National Coffee Day 2026: Free Coffee Deals and Which Ones Need an App
Sixteen chains confirmed their offers for Tuesday, from Peet's 25-cent throwback cup to Smoothie King's free protein coffee smoothie. Eleven run through a rewards app. Here's what each one takes.
- National Coffee Day is Tuesday, Sept. 29, and 16 chains have announced free or cheap coffee for it, from Dunkin’ and Krispy Kreme to Circle K and Sheetz.
- Eleven of the 16 deals run through a rewards app or loyalty account, so most free cups require signing up first.
- Only one free cup on the list needs neither an app nor a purchase: a small brewed coffee or cold brew at Dunn Brothers.
Free coffee is back on Tuesday, Sept. 29, National Coffee Day. Dunkin’, Krispy Kreme, Circle K, Sheetz and a dozen other chains have posted their offers, and a few start early: Scooter’s Coffee is pouring free cups from Sunday, Sept. 27, and Smoothie King‘s free coffee smoothie starts Monday.
The catch is in the fine print. Most of the freebies are for members of the chain’s rewards program, and several need a purchase. Below is every deal, sorted by what it takes to get one.
Where can you get free coffee on National Coffee Day 2026?
| Chain | The deal | App or rewards? | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunn Brothers | Free small brewed coffee or cold brew, no purchase | No: use the app or ask at the counter | Sept. 29 |
| Krispy Kreme | Free small or medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase | No | Sept. 29 |
| Caribou Coffee | Free medium hot coffee or cold brew with any drink purchase | No | Sept. 29 |
| Peet’s Coffee | Medium drip coffee for 25 cents | No | Sept. 29 |
| Biggby Coffee | 16-oz. brewed coffee for 99 cents, or a Mocha Mocha Latte for $1.99 | No | Sept. 29 |
| Dunkin’ | Free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase | Yes, Dunkin’ Rewards in the app | Sept. 29 |
| Circle K | Free medium hot or iced coffee | Yes, Inner Circle in the app | Sept. 29 |
| Sheetz | Free self-serve coffee, any size, with a qualifying purchase | Yes, My Sheetz Rewardz | Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 |
| Casey’s | Free coffee, any size | Yes, Casey’s Rewards | Sept. 29 |
| Cumberland Farms | Free medium coffee, hot, iced or frozen | Yes, SmartRewards | Sept. 29 |
| Kwik Trip | Free 20-oz. Karuba Coffee | Yes, save the coupon in Kwik Rewards | Sept. 29 |
| Pilot and Flying J | Free hot coffee, any size | Yes, save the offer in the Pilot app | Sept. 29 |
| Scooter’s Coffee | Free medium brewed coffee, no purchase, once a day | Yes, Scooter’s app | Sept. 27 to 29 |
| Smoothie King | Free 12-oz. Coffee High Protein Almond Mocha smoothie | Yes, Healthy Rewards | Sept. 28 and 29 |
| Paris Baguette | Free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase | Yes, PB Rewards | Sept. 29 |
| 7-Eleven, Speedway, Stripes | Large coffee for $1.49 | Yes, 7Rewards or Speedy Rewards | Sept. 29 |
Most offers are good only at participating locations, and several are limited to one per customer. The count is ours: of the 13 free cups in the table, Dunn Brothers is the only one that asks for no app and no purchase.
Which National Coffee Day deals don’t need an app?
Dunn Brothers is the easiest free cup of the day. The Minneapolis-based chain is giving one small brewed coffee or cold brew to every guest at its U.S. locations who downloads its app or simply asks at the counter. No purchase is needed.
At Krispy Kreme, any purchase gets you a free small or medium hot or iced coffee at participating shops, one per guest. The chain is also selling its new Original Glazed Coffee Flavored Doughnut for four days only, Saturday, Sept. 26, through Tuesday.
Buy any dozen at regular price and a dozen of the coffee doughnuts costs $5. The limit is two in shops and drive-thrus, and one in the Krispy Kreme app with the promo code COFFEE, while supplies last.
Caribou Coffee adds a free medium hot coffee or cold brew when you buy any drink. Peet’s Coffee is charging 25 cents for a medium drip at its coffeebars, Tuesday only. Peet’s calls it a throwback: the company opened its first shop in Berkeley, California, in 1966.
Biggby Coffee is cutting prices instead of giving cups away. On Tuesday, a 16-ounce hot or iced brewed coffee is 99 cents, and a 16-ounce Mocha Mocha Latte is $1.99.
Which National Coffee Day deals need the app?
Joining is free but takes a few minutes: download the chain’s app and create an account. Kwik Trip and Pilot also make you save the offer in the app before you pay, so load it before you get in line.
Dunkin’ and the coffee chains
Dunkin’ Rewards members get a free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase made through the Dunkin’ app on Tuesday, at participating locations and while supplies last.
Dunkin’ is also launching its first collaboration with L.L.Bean that day. The collection, which includes a Birdseye sweater and a Boat and Tote bag, goes on sale at 10 a.m. ET on L.L.Bean’s website.
Scooter’s Coffee started first. From Sunday through Tuesday, app users get a free medium brewed coffee once a day with no purchase, and the earliest customers on Tuesday get a “Fueled by Scooter’s Coffee” sticker while supplies last.
Paris Baguette gives PB Rewards members a free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase on Tuesday.
Smoothie King starts a day early
Smoothie King’s free cup is a coffee smoothie, and it starts Monday. Healthy Rewards members get a free 12-ounce Coffee High Protein Almond Mocha Smoothie on Monday, Sept. 28, and Tuesday, Sept. 29, at participating Smoothie King locations nationwide.
The smoothie is made with cold brew from 100% Arabica beans. Smoothie King lists it at 14 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber and no added sugar. Protein coffee is having a moment, but the chain points out that its Coffee High Protein smoothies aren’t new.
The Dallas-based chain has more than 1,200 locations, and the free smoothie is a one-time offer for Healthy Rewards members only, so sign up before you go.
Gas stations and convenience stores
Circle K is giving Inner Circle members a free medium hot or iced coffee through its app, one per customer. Casey’s Rewards members get free coffee in any size, and Cumberland Farms SmartRewards members get a free medium coffee, hot, iced or frozen.
Sheetz stretches its offer across three days. My Sheetz Rewardz members get a free self-serve coffee, any size including XL, with a qualifying purchase from Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 1, at its more than 850 stores. Fuel, alcohol, tobacco and lottery tickets don’t count.
Kwik Trip’s free 20-ounce Karuba Coffee is a digital coupon in the Kwik Rewards app. Pilot’s free hot coffee, any size, has to be saved in the Pilot app first, and it covers Pilot, Flying J and One9 stops.
At 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes, 7Rewards and Speedy Rewards members pay $1.49 for a large coffee. That includes the Hanks Pumpkin Brulee Coffee, a pumpkin and toasted vanilla blend made with Hanks For Our Troops, the consumer brand founded by Tom Hanks.
Why is National Coffee Day on Sept. 29?
National Coffee Day isn’t a federal holiday or an official observance. Sept. 29 is a date the coffee business has adopted in the U.S., and this year at least 16 chains built offers around it.
The global version is International Coffee Day, on Oct. 1. The International Coffee Organization made it official and held the first one in Milan on Oct. 1, 2015. Sheetz’s free coffee runs through that date.
More in Trending: the Fat Bear Week champion is crowned the same Tuesday, and last Friday was Dolly Parton Day, and here is why it falls on Sept. 25. Everything else is in Trending and Food.
— Bruno Monteiro
Sources: Offers as announced by the companies: Dunkin’ (Dunkin’ newsroom, Sept. 21, 2026); Krispy Kreme (Business Wire, Sept. 23); Peet’s Coffee (Peet’s current offers page); Smoothie King (PR Newswire, Sept. 25); Paris Baguette (PR Newswire, Sept. 24); Biggby Coffee (PR Newswire, Aug. 28); Scooter’s Coffee (company announcement); Dunn Brothers Coffee (company release, Sept. 23). Sheetz, Pilot, 7-Eleven and Caribou Coffee offers as reported by NACS (Sept. 23); Circle K, Casey’s, Cumberland Farms, Kwik Trip and 7-Eleven’s Hanks Pumpkin Brulee Coffee as reported by CSP Daily News (Sept. 25). Peet’s 1966 opening in Berkeley as reported by Patch. International Coffee Day per the International Coffee Organization. Photos: Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’ and Smoothie King.
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