Key takeaways
- Join Steak ‘n Shake Rewards in the app or on the website; the brand’s FAQ says members earn 1 point for every dollar spent and receive a $2 reward for every 20 points.
- Rewards and points expire after 365 days according to the FAQ, so a reward you forget about is not permanent.
- Points are earned on the pre-tax amount only, so tips and sales tax do not count.
- Third-party trackers report a birthday milkshake, a weekday afternoon happy hour on shakes and drinks, a receipt survey reward and an age-based discount at participating locations. None of these is guaranteed at every restaurant.
- Sources disagree on what a new member receives as a welcome offer, so look at the Rewards tab after you sign up instead of relying on a coupon page.
A Steak ‘n Shake promo code is rarely what saves money at this diner chain; the real discounts come from its Rewards program, which turns spending into reward dollars, plus local happy hour pricing, a receipt survey and a birthday shake that several independent trackers describe. This guide explains how the program works according to the brand’s own rewards FAQ, which extras are reported by third parties and may vary by restaurant, and which “coupon” pages you can safely ignore.
Steak ‘n Shake has a mix of corporate and franchised restaurants, and kiosks, drive-thru lanes and app features are not identical everywhere. Treat any number below as a snapshot of how the program is described, then confirm the current terms in the app before you order.
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Quick answer
- Join Steak ‘n Shake Rewards in the app or on the website; the brand’s FAQ says members earn 1 point for every dollar spent and receive a $2 reward for every 20 points.
- Rewards and points expire after 365 days according to the FAQ, so a reward you forget about is not permanent.
- Points are earned on the pre-tax amount only, so tips and sales tax do not count.
- Third-party trackers report a birthday milkshake, a weekday afternoon happy hour on shakes and drinks, a receipt survey reward and an age-based discount at participating locations. None of these is guaranteed at every restaurant.
- Sources disagree on what a new member receives as a welcome offer, so look at the Rewards tab after you sign up instead of relying on a coupon page.
Ways to save at Steak ‘n Shake
| Method | How it works | Who qualifies | Limits and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rewards points | 1 point per dollar on pre-tax spend; 20 points converts to a $2 reward | Anyone who signs up and identifies the account at the order | Points and reward dollars expire after 365 days per the FAQ |
| Reward redemption | Apply whole $2 increments in the app, at the drive-thru or at an in-store kiosk | Members with unused rewards | Applies across menu items; check whether your restaurant supports every channel |
| Member-only offers | Email and push notifications carry deals for members | Members who allow notifications | Offers rotate; some are tied to a day or an item |
| Birthday shake | Reported by several freebie trackers as a free milkshake around your birthday | Members with a birth date on the account | Not described in the FAQ; join ahead of time and confirm in the app |
| Happy hour | Reported weekday afternoon discount on shakes and drinks | Anyone at a participating restaurant | Hours and items vary by location |
| Receipt survey | Reported reward for completing the survey printed on a receipt | Dine-in and some carryout guests | Reward terms and expiry are on the receipt |
| Age-based discount | Reported discount for guests aged 50 and older | Guests who ask at the counter | Only at participating locations; not an online code |
| Gift cards | Gift card purchases earn points per the FAQ | Anyone | Cannot be combined with another payment method on app or online orders |
How the Rewards program works
The official rewards FAQ is short, which makes it one of the more reliable sources for this chain. It states that members earn 1 point per dollar on qualifying purchases and that each time a member reaches 20 points a $2 reward is issued for future purchases. That is a simple earn rate: the points are worth a small fraction of what you spend, so the program is a steady trickle, not a big discount.
The FAQ lists several ways to have a purchase counted: scanning the in-app QR code, entering your phone number at a kiosk, scanning a receipt barcode, or letting the app and online ordering apply it automatically. This matters because points that are not attached to your account at the time of the order are the most common reason people think the program “did not work”. If you eat in and forget to identify yourself, the receipt barcode is the fallback the FAQ describes.
Step by step
- Download the Steak ‘n Shake app or create an account on the website and add your phone number, since it can be used to identify the account at kiosks.
- Enter your birth date if the app asks for it, because birthday items are tied to that field and most freebie trackers advise joining at least a week ahead.
- Look at the Rewards or Offers section right after joining and note anything that appears, along with its expiry date.
- When you order, choose the app QR code, the phone number or the receipt barcode so the purchase counts toward points.
- Before you pay, open the reward list and apply the available $2 increments. The FAQ says any whole-dollar amount in $2 steps can be used.
What counts and what does not
The FAQ says points are earned on the pre-tax amount and that tips and sales tax do not count. It also says gift cards bought count as qualifying purchases for points, but that a gift card cannot be mixed with other payment methods on app or online orders. In practice, if you plan to pay with a gift card on a digital order, expect to cover the whole order with that card.
The expiry rule people miss
The FAQ states that rewards points and any reward currency expire after 365 days. A year feels long, but a reward that shows up during a busy month can quietly lapse. A good habit is to open the app once a quarter and check the reward balance. If a reward is about to expire, plan a visit around it instead of buying something you would not otherwise order.
Birthday shake: what is reported and what is confirmed
Steak ‘n Shake’s rewards FAQ does not mention a birthday offer, so the shake described on freebie roundups should be treated as reported, not guaranteed. The pattern those sources describe is consistent: join in advance, make sure your birth date is on the account, and look for a free shake reward to appear in the app or in an email in the days before your birthday. One tracker describes a window of about a week before the birthday through the day itself, and a 2025 post says the app’s rewards section is where it shows up. If it does not appear, the reward may not apply to your restaurant or account, and the app’s support channel is the place to ask.
Do not pay a third party for a “birthday coupon”. If an offer exists for your account it is free and delivered by the brand.
Happy hour, survey rewards and senior pricing
Several coupon and freebie pages describe a weekday afternoon happy hour with reduced pricing on shakes and drinks, a burger reward for finishing the receipt survey, and a ten percent discount for guests aged 50 and older. None of these appears in the rewards FAQ, which suggests they are location-level or receipt-level programs. The right move is to ask at the counter or look at the in-store signage. If a franchise operator runs a happy hour, the menu board will say so, and no code is needed.
The survey reward is the one you can verify on the spot: the survey invitation is printed on the receipt with its own terms. Read the expiry and the “one per visit” language before you rely on it for a return trip.
Stacking and timing
The FAQ confirms that more than one $2 reward can be applied to an order, in whole-dollar steps. Whether a member-only promotion can be combined with a reward is shown at checkout, not on a public page, so try it in the app cart before you commit. Gift cards are the exception noted above on digital orders.
| Situation | Better move | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You eat there once a month | Join for the member offers and birthday item, not the points | At 1 point per dollar, points build slowly |
| You order for a family often | Always attach the order to the account and use rewards on the largest order | Rewards apply in $2 steps, so larger baskets use them fully |
| A reward is near its 365-day limit | Redeem it on the next order, even a small one | Expired currency cannot be recovered |
| You want a shake | Check the happy hour sign before ordering | Afternoon pricing is reported at participating restaurants |
For timing, there is no sourced pattern of a particular day with better pricing. Limited-time offers appear in the app and by email, so the best “time of year” is whenever a member offer lands. Avoid planning a trip around a rumor about a certain day.
Coupon and promo code mistakes to avoid
- Trusting generic code pages. Pages that list a long set of Steak ‘n Shake codes rarely cite where the code came from, and the chain’s discounts are loaded into the app, not typed into a promo box.
- Using “free shake” generators or survey scams that ask for your card or a fee. The brand does not charge for a birthday or welcome offer.
- Joining after the fact. Birthday rewards generally require the account to exist before your birthday.
- Forgetting to attach dine-in orders to your account, which means no points.
- Letting rewards expire after a year because you never opened the app.
- Assuming every restaurant honors the same extras. Franchise operators can differ on happy hour, senior pricing and kiosks.
- Posting unused reward screenshots online. Rewards tied to an account are not meant to be shared.
Worked example: how long do points take?
Suppose a family visits twice a month. At 1 point per dollar, a reward arrives every few visits and is worth a small fraction of the bill, so the program is best viewed as a modest bonus. The bigger savings usually come from skipping add-ons, using member offers and choosing the happy hour window where it exists. That is why this guide recommends attaching every order to the account but not changing where you eat solely to earn points.
Dine-in, drive-thru, kiosk or app: where the savings land
Steak ‘n Shake is known for ordering at the table, at a kiosk or through a drive-thru, and each channel affects how easily you capture savings. The rewards FAQ describes redemption in the app at checkout, at the drive-thru window and at an in-store kiosk, which means a reward is not limited to mobile ordering. That is useful for anyone who dislikes ordering on a phone: you can give your phone number at the window or the kiosk and still use the reward balance.
Dine-in guests have one extra advantage: the receipt. Because the FAQ lists receipt barcode scanning as a way to credit a purchase, a dine-in meal that was not attached to an account can still be recovered if you scan the barcode afterward. Keep the receipt until the points appear. The survey invitation on the same receipt is another reason not to throw it away at the table.
Carryout and delivery are different. If you order through a third-party delivery marketplace, the restaurant’s own reward balance and member offers may not apply, and menu pricing there can differ from the restaurant’s own menu. The app or the brand’s own website is the cleanest route for using rewards. Check the cart before you confirm and see whether the reward line appears.
A simple routine that costs nothing
- Keep the app installed with notifications on, because member offers arrive there first.
- Before every visit, open the Rewards tab and see whether anything is waiting to expire.
- Identify your account at every order, even small ones such as a single shake.
- Glance at the menu board for a happy hour banner before you choose drinks.
- Keep the receipt until points post, then complete the survey if you plan another visit.
How we researched this
This guide is based on the brand’s official pages and independent reporting named below; offers change, so confirm on the brand’s site or app before ordering. We do not publish unverified codes.
Sources
- Steak ‘n Shake Rewards FAQ (official brand page)
- Birthday freebie trackers and rewards roundups for reported birthday and welcome items
- Groupon’s Steak ‘n Shake offers page for reported happy hour and welcome items
- Consumer freebie sites that describe the receipt survey and the age-based discount
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Steak ‘n Shake have promo codes?
Not in the way most online stores do. The savings you can verify come from Steak ‘n Shake Rewards, where the FAQ describes points converting into $2 rewards, plus member-only offers delivered by email and push notifications.
How many points do I need for a reward?
The official FAQ says 20 points earns a $2 reward, and members earn 1 point per dollar spent on the pre-tax amount.
Do Steak ‘n Shake rewards expire?
Yes. The FAQ says points and reward currency expire after 365 days, so check your balance periodically.
Is there a free birthday milkshake?
Several freebie trackers report one, but the rewards FAQ does not mention it. Join before your birthday, add your birth date and check the app’s rewards section; if it does not appear, ask support whether your location participates.
Can I use gift cards with rewards?
Gift cards earn points when purchased, according to the FAQ, but on app or online orders a gift card cannot be combined with other payment methods.
Is there a senior or happy hour discount?
Some third-party pages report both, but they appear to depend on the restaurant. Look for signage or ask at the counter instead of expecting a code.
Do tips or tax earn points?
No. The FAQ states points come from the pre-tax amount only, and tips and sales tax are excluded.
How do I make sure an in-store order counts?
Use the app QR code, enter your phone number at the kiosk or scan the receipt barcode afterward, as the FAQ lists these methods for crediting a purchase.
Last updated: October 2026
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