Learning how to save money at Dairy Queen gets you more than just cheap blizzards and free ice cream. In fact, the full Dairy Queen menu has over 80 affordable food and dessert options — many of which are under $6. And I’ve compiled a list of 13 Dairy Queen hacks to get even more value out of their food and treat menus.
Learn how to get free Blizzards with the Dairy Queen app, when Free Cone Day happened in 2024, why the $7 meal deal is the best value and even some DQ secret menu items.
Since most of us can’t take advantage of the 50% discount afforded to DQ employees, use these Dairy Queen hacks to get year-round discounts on ice cream, combo meals, or DQ Blizzards.
And text HACKS to 57299 or download the Krazy Coupon Lady app for even more money-saving tips and tricks.
How to score free blizzards using the Dairy Queen app.
Download the Dairy Queen app to get exclusive Dairy Queen coupons, like BOGO free Blizzards, a DQ Blizzard free on your birthday, or $1 shakes (reg. $4.69) or malts (reg. $4.99) — up to an 80% discount.
These app coupons change weekly and the coupons are valid throughout the whole week. They also offer Mobile Monday coupons which are one-day-only offers with some pretty significant discounts.
You’re limited to one coupon per order, so you won’t be able to stack deals. Log in to see what deals are available at your local Dairy Queen.
Along with coupons, the DQ mobile app also gets you points on your purchase. Rack up points, and get free food. Here’s how that works.
Spend your Dairy Queen app points wisely.
The Dairy Queen app isn’t just for cheap Blizzards. When you use the app and become a member, you earn 10 points for every $1 spent. You can either order through the app or scan your barcode on the app’s home page to earn your reward points.
Pro Tip: The best value with your Dairy Queen points is the Regular Onion Rings. Regularly $2.99 and free with a $15 spend, you get 19.9% back on your investment.
Here’s what you can get with your points and the amount of value you get back:
150 Points ($15 Spent)
Regular Fries (reg. $2.79): 18.6% cash back value
Regular Onion Rings (reg. $2.99): 19.9% cash back value
200 Points ($20 Spent)
Small Cone (reg. $2.79): 13.9% cash back value
Small Dipped Cone (reg. $3.19): 15.9% cash back value
Soft Pretzels & Zesty Queso (reg. $2.99): 14.9% cash back value
250 Points ($25 Spent)
Mini Blizzard (reg. $3.99): 15.9% cash back value
300 Points ($30 Spent)
Small Shake (reg. $3.99): 13.3% cash back value
Small Malt (reg. $3.19): 10.6% cash back value
Small Misty Slush (reg. $2.29): 7.6% cash back value
500 Points ($50 Spent)
Any Size Blizzard (reg. $5.79): 11.6% cash back value
4-Piece Chicken Basket (reg. $7.29): 14.6% cash back value
2500 Points ($250 Spent)
8” DQ Signature Cake (reg. $26.99): 10.8% cash back value
8” Blizzard Cake (reg. $29.99): 12% cash back value
3000 Points ($300 Spent)
10” DQ Signature Cake (reg. $30.99): 10.3% cash back value
10” Blizzard Cake (reg. $33.99): 11.3% cash back value
Join the Blizzard Fan Club for even more coupons for cheap Blizzards.
The DQ Blizzard Fan Club is separate from the app and gets you even more Blizzard deals and exclusive news and offers. Just use the Fan Club form and enter your name, location, and favorite Blizzard flavor and you’re in.
I love this hack because, alongside the Rewards Program, it’s like double dipping on DQ coupons. I’ve seen up to seven different coupons in a month when pairing the DQ app with the Fan Club.
If your Dairy Queen Blizzard isn’t served upside down, your next one is free.
Keep an eye out — DQ cashiers are supposed to flip over your Dairy Queen Blizzard before handing it to you. If they miss this tradition, speak up — you’ll get a coupon for a free Blizzard on your next visit.
Not every DQ location participates in this deal, so contact your nearest Dairy Queen location to find out if you can get this coupon.
Get super cheap Blizzards when you buy a large size to split.
One of my favorite Dairy Queen hacks is to split a large DQ Blizzard between two people. Here’s how the sizes stack up when it comes to price per ounce.
Mini - 6 oz., $4.39 or $0.73 per ounce
Small - 12 oz., $5.19 or $0.43 per ounce
Medium - 16 oz., $5.79 or $0.36 per ounce
Large - 21 oz., $6.19 or $0.29 per ounce
The 21-ounce size splits into two 10.5-ounce portions with each person paying $3.10 — that’s over $1 less than you’d pay for a Mini Blizzard — and getting 4.5 extra ounces for free.
Prices vary by location.
Dairy Queen’s $7 Meal Deal is the best value on the menu.
If we total up the regular prices for medium fries (reg. $2.79), a 21-ounce fountain drink (reg. $2.19), an ice cream sundae (reg. $3.49), and an Original Cheeseburger (reg. $3.29), you’d spend $11.76.
The Dairy Queen $7 Meal Deal gets you the same meal for $7 — a 40.5% discount.
Prices vary by location.
TIP: Not all Dairy Queens serve food. If you want Dairy Queen food, make sure your DQ is a Dairy Queen Grill & Chill instead of a Dairy Queen Treats.
Dairy Queen Blizzard of the Month offers rotating and limited-edition flavors.
Every month Dairy Queen picks their Blizzard of the Month. I get excited about these special monthly treats because they don’t cost more than regular blizzards, even though they come loaded with tons of toppings.
You'll typically find the Blizzard of the Month on the most recent seasonal menu.
Here are some examples of the Dairy Queen Blizzard of the Month:
April 2024 – Brownie Batter and Frosted Animal Cookie
March 2024 – Mint Brownie
February 2024 – Red Velvet Cake
January 2024 – Caramel Fudge Cheesecake
The Dairy Queen secret menu can get you exclusive and retired Blizzard flavors.
There are a few ways to get the Dairy Queen secret menu. If the employees have been around, they might be able to get you the retired Hawaiian Blizzard (which combines bananas, pineapples, and shredded coconut) just by asking.
Otherwise, you can add toppings to existing Blizzard flavors for $0.89 per topping. Here are just a few of our favorite flavors (prices are for the large size):
Banana Split Blizzard: Add all the toppings from the Banana Split — $9.95.
Oreo Brownie Fudge: Add Oreos, brownies, and hot fudge — $9.08.
Heath Mocha: Add coffee syrup, Heath bar pieces, and chocolate syrup — $9.08.
Peanut Butter Cookie: Add Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and cookie dough — $8.17.
Get a free DQ ice cream cone on the first day of spring.
Every year, Dairy Queen celebrates the first day of spring with Free Cone Day. This year spring arrives on March 19, 2024, and you can visit your local DQ for a free small vanilla soft-serve cone (reg. $2.79).
If you like your ice cream with a chocolate shell, you can get a chocolate-dipped cone for just $1 on Free Cone Day. Regularly $2.89, this saves you 65%! The $1 is donated to the Children’s Miracle Network.
Dairy Queen Happy Hour is From 2 - 4 p.m. on Monday - Friday.
You can get half off soft drinks, shakes, ice cream, and slushes during happy hour. This discount is valid from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at participating locations.
Receive a free Dilly Bar for taking the survey on your DQ receipt.
Your DQ receipt will print out an offer for a free Dilly Bar (reg. $2.39), which is a chocolate-covered ice cream bar, once you take the 10-minute customer satisfaction survey.
And when you get your free Dilly Bar, you’ll get another receipt. You could essentially get free Dilly Bars forever.
TIP: If you’re a fan of Dilly Bars, you can get a 6-pack container of them from Dairy Queen for $9.99 which makes them $1.67 per bar — a 30% discount.
Get up to 24% off your meal when you order Dairy Queen combos.
Order a combo meal to save up to 24.5%. Each Dairy Queen combo meal includes a 21-ounce fountain drink (reg. $2.19) and medium fries (reg. $2.79).
Medium Chili Cheese Dog Combo: $5.99 (reg. $7.97 separately) — a 24.8% discount
Medium Original Cheeseburger Stackburger Combo: $6.99 (reg. $8.27 separately) — a 15.5% discount
Medium Original Chicken Strip Sandwich Combo: $8.99 (reg. $10.27 separately) — a 12.5% discount
Prices vary by location.
Some locations offer a 10% Dairy Queen military discount or student discount.
Some Dairy Queen restaurants offer a 10% military or student discount. Because all DQ locations are franchised, this will vary by store. It would be best to call ahead to your local shop and ask if they offer a military or student discount. If they do, you’ll likely need to show your valid ID.
Buy discounted Dairy Queen gift cards to get up to a 15% discount.
Whenever you go to Dairy Queen, check Raise.com to see if they have any discounted Dairy Queen gift cards. And because Dairy Queen and Orange Julius gift cards are interchangeable, you can also check for discounted Orange Julius gift cards to score an even better deal.
Pro Tip: Since Orange Julius isn’t as well-known as Dairy Queen, we’ve seen stronger discounts — up to 15% off — on their gift cards. On the other hand, the discounts we’ve seen on Dairy Queen gift cards are closer to 8%.
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