Some people watch the World Series to — y’know — find out which Major League Baseball team is going to be the champs. But if you’re like me, you watch to see if a free Doritos Locos Taco is headed your way through the Taco Bell “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” campaign. In 2023, it happened night one of the World Series on Oct. 27, when Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks stole a base at the top of the third inning, which meant free tacos!
This specific promotion was on its twelfth run in 2023, and while it has changed throughout the years, the freebie has remained the same — a free Taco Bell taco. So is this real? Does EVERYBODY get a free Doritos Locos Taco when a base is stolen in the World Series? How does the “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promo work? Here’s what you need to know once the World Series starts in Oct. 2024.
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Steal a Base, Steal a Taco means free tacos the first time a player steals a base in the World Series.
During the annual Major League Baseball championship, the World Series, Taco Bell has consistently offered a free taco to customers the first time a player steals a base. Stealing a base, by the way, involves a player sneaking past the catcher to get to the next base while the pitcher is distracted.
Once the base is stolen, Taco Bell announces the date of the ‘Steal a Taco’ freebie, and then members of the free Taco Bell Rewards program get a digital coupon sent to them in the app. The coupon is good for 10 days once you get it. (Now, the freebie isn’t always guaranteed — there could be no bases stolen in a World Series — but it’s more likely than not that a base will be stolen.)
KCL predicts the next Steal a Base, Steal a Taco freebie will happen on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.
It’s impossible to know the exact date when a player might steal the first base in the World Series (or even if they steal a base at all), but we know the World Series is scheduled to start on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.
Chances are, that’s the date a player will steal the first base. In the past 10 years, players have stolen a base in Game 1 eight out of ten times (and the other two were in Game 2). So we’re predicting that the trend of the last six years will continue; someone will steal a base in Game 1.
Grab one free Doritos Locos Taco through the free Taco Bell app.
Every year during the World Series, as soon as a player steals a base, Taco Bell gives away free Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos (the promotion is only triggered the first time this happens, so don’t expect to get free tacos EVERY time a base is stolen). These tacos normally cost $2.49.
It happened in the third winning on night one of the World Series on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Diamondbacks player Ketel Marte stole a base, meaning everyone could get a free taco in the Taco Bell app. You had 10 days to redeem your free taco, which meant you had until Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 to pick up your freebie.
For those of you who aren’t baseball fans, stealing a base happens when a runner who’s on one of the bases decides to run to the next base (or even home plate) between hits. It’s risky because if the runner is tagged with the ball before getting to a base, he’s out.
It’s always a big deal when someone does that in baseball, but an even BIGGER deal when it’s during the championship-determining World Series.
The ‘Steal a Base, Steal a Taco’ reward is only valid for members of the free Taco Bell Rewards program.
Just like last year, the only way to receive this reward is by being a part of the free Taco Bell Rewards program. In the past, all you had to do to receive the freebie was head to your local Taco Bell and ask for the free taco, but that’s not the case anymore.
Only members of the Rewards program are eligible, and once a player has stolen a base, the reward will show up on the “Rewards” section on the app.
Tip: The Taco Bell Rewards program is totally free to sign up, and there are lots more reasons why you should join — and lots more opportunities for free Taco Bell.
You have 10 days to claim your free Doritos Locos Taco.
Once a player steals a base in the World Series and Taco Bell officially announces the activation of the “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promo, the clock starts ticking. According to the coupon, you have 10 days to claim your freebie on your Rewards account.
On Oct. 27, Diamondbacks player Ketel Marte stole a base in the third inning, meaning you had to claim your free taco in the app and grab your taco by Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
The free Doritos Locos Taco will be added to the rewards section of the Taco Bell app.
Here’s how to redeem your “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” freebie during the 10-day window:
Open the Taco Bell app
Tap the “Rewards” section (with the flame icon) in the bottom navigation bar
Tap the box that says “My Rewards”
Choose your free taco, and place an order for pickup (in-store or drive-thru) or delivery
If you correctly guessed which player will steal the first base, you’ll win a free medium drink.
If you guessed the “Taco Hero” correctly — Ketel Marte — your freebie was upgraded to include a free medium drink (regularly $2.39) of your choice.
You had until the night before Game 1 (Oct. 27, 2023 at 8:03 p.m.) to submit your prediction via the Taco Bell app.
Earn a $15,000 Taco Bell gift card if you have the ‘Taco Hero’ Topps TacoFractor card.
Taco Bell has collaborated with Topps and MLB to give customers “Taco Bell for Life” in the form of a $15,000 Taco Bell gift card. Anyone who has the Topps TacoFractor card of the “Taco Hero” (or holders of the TacoFractor Wild Card) can exchange the card for a $15,000 Taco Bell gift card.
You can claim your reward through your Topps account. Just click “Claim Submission” on the left-hand side of the screen and follow the instructions to receive your reward. You have until Dec. 31, 2023 to claim your freebie. However, there will only be five winners, so make sure to submit your entry as soon as you can to get your Taco Bell for life.
You’ll be able to find these cards through Topps Chrome or Cosmic Chrome pack (4 cards in every pack), and the cheapest pack we could find online is a pack of seven booster packs at Target for $34.99.
Only order drinks during Taco Bell Happy Hour (2 p.m. to 5 p.m.) to get up to 56% off all drinks.
If you wanted to wash down your free Doritos Locos Taco with a Baja Blast in 2023, your cheapest option was to wait until 2 p.m. 5 p.m. for the Taco Bell Happy Hour. That’s because every day during Taco Bell Happy Hour, you can grab $1 medium drinks including Freezes, lemonade, Gatorade Fruit Punch, Baja Blasts, Pepsi fountain drinks, Sparkling Freezes, or iced tea. This saves you $0.89 to $1.29 per drink.
We’ve got everything you should know about Taco Bell Happy Hour and even more Taco Bell savings you should know about.
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