Is it cheeky to claim your free drink and not buy anything?

[Sophiehoney]

In a cafe with friends
Is it cheeky to go into a cafe you regularly go to with one of those stamp cards, where 10th drink or whatever is free, claim your free drink and not buy anything to go with it?
I say no, because you've effectively paid for the drink by paying for all the previous ones and it's no different to using clubcard vouchers or whatever.
Friend 1 thinks it depends on whether or not you usually order just a drink.
Friend 2 thinks it depends on how busy the cafe is
Friend 3 thinks it's mortifying.

It’s absolutely fine to just get the free drink. They wouldn’t have the stamp cards if they didn’t want people to use them.

This reminds me of another bonker thread from a few years ago where some posters felt that if you went into a coffee shop with a toddler you absolutely MUST buy them lunch or else you were contributing to the downturn of the country's economy.

I have an m&s credit card and pay off that is free hot drink vouchers in the m&s cafe, 8 per quarter, DH, ds and I have all been in together had two coffees and a hot chocolate and not paid just used the vouchers, that's what they are for!

It’s never occurred to me not to just take my free drink. The staff have never batted an eyelid when I do it either. I’m more likely to buy a cake as well if I’m sitting in and the drink was free, but I wouldn’t feel bad if I didn’t.

exactly this! I assumed you meant a scenario like when a shop gives you a free drink if you download their app or something and was going to say even just claiming that and not getting anything else is absolutely fine, so taking advantage of an incentive you've earned by buying multiple versions of whatever they are selling is even more so!

Your friends are weird!

I get a free drink at cafe nero every week with my vitality health insurance. I go in every week, get my free drink, and rarely do I buy anything else. The staff there are always happy to serve me, its a national chain, its not like I'm taking money from them!
Until now I never even considered that there was anything wrong with this.

Today I went my local petrol station with my loyalty card. I did not need petrol however with every 6th carwash you get the next free so I claimed that, my 7th sandwich and 7th distilled drink all same. Had the sambo and drink while getting the car washed and did not spend a penny :)

Of course it’s not cheeky.

I always get a Frappe at costa too as my freebie as they’re expensive.

I usually get a medium drink in Costa including for my free drink.
Most of the time they ask if I'd like a large drink instead!

All of those friends are weird. Absolutely nothing wrong with claiming just ur free drink, if ur someone that doesn’t usually buy anything other than a drink, why should you on the occasion you collect ur free one?