ you can ask for a toasted bun and pickles on the side. Voila! You basically have a Chicken Sandwich Combo and you saved $1.89! Plus, you can swap your toy for ice cream!
6. Dress up for Cow Appreciation Day and score a free meal.
Cow Appreciation Day usually occurs on the second Tuesday of July and it’s a favorite event of Chick-Fil-A fans. That’s because customers can score a free meal or entree when they dress up like a cow to visit the restaurant!
This popular event was canceled during COVID but we expect it to make a return in 2023.
7. Fill out the survey on your receipt to earn FREE food.
Don’t toss that receipt just yet! At random, the Chick-Fil-A receipts will have surveys at the bottom as an easy way to score free food. In the example above, we scored a FREE sandwich!
8. Get a chicken sandwich cheap when you order it for breakfast.
This is one of the best Chick-Fil-A hacks to use when you’re craving a delicious chicken sandwich (priced at $4.85).
Hit up a restaurant when it is still serving breakfast and order the Chick-Fil-A Chicken Biscuit for about $3.39. Then, ask for a Toasted White Bun which is around 25¢. Your total comes to $3.64 which is much cheaper than the cost of the lunch sandwich.
Just pop your chicken onto the bun and you’ll have a replica of the Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich but for $1.21 less!
9. Get a grilled cheese or BLT with these ordering tricks.
Check out social media and you’ll see these Chick-Fil-A hacks floating around. Both The Deal Guy and HJF have mentioned these sneaky meal ideas along with many other content creators. Though these sandwiches don’t look too appetizing, if you’re truly hard up for cash and need a quick bite, give them a try.
The Makeshift Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Tell the Chick-Fil-A cashier you’d like an extra toasted white bun with a slice of cheese. You’ll only be charged between 25 – 75¢.
The Makeshift BLT
You can also ask for toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, and bacon if you’d like to make a BLT for a similar cost! 🤯
10. Buy discounted gift cards to save a few bucks.
If you find yourself going to Chick-Fil-A on a regular basis, it pays to purchase discounted gift cards. For example, you can pay $25 for a gift card worth $30. That’s $5 worth of FREE food!
You’ll find these discounted gift cards offered at major stores like Costco and Sam’s Club. You can also buy them online at sites like Gift Card Granny, CardCash, CardBear, and Raise.com.
11. Spoil your dog with a FREE pup cup.
Starbucks isn’t the only restaurant that gives dogs a free cup of whipped cream. Chick-Fil-A also offers pup cups. All you have to do is ask!
12. Buy Chick-Fil-A sauces at your local grocery store.
Did you know that you can purchase your favorite Chick-Fil-A sauces? Well, you can! Many locations sell the 8 oz. size for around $2.75 (or 34¢ per oz.), but we don’t recommend buying condiments there.
Instead, head to your local grocery store or Walmart. You’ll find 16 oz. sauces for around $3.99 or 25¢ per ounce. Talk about getting more bang for your buck!
13. Hit up a grand opening or other special events.
Watch for special events & new restaurant openings! The company loves to hand out free food and swag.
The company makes it easy to find out the location of brand new stores. Just check their website for future openings, dates, and restaurant addresses.
14. Ask about senior or military discounts.
Chick-Fil-A does not have a company-wide policy on military and senior discounts. However, your local Chick-Fil-A might offer them. Just ask the next time you are at the restaurant!
According to Veteran’s Advantage, some Chick-Fil-A’s will give service members a 10% discount if shown a military ID. The website Military Wallet did a quick study and stated 3 out of 10 randomly selected Chick-Fil-A locations offered this discount.
As for seniors, word on the street is that many Chick-Fil-A locations will honor a senior discount of either 10% off or a free refillable beverage.🥤
15. Order a tray of nuggets to make your meal last.
If you have your heart set on Chick-Fil-A instead of the more economical grocery store nuggets, some Chick-Fil-A’s offer catering. One of the items you can get is an entire tray of chicken nuggets. If you’re feeding a crowd or you just want to feed your family for a few meals, you’ll save by ordering this way instead of individual entrees.
Here is an example of the savings:
You can get 200 chicken nuggets for $99 when you order catering. To get this many nuggets you would have to order 25 orders of the 8-piece chicken nuggets which comes to $113.75 near me. Ordering the tray instead will save you $14.75!
If you can’t eat all these nuggets in one sitting, refrigerate them and pop them in your oven or air fryer when you’re ready to grub! Something tells me your kids won’t complain at getting Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets more than once in a week. 😆
16. Become a CFA employee to score free meals and other perks.
If you LOVE Chick-FIl-A, consider joining their team! Each Chick-Fil-A location is independently owned so benefits may vary, but expect a competitive package. They usually offer pay above minimum wage. Plus, you’ll get every Sunday off and potential students have the ability to apply for Remarkable Futures Scholarships.
According to the Chick-Fil-A website, many franchise owners offer employees a free meal during their shift so you’ll be able to get an ample amount of your favorite fast food for FREE.
17. Need ice? Get it for a reasonable price at Chick-Fil-A.
Need ice? Skip a more expensive store and head to Chick-Fil-A instead. They offer competitive pricing on their ice. You can score a 5 lb. bag from Chick-Fil-A for just around $1.79. Who knew?! 🤯
18. Scan your receipt to Fetch Rewards or another cash-back app.
Always ask for a receipt! If you save your receipt, you can get a little cash back on apps like Fetch Rewards. All you have to do is scan your receipt using your camera and then upload it to the app. We even made an entire list of the best cash-back apps for you to try!
Want a cheap meal? Try these clever fast food hacks!
No more First 100 according to the website.
Whoops! Thanks for catching that, Lissy! That has been updated now. ❤️
Our local Chick-Fil-A is very busy most days, especially the 2 drive-thru lanes. We like their food too, but we have a hard time believing how long they will sit in line waiting to be served! Do they donate to local charities or organizations? Why do they wait so long?
Hey Debra! I can’t speak on the donations, as you might check with your local CFA to find out if they’re involved in those – but I am one that will personally wait in line for my order for a few reasons. Items are always fresh tasting and hot (if they’re supposed to be), the customer service is always exceptional, and my location seems to be very quick about handling orders – they’ve even had staff outside the drive-thru window passing out orders to move the line quicker. Hoping this might be helpful! ❤️
I have never sat in line more than 8 minutes, no matter which line I get. But other places? Oh yeah have gotten stuck in those for 30 minutes and longer. In fact, I go to Chick Fil A just because of how fast they can get you thru the line. Order on the app for even faster service. Our Chick Fil A has it streamlined and the only thing that slows it down is if the person in front of you isn’t ready to order or can’t figure out how to pay.
Came inside to wait for my order. It took them over an hour to give me my food. I was seriously standing in line waiting until after 45 mins I went to ask for my food. People thought I was trying to skip when I walk up there but I had to bc it was over 45 mins already. I only ordered 1 meal. I saw people walking out with bags and bags who came after me. I was on a time crunch but still had the patience to wait for them. My friend was literally asking me if I left yet but I was still there waiting for my 1 meal. All seeing all those people who came after me walking out with bags & bags. I went up front to ask them. They said “will be right out” as they probably handed my order to someone else bc I can hear them in the back whispering “shit! Her order isn’t out yet. She’s been waiting for a really long time. I’ve seen her standing”
Then they made me wait another 15 mins more. I’ve never waited that long even at McDonald’s let alone chick fil a. I heard another customer said to me “they’re worried about taking big orders to make more money.” After he heard me saying I only have 1 meal in my order. When I came to my friend’s house… they couldn’t believe I had waited that long at chick fil a if I hadn’t been on the phone while waiting
Sorry you had that experience. But we were talking about the drive thru. I bet there would be no way you would wait in drive thru 🙂 Most fast food places make the drive thru orders before walk ins. And yes, I had your experience in walk in at Jack in the Box. So its not the restaurant – can happen any where
I tried a hack today and it saved me $3.70 from my normal lunch plus I received ice cream !!!
Thank you sooo much
WOOHOO! 🎉 You’re so welcome, Lily! Thanks for the update on how much you saved on lunch today! ❤️
Best way of saving money is not going here. They charge way too much.
I’m not sure you’re aware, but a bunch of chick fil a one accounts were hacked, including mine. Chick fil a has locked me out of my funds which was almost $50 and I’ve never seen such a problem with them. I just want to make sure others are aware and *please* check your recent transactions.
Oh no! SO very sorry to hear that, Sarah. Thanks for the warning. ❤️
When I go thru the drive thru I never get a itemized receipt. Just my credit card receipt. Which means I can never do the survey for free food. But quite often I get random emails saying thanks for coming with a free item. That’s always a nice surprise!
Aww, Awesome that you’ve been able to score free items! I’ll have to keep an eye out for those emails! Thanks for sharing, Stacy! 💞
You can order a kids meal with a large drink and swap out the toy for ice cream
You can also get the kids meal, ask for no toy, and upside the kids drink to a large drink for free
SWEET! Thanks for the tip! 🙌❤️
What are those yellow kids food totes pictured in the “happy meal” segment?!
,.
Hi Cat! Those are plastic classroom caddies. You can find them from Target, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, etc. There is a similar set on Amazon with great reviews. Hoping that helps! 🤗❤️
Yay, you rock! I think I need these…
They sure look helpful! 🙌 Thanks for the sweet comment! 💞 Hope you love them!
I did not know that Costco even sold gift cards, let alone Chick Fila! Now to find them in the store… Also, I have gotten the breakfast biscuit sandwich and asked them to substitute a bun for the biscuit and they did. The breakfast chicken filet is smaller than the sandwich though, so lately I just eat it without the biscuit and save the biscuit for hubby. And when ordering from the app, they won’t give you a receipt, so I don’t get to scan it.
Thanks for letting us know what you’ve ordered, Pat. I’ll have to try their breakfast sandwich! I haven’t had it yet! 💞
Side salad in Long Island, NY is $4.39, no options to add bacon or egg here.
DARN! Thanks for letting us know the pricing and policy at your location. ❤️
I am in metro Detroit and they don’t allow add-ons to the side salad eithet.
I always get the kids meal for myself. I find its a great opportunity to talk to my 9 year old daughter about money and value. When we ate there the other day we both got kids meals. I explained that it was significantly cheaper and since we ate in-store we got as many drink refills as we needed. The kids meal comes with almost as many fries as the regular meal so the only thing I was giving up was 3 chicken nuggets and saved nearly $3 over the adult meal plus got an ice cream. This trick does not work for my teenage athlete son who would eat two adult meals if he could afford to. I do send him my receipts for his app since I don’t eat there that often and he does:)
Thanks Karen! I have the same struggle with my teenage, athelete son too! He has a large appetite as well! Love the idea of grabbing a kids meal when you can to save more. 🙌 Thanks for taking a moment to comment! 🥰
HACK…I find that the Just Barre nuggets from Costco taste just like Chick Fil A nuggets when you use the air fryer and I add the Waffle fries from Sam’s Club along with the Chick Fil A sauce bought from the store. This saves us a lot when my kids want it for lunch or dinner.
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know about those chicken nuggets you scored at Costco, Savvy Mom! Good to know they taste similar! 🙌💕
Just a couple of things – you mention ask for a side of pickles, but you do not mention that you have to pay for a side of pickles. You also have to pay for extra pickles. So, you are adding money by doing that. Also – when you go through the drive-thru you are not given a paper receipt. You have to ask for one. So, if you are hoping to score a 1 in 10 survey on your receipt it will not happen if you do not ask for a paper receipt. They only put the sticker receipt on the bag. When you eat inside the restaurant, they do not put your order on a tray anymore. They fill your order like it is a to go order every time even when you say for here – it wastes a ton of paper bags and napkins that way. Because you can get your own napkins and probably do not need as many as they put in the bag, You have the bag to throw away, etc. I wish they would go back to putting them on trays. Look at the garbage cans inside and you will see a million paper bags thrown away. I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, so we have had CFA longer than anyone as it was started here. But, over the years you would be shocked at how it has gone downhill. You do not know this if you were not born and raised here. The sandwiches used to be huge. The chicken was so huge it fell over the sides of the bun and were really thick. The fries used to be full. Now you have to order a large if you want a medium. And it isn’t like they are cheap. You should get your money’s worth. However, some locations are better than others. So here is a hack – if you are hoping for the 1 in 10 chance for the survey on your receipt you need to ask for the receipt in the drive thru. Ask for a tray and no to go bag when you eat at the restaurant so that you can save on wastes, please. Thanks.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with us on these hacks, Amanda! Sure appreciate the tips about asking for a receipt for the survey, and asking for a tray to grab the extra items if eating in the restaurant. ❤️