My Panera Rewards Card - testing in NOVA locations now! FREE PASTRY OR SWEET or even FREE LUNCH for registering!

Last night we had a rare treat - dinner out with family - at Panera!

My father-in-law and my husband came back to the table with our food - and an even more intriguing prospect - Panera rewards cards, called My Panera cards. [Cue my Scooby-Doo, perked ears "Meh???"] You may rightly wonder - didn't they already have cash-loadable debit-type cards for use at Panera? Yes, but these new rewards cards are like grocery store rewards cards in that there is a tangible customer benefit to getting one and using it: freebies, birthday treats, and other special offers added to your account on a routine basis! The cards have a standard credit-card-sized card and a detachable keyring card with a hole punched in it.

I registered our family's card this morning to a delightful surprise: a FREE sweet or pastry awaited in our card's balance. I'll be saving this for a special occasion...you know...as in one where I can actually savor the sweet, maybe with a cup of coffee that I finish before it gets cold. If you have a Northern Virginia girlfriend to catch up with, it would be a great idea for you both to get a card and register online - so you can meet in person at Panera for free My Panera pastries and a ~$1.30 cup of coffee (free refills!). I ask you: How does catching up with a girlfriend get much cheaper? Edit: a posted comment from Suzy (thank you!!) let us know that her freebie was a free "you pick two" meal. Wow!! Looks like your freebies can vary, but either way free food is free food, oh yea!

These My Panera cards are currently being test-marketed in Northern Virginia locations, including the following My Panera participating locations:

Alexandria (Edsall/Vincent Gate Terrace)
Alexandria (Hechinger Commons)
Alexandria (Kingstowne Center)
Alexandria (Richmond Hwy/Route 1)
Arlington (Wilson Blvd.)
Ashburn (Greenway Corporate Dr.)
Centreville (Union Mill Rd.)
Dumfries (Furtuna Center Plaza)
Fairfax (Chain Bridge Rd.)
Fairfax (Lee Hwy)
Fairfax (West Ox Rd.)
Falls Church (Baileys Crossroads)
Falls Church (Strawberry Ln.)
Falls Church (West Broad St.)
Fredericksburg, VA (Carl D. Silver Pkwy)
Gainesville (Atlas Walk Way)
Herndon (Elden St.)
Herndon (Woodland Crossing Dr.)
Lansdowne (Promenade Dr.)
Leesburg (Ft. Evans Rd.)
Manassas (Liberia Ave.)
Manassas (Sudley Rd.)
McLean (Tysons Corner Center)
Reston (Discovery St.)
South Riding (Riding Plaza)
Spotsylvania (Jefferson Davis Hwy)
Stafford (Stafford Marketplace)
Vienna (Tysons Corner/Leesburg Pike)
Woodbridge (Merchants Plaza)
Woodbridge (Prince William Pkwy)

Get your card at these locations by asking the cashiers (they are currently only available in-store), and then go to the My Panera website to register your card and get your free pastry or sweet loaded up! For maximum rewards, scan your My Panera card every time you go to your local Panera location.

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