Tim Sloan / AFP - Getty Images

You have to give some to get some. That’s apparently the theory behind 7-Eleven’s campaign to dole out free Slurpees to customers on Monday to celebrate the chain’s unofficial birthday: 7/11.

USA Today reports that 7-Eleven expects to give out 5 million, 7.11-ounce Slurpees, or about 1,000 free drinks per store. No coupon needed.

That’s a lot of Slurpees, to be sure. But the paper says that 7-Eleven has found freebies to be very lucrative. The chain’s vice president of marketing Nancy Smith tells USA Today that the same gimmick last July 11 pushed Slurpee sales for the day up 33 percent.

"Slurpee drinkers are some of the most loyal fans we have," Smith told USA Today. "They come here to have fun." And, she said, many of them spend more on other items.

Thus proving there’s no such thing as a free lunch … uh, Slurpee.

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Companies are jumping on the NCAA bracketology bandwagon in an attempt to score with customers.

If you dream of winning more than just your office pool, plenty of contests exist for the bracket-obsessed. And if college basketball isn't your thing, there's no reason why you can't embrace the marketing overload and have some madness fun.

Here are some of our favorite promotions and contests:

• If a No. 16 seed shocks the world and upsets a No. 1 seed in the second round — something that's never happened in the history of the tournament — Pizza Hut will distribute free slices at designated locations.
• Diamond Foods is offering two chances to win $10,000 with an underdog contest and a standard top-seed bracket.
• The Consumerist is running a bracket-style contest for readers to select the Worst Company in America. There are no prizes, but you it might be smart to avoid the "winner."
• Reese's is sponsoring a "Pick the Perfect Play" contest on the NCAA website. The winner will win a trip to the 2012 tournament and will get a chance to shoot for $1 million.
• Betty Crocker launched the Betty Bracket, a single-elimination contest where consumers can vote for their favorite of 64 game-day recipes, many inspired by the top college basketball hometowns.
• Domino's Pizza created a Facebook page where pizza lovers can vote for their favorite style. Sixteen pizzas will enter and only one will win.
• Applebee's and ESPN's Round by Round Pick 'Em game lets players make selections for the most immediate round — and accumulate points along the way. The winner will receive a trip to ESPN's headquarters.
• T.G.I. Friday's has a special menu and is promoting game-watching parties and food and drink specials.
• UPS is promoting a "Print Madness" deal for cheaper color prints.

If you think your bracket picks are good enough, you can win cash the old-fashioned way: betting. For a longer roundup of contests, click here.

IHOP

Breakfast for dinner?

IHOP is giving away free pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday, as part of a promotion to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

The chain will give one complimentary short stack to each customer in the hope that customers will in turn make a donation to the nonprofit, which supports children's hospitals. IHOP typically offers free pancakes on Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. The holiday is often known as Pancake Day in English-speaking countries, where pancakes traditionally are made to use up dairy products ahead of Lent. This year the giveaway was moved up a week to help boost fund-raising efforts.

IHOP hopes to raise $2.3 million for the network, which provides funding for children’s hospitals across the country. 

Stan Honda / AFP - Getty Images file

You don’t need to have a special someone to get a Valentine’s Day gift today – a number of companies are also showing their love with promotions and free gifts.

Here’s a sampling.

• Sandwich chain Subway is giving away a free cookie with any purchase.
• Doughnut maker Krispy Kreme is offering 12 Valentine’s Day cards – each with a coupon for one free doughnut – with each purchase of a dozen tasty treats.
• Mobile phone provider T Mobile is offering certain smart phones for free through Valentine’s Day.
• Movie rental company Redbox will send a promo coupon for a free DVD rental with every Valentine you create through its Facebook page.
• And for those who aren’t planning on spending Valentine’s Day alone, the New York Daily News reports that the city of New York’s health department on Monday unveiled a free iPhone app that helps people find the nearest location for free condoms.

Credit card issuers get all sorts of bad press for taking and taking and taking. They bilk us with high interest rates. They ambush us with high fees. They seduce us into spending more than we otherwise would.

But could it be that a few credit cards out there want to make amends and give us something? For free?

Apparently so. LowCards.com, a site that helps consumers out by rigorously comparing credit cards’ features and rates, just released a list of relatively unknown credit-card perks. Some of these little benefits are indeed quite cool. Here’s a look at what’s available if you know to seek it out:

• Head out to a museum, zoo, aquarium or lovely garden – for no money! You can score free admissions during the first full weekend of every month in 2011 if you have a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch debit or credit card in your wallet. More than 100 attractions in 26 states participate in Bank of America’s “Museums on Us” program; to see the full list, click here.
• Sick of paying to check bags on flights? The Continental Airlines OnePass Plus card and Delta SkyMiles credit card from American Express waive fees for the first checked bag on Continental or Delta flights booked with those cards.
• Tired of paying big shipping fees when you buy stuff online? Many cards work with merchant partners – ranging from Wal-Mart to Macy’s to Sears to Pottery Barn to Home Depot to Apple Online Store – that offer free shipping and discounts on purchases made with those cards. To find out what partnerships your cards have, call the customer-service numbers on the backs of the cards.
• American Express offers pre-sale tickets and preferred-seat tickets for events and concerts that run the gamut from the NBA All-Star game to Katy Perry to George Strait & Reba McEntire to popular Broadway shows.
• The Citi Private Pass card also provides pre-sale access to concert tickets -- (Rush tour!) -- as well as theme-park discounts. For instance, you can get 25 percent off admission to LEGOLAND California when using the card.

To see LowCard.com’s complete list of cool credit-card perks, click here.