14 Ways To Save Big With Popeyes Rewards: Offers, Challenges, Hacks, And More

If you like convenient family meals, homestyle sides, and chicken sandwiches bigger than your fist, then you probably know about Popeyes. What you might not know are all the ways you can bring down the cost of dinner.

Well, here’s some good news. We’ve taken a long look at the Popeyes Rewards app, and have found the best ways to redeem your points, the best times to order, and when to expect Popeyes’ most enticing offers.

Read on to learn how to maximize your savings, and keep reading to find out about some common money-leeching pitfalls you’ll want to avoid.

Tip #1: Get the Popeyes Rewards app

The Popeyes Rewards app is the gateway to all of Popeyes’ offers, coupons, and cashback opportunities. It also provides customers with an easy way to place their order ahead of time for delivery or in-store pickup.

The app can be downloaded from either the App Store or Google Play and enjoys a high user rating on both.

Once downloaded, you’ll need to register. Thankfully, this simply consists of entering your email address and name. However, if you want to fully unlock the app, you’ll need to enter your zip code, date of birth, and payment method (credit, debit, or gift card).

From the detective’s desk: Whenever you download a fast-food app, be sure to provide your birthday. Otherwise, you might miss out on a freebie. Read on to learn what Popeyes offers on your birthday.

Tip #2: Get free food immediately after registering an account

All new Popeyes Rewards users get a free reward, with no purchase required. You can choose from a:

• Regular side
• Small drink
• Apple pie

Of the three, the regular side has the best value by far, clocking in at around $3.49 as compared to $2-$3 for the other items. Plus, it’s the most flexible option, since you’ll get to choose from mashed potatoes, cajun fries, red beans and rice, and coleslaw.

Tip #3: Use the Popeyes Rewards app for all your purchases

Now that you’ve got the app, it’s time to start earning. Rewards members earn 10 points for every $1 spent on Popeyes menu items, not including tax and other additional charges.

Put simply, a $20 subtotal will net you 200 points, and a $49.90 order will see you receive 499 points.

All orders placed through the app, regardless of whether they’re for in-store pick up, dine-in, or delivery, award points.

You can also earn points on orders placed in person. Just navigate to the “Earn Rewards” menu, and ask the cashier to scan the QR code at the point of purchase.

However, Popeyes has been slow to roll out this feature, so there’s no guarantee your local hotspot will have this feature enabled.

Tip #4: Learn the best (and worst) ways to redeem Popeyes app points

Once you earn at least 150 points you can start redeeming them for Popeyes menu items. In total, there are 28 redemption options, including everything from sides, nuggets, tenders, signature chicken, and even a few dinner combos.

Some rewards offer a far better cashback rate than others. At our Popeyes, the values range from about 7 – 20%, as seen in the table below.

*Price estimate

The best redemption choices are:

• 2 biscuits: 19.9% cashback
• Regular sides (fries or mashed potatoes): 17.5% cashback
• 8pc nuggets dinner: 12.1% cashback
• Chicken sandwich dinner: 12.1% cashback

And the worst are:

• 8pc nuggets (a la carte): 7.3% cashback
• 5pc tenders (a la carte): 8.2% cashback
• Large beverage: 8.4% cashback

Now, here’s the catch. We live in the New York metro area, where prices are above the national average. So, it’s likely that in your region, the cashback percentages will trend lower. But you’ll also be paying less. We’d call that a pretty good trade-off.

Also worth noting is that items like sides and a la carte menu items lose a little value because you can get them for a discounted price if you usually purchase combos or family meals.

In either case, you now have a solid roadmap on how to spend your points.

From the detective’s desk: Unfortunately, each Popeyes abides by its own rules, and may exclude certain menu items from its rewards options. You really won’t know which ones are excluded until you try to redeem your points.

Customers can only redeem one reward per visit.

• See how Chick-fil-A handles its rewards program

Tip #5: Earn even more Popeyes points on combos and family meals

Customers can earn even more points when they order combo or family meals from the Popeyes Rewards app.

• Earn 50 extra points on combos
• Earn 100 extra on family meals

The average combo is at least $10, so you’d normally earn 100 points. But thanks to this promotion, you’d earn 150, a 50% increase.

Family meals start at about $25+, so you won’t earn quite as much additional cashback. A $25 order would net 350 points total, a 40% increase.

The list of eligible combo/meals are as follows:

• Chicken Sandwich combo
• 2/3/4pc Signature Chicken combo
• 3/5pc Tender combo
• Popcorn Shrimp combo
• 8/12pc Nugget combo
• 8/12/16pc Signature Chicken family meal
• 8/12/16pc Tenders family meal
• Big Family Feast
• Bigger Family Feast
• Sandwiches N More Pack

Tip #6: Take advantage of offers from the Popeyes Rewards Offers page

The best Popeyes offers are found on well, the app’s Offers page. Here, you’ll find a rolling list of coupons that can be applied to your next order.

Most offers only apply to pick up orders, but you’ll occasionally find 1-2 that are delivery only.

Here’s a general idea of the offers you can expect to find:

• $6 Shrimp Tackle Box: Normally $7.99 – a 24.9% discount
• $6.99 3pc Tenders combo: Normally $11.99 – a 41.7% discount
• $24.99 10pc Signature Chicken family meal: Normally $31.99 – a 21.9% discount

Sometimes, Popeyes steps it up a notch and rolls out special BOGO offers on its plentiful and delicious Chicken Sandwiches. Keep an eye out for these.

Tip #7: Shop around at different nearby Popeyes for the best price

Popeyes is a franchise and restaurant owners have some individual control over how they conduct business. So what does that mean to you? It means the pricing from one store to the next can vary widely.

There are stores that offer large sides really cheap, but jack up the prices on regular sides. Dinner, combo, and family meal prices are different in practically every Popeyes restaurant. Even beverage prices vary.

The lesson here is that to find the best value, you’re going to need to do sleuth work, just like you might if you were buying a car or household item.

Luckily, the Popeyes app makes this easy:

• When you begin an order, you’ll be shown a list of nearby restaurants.
• Pick one, jot down the prices of what you’re interested in, and then cancel out.
• On the bottom of the screen, click the store address and you’ll be given the option to change it.

From the detective’s desk: In order for Popeyes to populate locations near you, you’ll either need to provide your address under the “Account Info” menu, or enable location services when using the app.

Tip #8: Load up on sides during Popeyes Happy Hours

Every Tuesday and Thursday from 5-9 pm, Popeyes runs its signature Happy Hour. During these hours, all regular sides with the sad exception of the Mac & Cheese are just $1.

This represents a cost savings of over 70%, and better yet, you’re allowed to purchase up to three $1 sides.

Happy Hours are a great time to add a side to your a la carte meal or add an extra side to your combo or family meal. You can even purchase them on their own, with no additional purchase required.

Tip: If you regularly purchase sides during Happy Hour, then you may not want to use your Rewards Points on regular sides, since you’re getting them so cheap already. Instead, target a more expensive, high-value item.

You can combine a Happy Hour purchase with an offer and/or a points reward for additional savings.

Tip #9: The best Popeyes offers are usually around the holidays

Popeyes is known for rolling out the red carpet on or near the holidays, and not just traditional holidays.

Sure Christmas and Thanksgiving are covered but expect to receive special offers during the Super Bowl and March Madness, on National Sandwich Day, and on other non-official holidays.

For instance, last Super Bowl, Popeyes offered an additional 400 bonus points on any $20+ purchase. That’s a whopping 200% of additional value.

And last National Sandwich Day, customers received a lucrative BOGO Chicken Sandwich offer that was so popular it was extended a full week.

Tip #10: Take the Popeyes Challenge

If all of these methods of earning Popeyes points weren’t already enough, we also have Popeyes Challenges.

These are customized offers that reward additional points for meeting set goals. For instance, a recent challenge asked us to make two $5+ purchases over a 4-week period. Succeed, and we’d be awarded 550 points.

So instead of receiving 100 points on $10 spent, we’d get 650 — enough for a free 3pc Signature Chicken. That’s about 60% cashback.

Suffice it to say, these customized offers are probably some of the best point-earning opportunities

Tip #11: Beware the Dinner prices

It’s pretty common knowledge that fast-food restaurant combos are cheaper than buying each individual item separately. Well, hold your horses, because that’s not always the case with Popeyes.

Popeyes offers two combo types: Dinners and Combos. Dinners come with a regular side and sometimes a biscuit, whereas combos come with all that and a beverage.

We did some investigating and Combos were usually discounted by about 15 – 20%, which is about what we’d expect. Likewise, larger family meals were discounted by roughly 25%.

However, Dinner options were either only slightly discounted, or cost slightly more than purchasing the items individually. An example was the Classic Chicken Sandwich Dinner. The individual sandwich cost $4.99 and the Dinner cost $8.99. The Dinner comes with one side, priced at $3.49.

So, if we bought the items individually we’d actually save $0.50.

Is this an oversight? A cash grab? We really don’t know, but the point is to look twice before ordering a Dinner from the Popeyes menu.

Tip #12: Getting delivery through the Popeyes app is not worth it

Popeyes is a big offender when it comes to delivery upcharges, especially when you order from the app. Here’s a list of charges:

• Delivery less than six miles away: $3.99 delivery fee
• Delivery more than six miles away: $6.64 delivery fee
• Orders $9.99 or less: $2.50 small cart fee
• $2 Geographical fee if you live in California
• Driver tip (optional but recommended)
• Menu item upcharges

And here’s an idea of the upcharges:

• Chicken Sandwich combo: $9.99 (pick up) / $12.98 (delivery) – 29.9% upcharge
• 4pc Signature Chicken combo: $11.59 (pick up) / $15.59 (delivery) – 34.5% upcharge
• 16pc Signature Chicken family meal: $48.49 (pick up) / $60.43 (delivery) – 24.6% upcharge
• Large Homestyle Mac & Cheese: $6.99 (pick up) / $8.43 (delivery) – 20.6% upcharge

Sum it all up and you’re probably going to spend 40-50% more for a delivery order than a pick up. That’s an expensive recipe for disaster.

For these reasons, it might be best to just skip ordering delivery from the Popeyes Rewards app altogether.

However, if you must order delivery then at least take advantage of Popeyes delivery-only offers.

You may also want to consider getting delivery directly through one of Popeye’s delivery partners. This is especially true if you already have a premium subscription like DashPass for DoorDash, or Uber One for Uber Eats. At least that way, you won’t pay any delivery fees.

The downside is that you cannot generate or redeem points using third-party apps.

More helpful articles:

• Is DashPass worth it?
• Is Uber One worth it?

Tip #13: Claim free Popeyes food on your birthday

As long as you provide your birthday info, Popeyes will reward you with a free apple pie ($1.99 value) for your birthday.

Expect to receive your freebie on the first day of your birthday month. Just be warned, that you must provide your birthday at least 7 days before your big day, or you won’t get the reward.

Tip #14: The Popeyes Rewards app has some serious limitations

To put it mildly, the Popeyes app has some interesting “quirks.”

• A la carte options are often missing for some menu items. What if we just want chicken or tenders without the sides?
• Some restaurants restrict items from their rewards menu. Going further, there’s simply too much disparity between Popeyes restaurants in general.
• The QR code to receive and redeem points for in-store orders only works at select locations. You won’t know which ones take it unless you call ahead.
• You cannot redeem more than one reward per visit, but at least you can combine a reward with an offer.

Overall, the Popeyes app just feels less refined than competing apps, and we do hope Popeyes addresses these issues.

Popeyes Rewards: Frequently asked questions

Do Popeyes rewards expire?

Yes, but only if you haven’t made an eligible purchase in the past 180 days. After that, all of your hard-earned points will disappear.

Can you get Popeyes Rewards points from in-store purchases?

Popeyes recently integrated a QR code into its app that allows customers to earn and redeem rewards on in-store purchases. However, it doesn’t work at all locations.

If you don’t have the app handy, you still should be able to receive points by using a credit card linked to your account.

Popeyes used to have physical rewards cards, but their use was discontinued in March 2023.

Can you still get Popeyes Rewards points if you forgot to scan the QR code?

If you forgot to ask the cashier to scan your Popeyes Rewards app, you can contact customer service. An agent will ask you for some information (so keep your physical receipt), and you should have the points applied to your account.

Unfortunately, Popeyes doesn’t have an online form to address this issue.

Why can’t I claim a reward from the Popeyes app?

If you can’t claim a reward, then it’s probably one of two things:

• Your store doesn’t honor that reward. Some Popeyes restaurants prohibit select rewards.
• You’ve already claimed a reward for this visit. Popeyes only allows one reward per order.