It’s no big secret that Chick-fil-A is America’s most beloved fast-food restaurant, and for good reason. Not only does it serve delicious chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, and sauces, but it also offers customers a way to score tons of freebies through the Chick-fil-A One rewards app.
Yet as great as the app is, unlocking its full potential takes a bit of legwork, as some items have a better redemption value than others.
In this guide, we’ll take a tour of Chick-fil-A One, explain how you can get the most bang for your cluck, and explore other ways to land Chick-fil-A coupons and free items.
What is Chick-fil-A One and how does it work?
Chick-fil-A One is a rewards app available on desktop, and for both Android- and iOS-powered devices.
It functions similarly to other fast-food loyalty apps like Wendy’s Rewards, in that customers can use the app to earn points on purchases. These points can later be redeemed for a variety of menu items, such as drinks, salads, fries, nuggets, and sandwiches.
You can also place orders directly through the app, either for pickup or delivery.
However, Chick-fil-A One takes things a step further, by rewarding its most loyal customers with better exchange rates and more perks.
When you first start out, you’ll earn 10 points per $1 spent prior to tax. Navigate to the top loyalty tier — the fancy-sounding “Signature” tier — and your earn rate gets bumped to 13 points per $1.
Redemptions start at 200 points, which means you’ll only need to spend $20 to get the freebie train rolling. Bigger ticket (and more desirable) items cost anywhere from 700 – 1,800 points.
Beyond points, the app empowers users to earn additional freebies and coupons. Members unlock benefits like free birthday gifts, bonus point challenges, and other exclusive opportunities.
Signing up for Chick-fil-A One
There’s nothing complicated about signing up for Chick-fil-A One. To get started:
- Download the app from Google Play (currently rated 4.6/5.0) or the App Store (currently rated 4.9/5.0), depending on your device.
- Open the app, and either create an account using an email address/password combo, or sign in through Facebook, Apple, or Google.
- (Optional) Next, you’ll probably want to go to Account -> Edit Profile to enter your birthday. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on your free birthday gift.
From the detective’s desk: Although users can create an account from both desktop or mobile, you’ll ultimately want to get the mobile app, since that’s what you’ll use to earn points on in-person or drive-thru orders.
If you plan on using the app to place orders, then you should enter a payment method under Account -> Manage Payment Methods. The app accepts Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, credit/debit cards, and Chick-Fil-A gift card transfers. You can also load funds directly to the Chick-fil-A One app, for an added level of convenience.
The last optional step is to enter your address info under Account -> Manage Addresses -> Enter an Address. This step allows Chick-fil-A to easily find restaurants near you.
That’s it. You’re done. From here, feel free to explore the app, and definitely check out the Rewards tab to see how many points you’ll need to earn to get your favorite menu item for free.
Earning points with Chick-fil-A One
Customers earn points on all purchases, with the following exclusions:
- Gift card purchases
- eCard purchases
- Tax
- Purchases made at licensed Chick-fil-A locations, like those found on college campuses and in airports
If you make an order through the Chick-fil-A One mobile app or desktop platform, then your points will be automatically applied. It’s effortless.
Rather, if you place an in-person or drive-thru order you’ll need to take an extra step.
To receive credit, open up the app, tap “Scan” at the point of sale, and have the cashier scan your QR code. Your points should show up immediately.
What if I didn’t scan my code?
If for whatever reason, you forgot to scan the QR code, or there’s some sort of technical issue, you’ll still have an opportunity to receive your Chick-fil-A rewards points. Simply take the following steps:
- Go to this page.
- Enter the restaurant number, purchase date, order number, and total.
- Hit “Submit Request”
As long as the details check out, this method should work, and your points will be credited within 48 hours.
From the detective’s desk: Most of the missed transaction info is on your receipt, so resist the urge to toss it in the trash.
Chick-fil-A One member rewards levels
Chick-fil-A One is the only major fast-food chain that offers membership tiers. Currently, there are four levels:
- Member: Everyone starts here
- Silver: Earn 1,000 points in a calendar year
- Red: Earn 4,000 points in a calendar year
- Signature (added in March 2021): Earn 10,000 points in a calendar year
Tier levels are based on purchases made during a calendar year, and tier points reset each year on January 1st. However, you’ll retain your current tier for the entire following calendar year, at a minimum.
At the Member level, you’ll earn $1 = 10 points. Your earn rate improves along with your status, as follows:
- Silver: $1 = 11 points
- Red: $1 = 12 points
- Signature: $1 = 13 points
Achieving Silver status isn’t that tall of an order, as you’ll just need to spend $100. However, it’s a big jump to Red status, which requires $372.73 — that’s a lot of chicken for just one year.
To reach Signature status, you’ll need to spend $872.73. Unless you’re eating at Chick-fil-A several times a week (probably not recommended) or hire the restaurant for a catering event (better option), it’ll be tough to reach this VIP level.
These numbers assume that you’re starting from Member status. However, if you’re starting at a higher tier, it’ll be somewhat easier to reach your goal.
As an example, let’s say you earned 6,000 points in a year, granting you Red Status. To maintain your status, you’ll only need to spend $333.33 the following year — about $40 less than if you were starting at Member status.
The reason for the discount is because you’ll already be earning 12 points per $1 spent, instead of 10. You can further reduce the amount you need to spend by participating in bonus point challenges, although these have been few and far between of late.
Membership benefits
In addition to enhanced earn rates, higher tier members also unlock additional benefits.
Right now, these perks are pretty mediocre, but we’re hoping that changes as the program matures and supply chain issues work themselves out.
- At Silver, you can use your points to gift rewards to friends and family.
- At Red status, you’ll occasionally receive exclusive freebies. You’ll also unlock backstage tours at the Chick-fil-A Home Office, which is great if you’re in the Atlanta area. Otherwise, the best you’ll get is a virtual tour via Zoom.
- At Signature, you’ll receive all Silver and Red benefits plus “unique experiences.” We don’t know exactly what these are, and reports on Reddit have been underwhelming. So far, it looks like members get to occasionally vote on internal decisions, and that’s about it.
For what it’s worth, higher-tier members also receive better birthday offers.
In short, don’t purposely chase Signature status. Spend as you would normally spend, and enjoy the extra points and modest perks that come with higher status levels.
Redeeming Chick-fil-A One rewards
To redeem a reward:
- Open up the Chick-Fil-A app and go to “Rewards”
- There, you’ll see your available points and all redemption options. If you don’t have enough points for a menu item, the icon will be semi-transparent.
- Tap on your desired item, and select “Redeem points for this reward.” Once you redeem an item, you’ll have 30 days to claim it.
- Redemptions can be applied to mobile orders or for in-person pickups via carry-out, drive-thru, or (sometimes) curbside pickup.
For mobile orders, the item will automatically be added to your order. If you instead select “Scan at Restaurant,” you’ll need to have an employee scan the QR code that appears.
One upside of Chick-fil-A One is that you don’t need to purchase anything when redeeming a freebie. Of course, you can if you want, but it’s not required.
Can I redeem multiple rewards at once?
The verdict is that yes, you can. Chick-fil-A allows you to redeem up to at least 10 items per transaction, and we’re investigating whether it’s possible to redeem even more rewards during a single visit.
This is in contrast to most other fast-food loyalty apps, which only allow one redemption, or one redemption and one coupon, per visit.
Chick-fil-A rewards best value
At present, Chick-fil-A allows you to redeem points for a whopping 43 menu items.
We ran an analysis on the cash back equivalent of each item and were surprised by how much more value some items offered over others.
Here’s a look at the results:
Chick-fil-A One Rewards: Cash back (%)
| Item | Price (May Vary) | Rewards Points Cost | Cash back (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Chunk Cookie | $1.65 | 200 | 8.25% |
| Hash Browns Side | $1.55 | 200 | 7.75% |
| Icedream | $1.69 | 200 | 8.45% |
| Chick-fil-A Coffee | $2.19 | 300 | 7.30% |
| Chocolate Fudge Brownie | $2.25 | 300 | 7.50% |
| Fountain Drink | $2.19 | 300 | 7.30% |
| Freshly-Brewed Iced Tea Sweetened | $2.19 | 300 | 7.30% |
| Freshly-Brewed Iced Tea Unsweetened | $2.19 | 300 | 7.30% |
| Kale Crunch Side | $2.35 | 300 | 7.83% |
| Small Waffle Fries | $2.09 | 300 | 6.97% |
| Medium Waffle Fries | $2.35 | 300 | 7.83% |
| Chick-fil-A Diet Lemonade | $2.55 | 400 | 6.38% |
| Chick-fil-A Lemonade | $2.55 | 400 | 6.38% |
| Chick-fil-A Sunjoy | $2.55 | 400 | 6.38% |
| 4ct Chick-n-Minis | $4.55 | 500 | 9.10% |
| Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit | $3.55 | 500 | 7.10% |
| Chick-fil-A Iced Coffee | $3.29 | 500 | 6.58% |
| Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich | $4.79 | 600 | 7.98% |
| Cup of Chicken Noodle Soup | $3.85 | 600 | 6.42% |
| Side Salad | $3.99 | 600 | 6.65% |
| Small/Medium Fruit Cup | $3.99 | 600 | 6.65% |
| Small/Medium Mac & Cheese | $3.99 | 600 | 6.65% |
| Spicy Chicken Sandwich | $5.15 | 600 | 8.58% |
| 3ct Chick-n-Strips | $5.19 | 700 | 7.41% |
| 8ct Chick-fil-A Nuggets | $4.85 | 700 | 6.93% |
| 8ct Grilled Nuggets | $5.69 | 700 | 8.13% |
| Egg White Grill | $4.85 | 700 | 6.93% |
| Frosted Beverages | $4.35 | 700 | 6.21% |
| Hash Browns Scramble Bowl | $4.79 | 700 | 6.84% |
| Hash Brown Scramble Burrito | $4.79 | 700 | 6.84% |
| Milkshakes | $4.75 | 700 | 6.79% |
| Chick-fil-A Deluxe Sandwich | $5.49 | 800 | 6.86% |
| Green Yogurt Parfait | $4.75 | 800 | 5.94% |
| Spicy Deluxe Sandwich | $5.85 | 800 | 7.31% |
| 12ct Chick-fil-A Nuggets | $6.85 | 1200 | 5.71% |
| 12ct Grilled Nuggets | $8.19 | 1200 | 6.83% |
| 4ct Chick-n-Strips | $6.55 | 1200 | 5.46% |
| 6-pack Chocolate Chunk Cookie | $9.19 | 1200 | 7.66% |
| Chick-fil-A Cool Wrap | $7.79 | 1200 | 6.49% |
| Chick-fil-A Grilled Chicken Club | $8.19 | 1200 | 6.83% |
| Grilled Chicken Sandwich | $6.49 | 1200 | 5.41% |
| Cobb Salad | $9.49 | 1800 | 5.27% |
| Market Salad | $9.69 | 1800 | 5.38% |
| Spicy Southwest Salad | $9.69 | 1800 | 5.38% |
Note: Prices are based on Northeast region menus. The prices in your area may be slightly different.
Our data is based on Member redemption values, which range from 5.27% – 9.1% cash back. If you’re Silver level, multiply the displayed cash back rate by 1.1. Multiply by 1.2 if you’re Red, and 1.3 if you’re Signature status.
Our first observation is that Chick-fil-A One’s cash back rates are lower compared to other fast-food rewards programs. For instance, Wendy’s Rewards offers up to 12.5% cash back.
McDonald’s Rewards does even better than that, with cash back rates ranging from 7.3% all the way up to 18.6%. By comparison, Chick-fil-A One is just not that rewarding.
It’s also worth noting that more expensive items generally offer worse value than cheaper fare. The five worst items to redeem are:
- Cobb Salad: 5.27%
- Market Salad: 5.38%
- Spicy Southwest Salad: 5.38%
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich: 5.41%
- 4 ct. Chick-n-Strips: 5.46%
Sorry salad lovers.
Meanwhile, smart savers will do well by redeeming their hard-earned points for the following items:
- 4 ct. Chick-n-Minis: 9.1%
- Spicy Chicken Sandwich: 8.58%
- Icedream: 8.45%
- Chocolate Chunk Cookie: 8.25%
- 8 ct. Grilled Nuggets: 8.13%
- Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich: 7.98%
While it’s really nice to see two of Chick-fil-A’s most popular sandwiches make the top 6, remember that you’re only getting the sandwich and not a combo meal. Combos offer discounted pricing, which partially diminishes the value of redeeming points for just a sandwich.
Other good values include Medium Waffle Fries, Kale Crunch Side, and Hash Browns.
From the detective’s desk: Here’s a hack we found. If you redeem your points for an 8 ct. nugget it will set you back 700 points (87.5 points per nugget). However, a 12 ct is 1200 points (100 points per nugget). Instead of opting for the larger size, why not just get two 8 counts for 1400 points? That’s four extra nuggets for just 200 points.
Chick-fil-A One FAQ
There’s more to just being a Chick-fil-A One member than earning points and placing orders. Find out more in our faq.
Does Chick-fil-A One offer birthday rewards?
In so long as you provide the app with your birthday info, which can be done from Account -> Edit Profile, you will receive a special surprise around your big day.
The value of your freebie will depend on your rewards status:
- Member: Free Chocolate Chunk or Chocolate Fudge Brownie
- Silver: Free dessert variety reward, which allows you to choose from seven different desserts
- Red: Regular/Grilled Chicken Sandwich, or an 8- or 12-piece nugget
- Signature: Any entree
Do you actually get a free sandwich for completing a survey?
Yes. After completing our first order with the Chick-fil-A One app, we were invited to complete a 5-min survey.
The reward was either a free Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich or a Spicy Sandwich. You’ll have 3 months from the time you complete the survey to redeem your offer.
Does the Chick-fil-A app provide nutritional information?
It sure does. Just click on any menu item and you’ll be able to view all nutritional info including calories, fat content, sodium, cholesterol, and more. It’s about as comprehensive as what you’d expect to see on grocery store labels.
On top of that, the app allows for tons of customization options, such as cheese, lettuce, pickles, and of course sauces. Each one of these lists the calorie count.
Does Chick-fil-A ever offer discounts?
Chick-fil-A doesn’t really do discounts or coupons. Its philosophy is that its menu items are tasty enough to always warrant the full price. Therefore, you’ll typically either pay the listed price or get the item for free, with not much in between.
The best you’ll see on the One app is an occasional bonus point challenge, where you may receive an additional 50+ points on your mobile order.
Can you order delivery through Chick-fil-A One?
Getting your food delivered through the Chick-fil-A One app is a bit of a crapshoot. Some restaurants offer it, but the ones near where we live do not.
To find out if your hotspot delivers, select a restaurant, start an order, and see if delivery is listed as one of the options.
Chick-fil-A is partnered with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub for deliveries, and you’ll often have better luck finding restaurants that deliver by going directly to these sites as opposed to ordering from the Chick-fil-A app.
The downside to that approach is that you won’t receive rewards points on your order. Nor, will you be able to redeem menu items.
All deliveries are subject to upcharges like delivery fees, service fees, and juiced-up prices. To mitigate these added expenses, you can join a premium subscription service like DashPass or Uber One. These will eliminate delivery fees and cut service fees.
