Save Money at Panera With These Menu and App Tricks
Panera Bread isn’t your typical fast food spot—it blends café vibes with quick service and a menu full of soups, sandwiches, salads, and fresh bakery items. But if you’re not careful, a single meal can easily creep past $15. Thankfully, Panera offers plenty of ways to trim your total and still walk away satisfied. From loyalty perks to strategic ordering, here’s how to save money at Panera every time you visit.
- Sign Up for MyPanera
The MyPanera rewards program is free to join and essential for any regular visitor. Members get:
- Free bakery item just for signing up
- Surprise rewards based on your order history
- Birthday freebies
- Exclusive access to new menu items and deals
It’s one of the more generous fast-casual loyalty programs and works whether you order in-store, through the app, or online.
- Use the Panera App to Unlock Exclusive Deals
The Panera app offers weekly app-only offers, which often include discounts like $2 off combos, free drinks, or discounted pastries with any entrée. You can also save favorite orders, set up rapid pickup, and earn points faster by ordering digitally.
- Try the Unlimited Sip Club (If You Drink Often)
Panera’s Unlimited Sip Club lets you get unlimited charged lemonades, coffees, iced teas, and fountain drinks for one monthly price.
If you stop by Panera several times a week, this subscription quickly pays for itself—especially since you can redeem drinks every two hours.
- Customize Your Order to Save
Panera allows detailed customization, and smart tweaks can lower your total:
- Order a Pick Two combo to get more food for less.
- Swap premium proteins (like steak or turkey) for chicken to save a few dollars.
- Ask for a baguette as a free side instead of chips or apple.
Pro tip: Some soups and salads offer similar ingredients at a lower price. For example, the Greek Salad costs less than the Mediterranean Bowl but offers similar flavors.
- Order Through Cashback Apps for Extra Savings
If you’re ordering Panera online, you can use a cashback app like Rakuten or Ibotta to get a percentage of your order back. Some apps offer limited-time boosts, like 5% or more on pickup or delivery orders.
You can also earn cashback with a Panera Bread gift card through Fluz, allowing you to pay using a gift card purchased through the app and earn instant rewards.
Explore Panera on Fluz, or browse the full merchant list at the Fluz homepage.
- Check for Weekly Specials and Limited-Time Offers
Panera regularly rotates seasonal items and combo offers, particularly during breakfast and lunch hours.
- Use Gift Cards Strategically
Panera occasionally runs gift card promotions on their own site (like buy $50, get a $10 bonus card). Around holidays, it’s worth checking their gift card page for any live promos.
You can also stretch your dollars further by combining Fluz cashback gift cards with Panera’s loyalty rewards—essentially getting two layers of value for one purchase.
