We love Chipotle — the burritos, the queso blanco, the guac. After years of indulgence and wondering how to get free Chipotle, we’ve learned that there are plenty of ways to unwrap some savings beyond Chipotle coupons, Chipotle Rewards and Chipotle discount codes at the fast-casual burrito joint.
Whether you want to score a free Chipotle burrito or learn how to make the popular Chipotle guacamole recipe at home, check out these valuable Chipotle hacks to save time and money the next time that burrito craving strikes.
1. Get free chips and guac once you download the Chipotle app and make your first purchase.
Become a first-time Chipotle Rewards member, and you’ll get an order of free chips and guac after your first purchase — a $3.85 value.
2. Sign up for Chipotle Rewards to earn loyalty points for your purchases.
Sign up for Chipotle Rewards on the app to earn points towards a free item. For every $1 you spend at Chipotle, you get 10 points. Plus, Chipotle will surprise you every so often with an extra freebie in your Chipotle Rewards account — anything from double points to a surprise free drink.
To earn points in the restaurant, all you need to do is hit the “scan” button in the app and scan your Chipotle Rewards code at the register before you pay. When you order delivery or pickup, points are automatically added to your Chipotle Rewards account.
If you happen to forget to scan for points, don’t worry. You can submit a points request by completing the directions on the back of your receipt.
3. Redeem your Chipotle Rewards points for an entree or a quesadilla — it’s the best deal!
The reason you earn Chipotle Rewards points is to spend them, and here’s how many points you need for various freebies:
- 250 points: Small chips
- 325 points: Small chips and guacamole
- 400 points: Side of guacamole, side of queso blanco, or a fountain drink
- 485 points: $1 donation to a nonprofit organization
- 600 points: Bottled drink (such as a glass Coca-Cola) or double protein
- 650 points: Regular chips and queso blanco or regular chips and guacamole
- 900 points: Kids meal
- 1,250 points: Entree (Burrito, Burrito Bowl, Salad or 3 Tacos)
- 1,350: Quesadilla (digital only)
- 2,500 points: $10 worth of Chipotle goods (such as a keychain)
- 5,000 points: $20 worth of Chipotle goods (such as a shirt)
- 8,750 points: $35 worth of Chipotle goods (such as a sweatshirt)
If you want to make the most of your Chipotle Rewards points, spend them on a steak or barbacoa entree or quesadilla. An entree is 1,250 points — which requires $125 in spending — but you’re getting a value of up to a $9 entree for free (prices may vary by location). That’s like getting 7% cash back!
Similarly, a quesadilla (available through online orders only) costs $9.55 but can be redeemed for 1,350 points, which also represents 7% cash back.
4. Your Chipotle birthday reward: Free chips & guac.
When you sign up for Chipotle Rewards, make sure you put in your birth date. You’ll get an offer for free chips and guacamole with a $5 purchase as a Chipotle birthday reward.
If you like eating for free on your special day, check out our list of the best birthday freebies.
5. Get extra meat and an extra tortilla with your burrito bowl and feed 2 people for 25% less.
Here’s how you get two burritos out of one entree:
- Order a salad or burrito bowl ($7.65-$9.00, depending on the protein)
- Ask for double meat ($2.60-$3.95, depending on the protein)
- Ask for more veggies, cheese, rice and fajita veggies for free
- Order two tortillas ($0.25 each)
So, instead of spending $18 on two steak burritos, pay $9 for one steak burrito bowl, double the meat for $3.95, and add two tortillas on the side for $0.25 each. You’re spending just $13.45 for two build-your-own burritos, saving 25%!
PRO TIP: Make sure to ask for any sour cream, salsa, guac, or queso on the side so that your food doesn’t get soggy if you’re waiting for later.
6. Get a kids’ entree, chips, and a fountain drink for $5 — even if you’re an adult.
Kids’ menus are where it’s at, people. And anybody can get ’em.
On all other menu items, steak and barbacoa costs a bit more than chicken and carnitas. This is not the case with the build-your-own two taco kids’ meal, as protein costs $4.95, no matter what. Plus you get a side of chips and a drink.
The chips portion is smaller than a regular-size side of chips, and the 16-oz fountain drink is smaller than the 22- and 32-oz. regular options, but you get free soda and tea refills when dining in the restaurant.
Look at it this way: Two steak tacos ordered individually costs $6.70. For $1.75 less, you basically get free chips and a drink when you go the kids’ meal route. Less can be more.
Also, you can order just the kid-sized chips for $0.75.
7. Order 3 tacos instead of 2 and save 10% per taco.
When you order three steak tacos at Chipotle, it costs $9 (or $3 each). If you only order two tacos, you’re looking at $3.35 per taco. Plus, three tacos is always better than two.
8. Or overload 1 taco and ask for a free hard-shell tortilla to make a second taco.
Two tacos for the price of one? Oh yeah.
Load up one taco with as much rice, beans, veggies, and other free extras as possible, and create your own second taco by asking for an extra tortilla on the side.
Additional hard-shell tortillas don’t cost anything, and extra soft tortillas are only $0.25. That means you can create two satisfying steak tacos for just $3.60, or $1.80 per taco!
9. Double wrap your tortilla for $0.25 when you order a burrito.
Like filling your burrito to bursting? Same here. To prevent a potential mess, just ask for your burrito to be double wrapped. It’s only $0.25, and it’ll keep your burrito from falling apart as you eat.
If you’re really lucky, your local server might even give it to you absolutely free.
10. Ask for salsa on the side to get a larger portion.
The Chipotle ladles hold approximately 2 fl oz of salsa. The side cups are 4 fl oz, which means you essentially get free extra salsa at no charge. Of course, you could just ask for more salsa from the employee in line.
11. You’re eligible for a free fountain drink if you’re a student.
All college and high school students can claim a free fountain drink when they order Chipotle in person. You just need to flash your student ID at checkout. You don’t need to be a math major to know that free = good!
12. Order a vegetarian version of your meal and get free guacamole.
When you pass on the meat, you get guac for free — in store and online. If you’re in person at Chipotle, go ahead and remind the cashier that you don’t have meat so you don’t get charged — they’re going a million miles a minute.
Best thing about the vegetarian bowls and burritos is that you can order “extra” portions of nearly everything (rice, beans, salsas, sour cream, cheese, fajita veggies) for no extra charge — great for when you’re especially hungry.
If you get a burrito, for example, you’d pay up to $9 for steak and barbacoa. A vegetarian burrito is $7.65 — same price as a chicken burrito. If you were to get a chicken burrito and add guac to it, the guac costs an extra $2.35.
13. Or just make the official Chipotle guacamole recipe at home.
It’s super easy to make your own Chipotle guacamole!
Ingredients
- 2 ripe Hass avocados
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 2 Tbsp cilantro (chopped)
- 1/4 cup red onion (diced)
- 1/2 jalapeño including seeds (diced)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Directions
- Cut avocados in half and remove pits
- Scoop avocados into a bowl
- Toss and coat with lime juice
- Add the salt and mash until it’s a smooth consistency
- Fold remaining ingredients and mix
- Taste guac and adjust seasoning if necessary
14. Make your own chips with free hard-shell tortillas.
They’re not going to have that amazing lime flavor, but not spending $1.50 on a side of chips tastes pretty good, too.
Ask for some hard taco shells on the side of your order — they’re free — break them up yourself, and dip them into your guacamole burrito bowl.
15. Look for seasonal gift card promotions to get offers for discounted food.
Chipotle sweetens the deal for gift cards by offering money-saving perks when you purchase certain amounts. In December 2020, for example, the restaurant offered a buy one, get one free entree deal for every $30 in gift cards purchased. If you were to break up your gift card purchases in $30 increments, you’d receive one of those valuable offers each time (a $9 value). Two entrees for $9? Sounds like a perfect date night.
16. Buy discounted gift cards from Raise or Gift Card Granny and save nearly 8%.
Before you get to the checkout at Chipotle, get on your smartphone and check Raise and Gift Card Granny to see if there are any discounted gift cards for sale.
The best Chipotle deals we found were up to 7.9% off at Raise. You can purchase the discounted digital gift card and use it to pay by the time you order. These discounts are constantly changing, so check back often.
17. Check your calendar for National Burrito Day for the potential to get a free burrito.
Yes, Virginia, there is a National Burrito Day, and Chipotle celebrates every year. On April 1, 2021, Chipotle gave away $100,000 worth of free burritos by having customers visit a website and giving them 10 tries to guess a valid six-digit code for a free burrito. Ten thousand lucky Chipotle fans won a free burrito, while a handful of others won Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
Follow Chipotle on social media to learn details of the next National Burrito Day, because you never know what sort of promotion it will be.
18. Take the survey on your receipt for a chance to win free burritos for an entire year.
Your receipt has a unique code that you can enter into Chipotle’s feedback website. Used the app or their website? There’s a label on your digital receipt with a code for you to enter.
Although you don’t get freebies for doing the survey like you get from other restaurants, the prospect of free burritos for a year is pretty enticing, isn’t it? You can’t win if you don’t play.
19. If you’re eating during a peak time, order ahead using the website or app.
You can spend quite a bit of time waiting in line during peak times at Chipotle.
If you’re pressed for time but need that 11:30 a.m. burrito fix, you can place your order through the app or website and choose the exact time you’d like to pick it up. When you get to the restaurant, your order should be waiting for you on a convenient to-go rack. Walk in, find your bag, grab it, and go. Simple as that.
20. You’ll pay 17% more if you place a Chipotle delivery order.
We looked — although the menu prices are the same online or in app, you’ll actually pay a 17% service fee for delivery orders at checkout. This applies to orders made on the Chipotle app and website, and also when you order delivery through third-party apps like DoorDash and GrubHub.
You’ll pay $7.65 for a chicken burrito at the restaurant but $8.95 via delivery. Those price hikes are across the board.
So, if you’re looking to save that extra 10%, stick to ordering in person or for pickup at your local Chipotle. Pickup orders don’t cost any extra. The restaurant offers free delivery fees now and again on their social media channels, but those higher menu prices make it a moot point. Skip the delivery if you want to save money.
21. Circle your calendar for the Boo-Rito special every Halloween.
For the better part of two decades, Chipotle would offer customers who dressed up in costumes a discounted meal on Halloween. Lately, that annual promotion has taken on different forms; in 2021, for example, the promotion was linked to the online game Roblox.
Customers could also use the promo code BOORITO on Oct. 31 to receive a $5 burrito, bowl, salad, or taco entree.
22. Chipotle’s catering options aren’t worth the convenience.
Interestingly enough, the catering options at Chipotle don’t provide much in the way of savings. The menu is limited, and the prices are higher than they would be if you ordered them a la carte. If you order a box of burritos (which comes with a minimum of six burritos), for instance, each one costs $9.25. You can only add one rice as a base, and the only fillings you can add are black beans, cheese, and fresh tomato salsa. No guac. No queso blanco. No thanks.
The other catering options only increase in price from there. You’re better off driving to a location and ordering 20 individual burritos or bowls and pocketing the savings, ultimately.
23. Work for Chipotle to get a free meal every shift.
The employee benefits at Chipotle are pretty sweet — from quarterly bonuses and education financial assistance to one free meal with each shift (yes, that’s an entree, side, and a drink for free each day you work). How long would it take to get tired of free Chipotle every day? Our guess would be “never.”
24. Sign up for Chipotle’s email newsletter to receive news, promotions, and occasional “tasty offers.”
Everything you need is in the Chipotle app, but chances are, you only open the app when you’re ready to buy Chipotle.
If you’re not constantly checking it, sign up for Chipotle’s email newsletter. They send info about upcoming promotions, neighborhood-specific news, and, yes, discount codes.
For example, around Thanksgiving, we saw a $10 off $100 offer for Chipotle catering.
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