Did you know there is a way you can claim a free Costa coffee (or any other hot drink) without buying anything? Yes, I'm serious - free!

Costa's rewards programme - Costa Club - rewards customers for every hot drink they buy. 

You buy a coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or whatever it is that takes your fancy and you earn yourself a little coffee bean.

Earn 10 of them and you can claim a free hot drink.

But 10 hot drinks before being able to claim a free one seems like it could be a long and costly process.

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There is a way to speed up this process, according to LatestDeals.co.uk co-founder Tom Church.

When you download the Costa app and register for the rewards programme, you can use the code J6GW8 to get five free beans.

You can also earn two beans every time you order a hot drink at Costa if you bring your own cup, speeding up your journey to a free drink even more.

How to get a free hot drink at Costa Coffee (without buying anything)

But there is a way, that you can claim a free hot drink from Costa without buying anything, according to Church.

The deal expert explains: "This can be done with their refer-a-friend scheme. First, if you sign up with a code, such as J6GW8 you get 5 bonus beans.

"Then, head to settings > invite your friends and you will find your own code that you can share with others. For each friend you recommend you earn 5 beans.

"So if you signed up with a code and invite just one friend, you have enough for a free hot drink without spending anything at all!"

How to get a free treat at Costa on your birthday

If you are a Costa Club rewards member you can also claim a free treat on your birthday.

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This treat can be anything from a cake, muffin or pastry, according to Church.

All you have to do is head to settings on the Costa app, enter your birthday and every year you will be able to claim your free treat.

It's as simple as that.