You might not know this, but to order maple syrup — the real stuff that comes out of maple trees — restaurants likely charge you extra, versus the standard, high fructose corn syrup version. But before your order pancakes at your favorite breakfast joint, you’ll want to know about how to get the good stuff for free.
Canadian maple growers are saying “sore-y” to Americans who’ve been paying extra for real maple syrup at restaurants by rolling out a promo called “Bill the Maple” to reimburse us for the overage. It's the best thing to happen to your pancakes since National Pancake Day.
There’s also a chance you don’t know if you’re actually using real maple syrup. A recent (2022) study revealed that more than half of Americans misidentify table syrup with maple syrup, due to misleading labels on products — like “maple-flavored syrup”.
Here’s what you need to know (and how to get paid back for your maple syrup upcharge):
1. Order maple syrup at a restaurant between Nov. 29 and Dec. 29, 2023 — and keep your receipt if you’re upcharged.
First of all, know this: You’re going to be hard-pressed to find real maple syrup at national restaurant chains — unless you’re in Vermont, where it’s literally the law. But at various local and regional restaurants, availability varies.
(And no, the 100% natural syrup at Cracker Barrel doesn’t count; although there’s no high fructose corn syrup in it, it’s made from 55% maple syrup and 45% cane syrup.)
Go to a breakfast joint in the 50 U.S. states or Washington D.C. between Nov. 29 and Dec. 29, 2023. If you’re lucky enough to dine somewhere that offers real maple syrup, make sure you find out if it costs extra. If it does, keep your receipt after the meal. You’ll need it later.
2. Visit BillTheMaple.com by Dec. 30 to submit your receipt.
To get your maple syrup money back, you'll need to submit a claim at BillTheMaple.com by Dec. 30, 2023. Here’s what they’re going to ask you for:
First and last name
Home address
Email and phone number
The date you bought your meal
How much you paid extra for the pure maple syrup (before tax)
A picture of your receipt
Note: You can only submit one receipt per person.
3. If you meet the requirements, you’ll get a Visa prepaid card for up to $20 — if you do it quickly.
If you meet the requirements and fill everything out accurately, you’ll receive a Visa Prepaid Promotional Card that’ll be valid for six months. The fine print of the promo didn’t specify a minimum payout amount, but there is a maximum — $20.
Expect to receive your card 10-12 weeks after your submission… so, like March.
While the deadline to submit a claim for maple syrup reimbursement isn’t until Dec. 30, you’ll want to act sooner rather than later. The promotion only lasts until Maple from Canada pays out $10,000.
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