Got Your COVID-19 Vaccine? These Are the Freebies and Perks Around Philly You Should Know About
Drink free beer, munch on free donuts, and enjoy those antibodies coursing through your veins.
Among the local COVID vaccine perks and freebies, beer at Evil Genius. Photograph by C. Smyth for Visit Philadelphia
Beer, donuts, gift cards and more! Businesses and health experts around Philadelphia have been ramping up efforts to incentivize residents to get a COVID-19 vaccine — as if the potential to end a deadly pandemic wasn’t motivating enough. The vaccine will not only assist in protecting you from the virus, but it can now also score you some sweet freebies if you can prove you’ve been inoculated.
Philadelphia entered Phase 2 of its COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan last month, which means every city resident is now eligible to be vaxxed. For the more than 600,000 Philadelphians that have already been fully vaccinated, this means a slew of free perks and giveaways.
We’ve compiled a list of the all the places offering free or discounted goodies for flashing your vaccination card.
View this post on Instagram
Get a Free Brew from Evil Genius Beer Company
If ice-cold brews are your thing and you’re receiving your COVID-19 vaccine in May, then don’t miss out on a free 16-once brew from Evil Genius Beer Company. The brewery, located in the Fishtown, has 12 beers on draft and is one of the first in the state to offer free beer in exchange for proof of vaccination.
Snag a Discount at Allora Gifts & Home Décor
How does 10 percent off your entire purchase sound? Allora Gifts & Home Décor is hoping to encourage shoppers to get vaccinated and buy locally with 10 percent off every purchase for those who show their COVID vaccination card. The deal runs on Saturdays from now until further notice. The Bucks county gift shop carries an eclectic mix of home goods, accessories, and kitchenware and also features a number of handmade and eco-friendly items.
Get Your Daily Dose of Krispy Kreme
Nothing says, “thank you for staying in the house for an entire year,” like a free donut from Krispy Kreme. The company is aiming to help end our pandemic-era woes by offering a free Original Glazed donut a day to guests who show proof of vaccination. We did the math: If you start now, you can secure more than 220 free donuts before the promotion concludes at the end of the year.
View this post on Instagram
Stop in for a Snack at The Vitamin Shoppe
We could all use a bit of a boost after a year in lockdown. The Vitamin Shoppe is offering a free healthy snack or beverage to anyone with a documented COVID-19 vaccine shot from May 4th to May 31st. The nutritional supplements retailer is based in New Jersey and has a number of store locations in the Philly area. So, stop in for a free post-workout snack — no purchase required.
Take $5 Off at Target
Let’s be real, if you go into a Target store for one item, you’ll probably leave with at least three. So why not take advantage of the company’s $5 off in-store coupon? If you get vaccinated at one of Target’s 1,700 in-store CVS pharmacies, it comes with a coupon to shop. There are four Target-operated CVS pharmacies across the city that are currently offering the vax-and-coupon deal.
View this post on Instagram
Earn $20 at the Philly Vax-Jawn
Dr. Ala Stanford’s Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium is hosting a follow up to their first Philly Vax-Jawn events, and at this one, they’re giving away $10,000. To receive part of the giveaway, you’ll need to have been vaxxed at one of the April events, be returning for your second shot, and bring an eligible person with you to get vaxxed. The first 500 people to do so at the Philly Vax-Jawn 2 on May 22nd will receive $20 each.
Get a Free Uber or Lyft Ride
The vaccination process is rather simple: roll up your sleeve, get dosed, then go. However, commuting to a vaccination site can be difficult for some Philadelphians. Uber is hoping to ease these frustrations by pledging to provide free rides to appointments for those receiving the vaccine from a Walgreens pharmacy. Similarly, Lyft has partnered with CVS and the YMCA to provide free rides to vaccine appointments at those locations.
Drink Free Beer in New Jersey
It sounds like the caption to a cheesy Instagram post, but New Jersey’s “Shot and a Beer,” program provides vaccinated New Jerseyans with free beer. Garden State residents who are over 21 and received their first dose in May can take their vaccination card to one of the more than 30 participating breweries to receive a brew of their choice at no cost.
Student and Employee Perks
COVID vaccine perks are popping up everywhere — including at higher education institutions. Rowan University recently announced a mandate for students who live on campus or attend in-person class to be vaccinated but also offered an incentive to encourage students to do so. Full-time students will get a $500 credit for their Fall course registration, residential students will get a $500 housing credit, and part-time students will receive a pro-rated amount based on the number of registered courses.
Many local companies are also offering rewards to their employees who opt to get the COVID-19 vaccine. SEPTA will give its employees $100 after getting both doses of the vaccination. Aldi is providing up to four hours of paid time off for vaxxed hourly workers. Supermarket chain Lidl, which has four locations in the Philadelphia area, is offering $200 to employees that are vaccinated. Wawa recently announced a hiring campaign to bring on 5,000 new employees and is promising a $75 signing bonus for all new hires that are vaccinated.
