How Burger Chains, Automakers, and Big Retailers Use Sweepstakes to Win Your Loyalty

Last updated: October 7, 2026

Ever wonder why your favorite burger app suddenly wants you to enter a drawing for a cooler? Or why a car company would give away four vehicles instead of buying a Super Bowl ad? Here at Win Big Daily, we track hundreds of giveaways every month, and one pattern keeps showing up: brand sweepstakes are rarely just about the prize. They’re about getting you into an app, a rewards program, or a new habit.

That’s not a bad thing. Once you understand the playbook, you can enter smarter, protect your personal info, and focus on the promotions that are actually worth your time. Let’s look at how fast food chains, automakers, and big retailers use these giveaways, and what that means for you.

Why Brand Sweepstakes Exist in the First Place

Start with one number. According to EY’s Loyalty Market Study 2025, 92% of consumers belong to at least one loyalty program, and almost half belong to more than five. That’s a crowded wallet. When every chain has an app and a points card, companies need a reason for you to pick theirs.

Brand sweepstakes solve that problem cheaply. A company might spend a few thousand dollars on gift cards and coolers. In return, it gets new app downloads, email addresses, birthdays, zip codes, and a reason for you to open its app again next week. Compared to a national TV spot, that’s a bargain.

There’s also a psychology angle. A guaranteed discount feels like a math problem. A chance to win feels like a game. Even people who never win tend to remember the brand that gave them that little jolt of excitement when they hit “submit.”

But rewards alone don’t guarantee loyalty. In an Adobe survey of 1,003 US consumers, fair pricing (69%) was the top reason people buy again, ahead of loyalty rewards (46%) and feeling valued (40%). The same survey found that rewards need to be worth at least $15 off to motivate people. That helps explain the flashy prizes. A shot at a car or a $500 payout feels much bigger than a small coupon.

The Burger Chain Playbook: Apps, Points, and Game Day

Fast food chains are some of the most active sponsors of brand sweepstakes, and their strategy is easy to spot. Almost everything runs through the app.

Take Burger King. Its current sweepstakes for Royal Perks loyalty members runs from October 6 to November 1, 2026, and is open in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, DC. Prizes include $20 BK digital gift cards, cornhole sets, football and net sets, and mini coolers. The catch? Only app and loyalty members can enter. So the giveaway also works as a sign-up drive for Royal Perks.

Notice the prize list, too. Cornhole sets and coolers are tailgate gear, and the timing lines up with football season. That’s no accident. Burger chains know fall weekends are when families and friends gather around games and food, so they build promotions around that moment.

Sports tie-ins are a huge part of this world. According to SponsorUnited’s analysis of fast food sports giveaways, McDonald’s led the category with more than 60 sports partnerships. Next came Chick-fil-A (36), Papa Johns (34), Dunkin’ (28) and Wendy’s (28). Those figures are from 2023, but the strategy is still going strong.

One clever example is McDonald’s “McNugget Minute,” a deal that triggers when a home team scores in the last minute of a period. It isn’t a random drawing, but it uses the same hooks as brand sweepstakes: suspense, timing, and a reason to keep the app open during the game.

Why Automakers Give Away Cars Instead of Buying Ads

If burger chains play small ball, automakers swing for the fences. Giving away a vehicle sounds expensive. Compared with the cost of national advertising, though, it can be a smart trade.

The best recent example is Kia. For Super Bowl LIX in February 2025, Kia skipped a paid TV ad and ran “Kia Squares” instead, giving away a new vehicle at the end of each quarter. As Carscoops reported, prizes ranged from a $28,090 K4 GT-Line Turbo to a $73,900 EV9 GT-Line. Four cars cost far less than a Super Bowl commercial, and Kia still got people talking during the game.

Toyota built a season-long version. Its “Gameday Giveaways” ran from August 26, 2025, until the second-half kickoff of Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026, and the prizes reportedly included a 2026 Sequoia Capstone. The program has been renewed for the 2026-27 season, so check the official rules at ToyotasGamedayGiveaways.com for current prizes and dates before you enter.

Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and FIAT, took a more traditional route. Its 2025 National Sweepstakes offered a $100,000 grand prize toward an eligible vehicle and closed on December 31, 2025. According to Stellantis North America, the 2024 grand prize winner received a 2025 Ram 1500 in July 2025.

Why do these brand sweepstakes work so well for car companies? Most people buy a car only every few years, so automakers need ways to stay on your radar in between. A giveaway puts their newest models in front of you, often during sports you already watch. It also collects contact details from people who may be shopping soon.

Sometimes several companies team up. In 2025, Coca-Cola reportedly joined the grocers Bashas’ and Food City for a giveaway of a Ford Escape or Ford Maverick in Arizona and New Mexico. In that one promotion, a beverage brand, two retailers, and an automaker shared both the spotlight and the cost.

How Big Retailers and Grocery Chains Use Brand Sweepstakes

Retailers have taken the loyalty-app model and run with it. Target is a good example. According to Chain Drug Review, in an earlier holiday season Target gave $500 to each of 500 randomly chosen Target Circle members, deposited straight into their in-app wallets. There was no shipping and no gift card codes, just money waiting for the next shopping trip.

That design is smart. Winners have to come back to Target to spend the prize. Target keeps the members-only theme going in other ways too. As NBC News Select reported, its fall 2026 Circle Deal Days run October 6-7 and are open only to members.

Convenience stores and grocers have jumped in as well. In 2025 and 2026, several regional chains tied giveaways directly to their rewards apps:

• Rutter’s: The “Summer of Freedom” sweepstakes ran through September 1, 2026, and required rewards membership (NACS Daily).
• Kwik Trip: “Fueling Fandom” took entries through the Kwik Rewards app (NACS Daily).
• Weigel’s: The chain gave away a golf cart through MyWeigel’s Rewards (NACS Daily).
• Save A Lot: The “Golden Sweepstakes” in January 2025 drew 250 gift card winners every week (Business Wire).

Does it work? According to Chief Marketer, 7-Eleven added 3 million loyalty members through a points giveaway. Results like that explain why so many chains keep launching new brand sweepstakes every season.

For everyday entrants, regional brand sweepstakes are often overlooked. They usually get fewer entries than big national giveaways, and prizes like weekly gift cards mean many winners instead of one. If you already shop at a chain, its app may be one of your easiest chances to win something.

What Brand Sweepstakes Really Collect: Your Data

Here’s the part the commercials leave out. Sweepstakes are one of the main ways companies gather customer data. Every entry form asks for something, such as your name, email, phone number, birthday, zip code, or permission to send marketing texts.

Companies think they’re being clear about this, but shoppers aren’t so sure. According to Acxiom findings cited in Antavo’s 2025 customer loyalty statistics, 67% of brands believe customers understand how their marketing data is used. Only 56% of consumers agree. Keep that 11-point gap in mind every time you click “enter.”

None of this means you should stop entering. It just means you should enter on purpose. A few easy habits help:

• Use a separate email address just for sweepstakes so promotions don’t bury your important mail.
• Read the checkboxes. Many forms pre-check boxes for texts or partner marketing, so uncheck the ones you don’t want.
• Skim the privacy section of the official rules to see whether your info is shared with “partners” or “co-sponsors.”
• Only enter giveaways from companies you’d be fine hearing from afterward.

The Rules Behind Every Legit Brand Sweepstakes

Ever notice the tiny “No purchase necessary” line at the bottom of every promotion? That isn’t optional fine print. It’s the legal backbone of brand sweepstakes in the United States.

Under US law, a promotion that combines a prize, chance, and a required purchase (called “consideration”) is generally an illegal lottery. To stay legal, sponsors remove the purchase requirement by offering a free way to enter, often called an alternate method of entry. Mail-in entries and online forms are common examples.

Just as important, people who enter for free must have the same odds of winning as people who bought something. So if you see “buy a meal to get a game piece,” look in the official rules for the free entry option. A legit promotion will always have one, and it costs you nothing but a stamp or a few clicks.

Some states add their own rules. Arizona requires skill contests to be registered with its Attorney General, and Colorado bans requiring consideration for skill contests. Rules like these are one reason some states get excluded from a giveaway, or eligibility is limited to the 48 contiguous states, as in the Burger King promotion.

Membership requirements are an area brands handle carefully. Joining a free loyalty program usually isn’t treated as a purchase, which is why so many chains can require an app sign-up. The key word is free.

Taxes: A New Reporting Threshold for Prize Winners

Winning a prize feels great until tax time. Prizes count as taxable income, and that includes cars, gift cards and cash. For years, sponsors had to send a Form 1099-MISC when a prize was worth $600 or more.

That’s changing. According to Venable LLP’s January 29, 2026, “Advertising Law News and Analysis,” the One Big Beautiful Bill Act raises the 1099-MISC reporting threshold for prizes from $600 to $2,000. The change starts with the 2026 tax year, which gets reported in 2027. Check the latest IRS instructions to confirm how it applies to you.

Keep two things in mind. First, the higher threshold only changes when sponsors must file the form. Prizes under $2,000 are still taxable income that you’re expected to report. Second, big prizes come with big tax bills. A $50,000 SUV generally counts as $50,000 in income, so plan for that before you accept a grand prize.

How to Spot a Fake Sweepstakes

Real giveaways are so common that scammers can easily copy them. Fake brand sweepstakes often borrow the names and logos of famous companies to look legitimate.

The Federal Trade Commission takes this seriously. In a June 2024 settlement, the FTC permanently banned the operators of a mail sweepstakes scam from running sweepstakes. The agency has also warned that, since the Supreme Court’s AMG Capital decision, it can no longer easily return money to consumers, and it has asked Congress to restore that power. In other words, once money goes to a scammer, getting it back is harder than ever.

Protect yourself by watching for these red flags, many of which come from the FTC’s guidance on prize and sweepstakes scams:

1. You’re asked to pay a fee, tax, or “shipping charge” to claim your prize. Real sponsors don’t do this.
2. You’re told to pay with gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
3. You “won” a contest you never entered.
4. The message pressures you to act within minutes.
5. The sender uses a free email account instead of the brand’s official domain.

When in doubt, go straight to the brand’s official website or app and look up the promotion yourself. Never click links in surprise “you’ve won” messages.

Smart Strategies for Entering Brand Sweepstakes

Now for the fun part. Once you know how companies think, it’s easier to decide where your entries are worth it.

1. Start with brands you already use. If you get coffee at the same chain every morning, entering its app sweepstakes costs you nothing extra.
2. Watch the sports calendar. Football season, college basketball tournaments, and the Super Bowl bring a wave of brand sweepstakes from burger chains, pizza brands and automakers.
3. Look for many-winner prizes. Weekly drawings like Save A Lot’s 250 gift cards per week give you far more chances than a single grand prize.
4. Don’t skip regional chains. Promotions from convenience stores and grocers often have smaller pools of entrants.
5. Track daily entry limits. Many giveaways allow one entry per day. A simple calendar reminder can multiply your chances without breaking any rules.
6. Read the official rules every time. Check eligibility, end dates, the free entry method, and the listed prize values.

One more tip: be realistic about value. The Adobe survey found people want rewards worth at least $15, and you can use a similar test for your own time. If a giveaway takes ten minutes and a lot of personal data for a tiny prize, it may not be worth it.

At Win Big Daily, we sort through these promotions so you don’t have to hunt for them. We focus on legitimate giveaways that have clear official rules, free entry options, and real prizes.

The Bottom Line

Burger chains want you in their app. Automakers want you thinking about their newest models. Retailers want you coming back to spend your winnings. All of them use brand sweepstakes to win your loyalty, and that’s fine as long as you understand the trade.

You give a little attention and a little data. In return, you get a real shot at gift cards, tailgate gear, cash, or even a brand-new truck. Enter on your own terms, protect your information, never pay to claim a prize, and always look for the free way in.

Keep checking Win Big Daily for new brand sweepstakes from the companies you already love. Good luck, and happy entering!

Browse hundreds of free sweepstakes at Win Big Daily.

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