We thought Taco Bell was on a roll with its one-week-only chicken wing drop, but it turns out the chain had even craftier deals in the works to kick off 2022. According to a press release, Taco Bell’s new Taco Lover’s Pass, a “digital taco subscription service,” costs $10 and allows the customer to redeem one free taco per day for a month (or 30 consecutive days). Yes, this should provide adequate sustenance for the Dr. Who marathon.
While Taco Bell positions this promotion as a celebration of the brand’s 60th anniversary, CNBC describes it as a move “to drive more frequent visits.” The chain saw only modest growth last quarter, and starting a new year with a big, flashy promotion could give the business the boost it needs.
Here are the seven different free tacos that Pass holders can choose from each day. I cannot emphasize enough that the press release referred to this lineup as “iconic” three separate times:
- Crunchy Taco
- Crunchy Taco Supreme
- Soft Taco
- Soft Taco Supreme
- Spicy Potato Soft Taco
- Doritos Locos Tacos
- Doritos Locos Tacos Supreme
Since you’re getting some variety in that list, you could theoretically redeem the offer every day without getting sick of the free item. Iconic indeed!
The flat $10 price point is pretty shrewd. It’s just cheap enough that, depending on which tacos you order, the Pass pays for itself after just three or four tacos—meaning that a wide variety of customers might be willing to take the plunge, beyond regulars and Taco Bell diehards. The press release notes that 20% of the people who signed up for the Pass in its previous test market of Tucson, Arizona were customers who hadn’t been part of the Taco Bell Rewards program before.
Moreover, the $10 price tag is likely to nudge users to renew it month to month even if they didn’t make much use of it the first time around, or if they know they aren’t going to redeem it to its fullest. (I know I do that with my Hulu subscription, at least.)
Then, of course, there are the profitable add-ons. No one is walking into Taco Bell for one solitary taco and walking back out the door. The “free” (technically just heavily discounted) taco lures them in, but once there, they’ll need a soda, a side, a dessert—it all adds up.
And of course, this is one of those fast food promotions that Taco Bell, just like Krispy Kreme before it, is assuming that some contingent of customers will forget to redeem altogether, or at least fail to redeem as often as they’re allowed to. But that’s nothing to worry about. If nothing else, Taco Bell will come out of the deal with your $10 and a valuable bit of your personal data. Iconic!
If you’re in the position to do some careful meal planning, you could technically live pretty well off this deal. If you live or work near a Taco Bell, you could secure a light lunch (or a portion of your lunch) every day for $0.33. Pair it with some meal-prepped sides at home, and you could save some serious money. Just ask the guy who ate all his meals at Six Flags.