Free coffee, car rides and more deals on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day

Wrap up 2018 and welcome the new year with some freebie fun.

New Panera Bread rewards members can have one last free bagel Monday. If you have a 2018 Chick-fil-A calendar, it's the last day to redeem a free chicken sandwich.

Monday is the last chance to get Applebee's and Chili's festive December drinks and the last scheduled day of IHOP's special Grinch menu and a kids eat free promotion.

Many national restaurant chains end gift card promotions on Monday, many which offer freebies to use in 2019.

According to NationalDayCalendar.com, New Year's Eve also is National Champagne Day, and if you're in Nevada, PT's Tavern restaurants are giving away free champagne to guests at the stroke of midnight.

And with all the celebrating, AAA is reminding party-goers to be safe. Participating AAA Clubs will provide free rides for members and nonmembers in many parts of the country through Wednesday as part of its holiday safe ride program. 

The season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is one of the deadliest times on the road when it comes to impaired driving, AAA said in a news release citing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Deals and freebies

Here are the deals available at participating locations at the days and times listed. To be on the safe side, check with your closest location before heading out.

Applebee’s: The January drink of the month is the "$2 Captain and Cola,” made with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and Pepsi and served in a 10-ounce mug.

Bahama Breeze: For this Caribbean-inspired New Year’s Eve celebration, get the chain's Legendary Island Cocktails for $2.19 from 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve to close. Offers and times can vary by location. The Legendary Island Cocktail menu includes Killer Bee, Painkiller, Goombay Smash, Zombie and Dark ‘N Stormy.

Baskin-Robbins: Regular and kids-sized scoops of ice cream are $1.50 Monday at participating locations nationwide.

Bob Evans: Starting 3 p.m. New Year's Eve and on Tuesday, Jan. 1, get two select adult entrees for $9.99 each, plus get free kids meals. 

Burger King: Get a free order of Chicken Fries when you spend $5 on DoorDash Tuesday through Jan. 6 with promo code NEWYEAR. To get this deal, add the Chicken Fries to your DoorDash cart and enter the code. According to the offer details, it is limited to the first 30,000 orders and valid for participating Burger King locations within DoorDash's delivery zones. Not valid for pickup or dine-in.

Chili’s: The chain’s first $5 margarita of the month for 2019 is a fan favorite from 2018, The Cherry Blossom. The drink features of Lunazul tequila, St-Germain, Fresh Sour and Grenadine.

Cumberland Farms: Get a free cup of coffee, hot or iced, from 5 p.m. New Year's Eve through 5 a.m. New Year's Day at the convenience store chain’s nearly 600 locations. No coupon is necessary.

IHOP: Through Monday, IHOP has a kids eat free deal and a special holiday menu inspired by "Dr. Seuss' The Grinch." Kids 12 and under receive a free entrée from the kids menu with each purchase of an adult entrée from 4 to 10 p.m. 

Main Event: Starting at 4 p.m. New Year's Eve, choose between all-you-can-play activities or all-you-can-play arcade games for only $10.95 per person. No reservations required.

Metro Diner: Jan. 1 is National Bloody Mary Day and Metro Diner will have $2.99 Bloody Mary drinks Dec. 31 through Jan. 4 from open to close.

Miller’s Ale House: Get $2.50 Bloody Mary’s and $2.50 Screwdrivers Tuesday at participating locations. According to fine print, drink specials not valid in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Massachusetts and must end by 9 p.m. in Ohio and Virginia and 10 p.m. in Tennessee and Illinois.

PDQ: On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, buy 25 hand-breaded tenders and get 10 free.

Pei Wei: Get 33 percent off regular entrees with promo code 33OFF when placing order in-restaurant or online Tuesday. Some exclusions apply.

P.F. Chang's: Take 15 percent off New Year's Day takeout orders with promo code NEWYEAR.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen: Starting Tuesday and for a limited time, Popeyes has a new deal. Get three pieces of chicken tenders or bone-in chicken with a biscuit for $3.99.

PT’s Tavern: For New Year’s Eve, the chain is offering an extended happy hour, a champagne toast and giveaways at all 60 locations. Happy hour will be available from 5 to 7 p.m. and then from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. with 50 percent off drinks and discounted food. At the stroke of midnight, guests will get complimentary glasses of champagne.

Royal Farms: ROFO Rewards members can get a free hot coffee in any size cup throughout New Year's Day. To enroll, download Royal Farms' updated app on the App Store or Google Play. If you don't have a smartphone, you can still sign up for the program at royalfarms.com/rewards.  

Sheetz: From 4 p.m. New Year's Eve through 4 pm. New Year's Day, get a free cup of coffee at all Sheetz locations. 

Smoothie King: On Monday, Dec. 31, bring in any fast-food coupon and get $2 off a Smoothie King meal replacement smoothie.

Wawa: Those with a registered gift card or Rewards Card on the Wawa app will receive a reward for a free 16-ounce hot handcrafted beverage, available only on New Year's Day. The Wawa app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Customers also can sign up for the program at wawarewards.com.

Wienerschnitzel: These deals are for New Year's Day at participating locations: Get up to five orders of Chili Cheese Fries for 99 cents each Tuesday or get Chili Dogs or Corn Dogs for just $5.95.

More deals: Find additional December deals and limited-time offers here.

Free rides

Here are some of the ways to get free rides Monday night and early Tuesday morning. More areas will also offer services so check with your local transit authority. 

AAA Holiday Safe Ride: This freebie should be used as a last resort, according to AAA. Through 6 a.m. Wednesday, participating AAA Clubs provide free rides for members and nonmembers in parts of the country including Florida, Ohio, California and Texas. Rides are confidential and free within a 10-mile radius. Times and date of offer vary. Find participating AAA Clubs here or call 855-2-TOW-2-GO or 855-286-9246.

Public transit systems:Los Angeles, Austin, Texas and Chicago are offering free rides along with several other major cities. Miller Lite is offering free rides in the Quad Cities region in Illinois and Iowa, Milwaukee and Twin Cities.

SoberRide: This Washington D.C. program partners with Lyft to offer free rides up to $15 on New Year’s Eve. A promo code will be posted at www.soberride.com noon Monday and will be valid between 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve until 4 a.m. Jan. 1. This offer is valid for new and existing Lyft users while supplies last.

Uber: Sign up for the car sharing service and get your first ride free (up to $15) when you use the code MILLERTIME18. This offer expires Feb. 27.

Other programs: In Detroit, the Christensen Law firm in Southfield is paying for rides home from the bar through its "Safe Ride Home" program, the Detroit Free Press reports. In Texas, Lyft users can get $5 off a ride with promo code NYEPLAN18.

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Contributing: Sheri Berkery, Cherry Hill Courier-Post

Kelly Tyko is a consumer columnist and retail reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Read her Bargainista tips at TCPalm.com/Bargainista, follow her on Twitter @KellyTyko and email her at kelly.tyko@tcpalm.com.