National Taco Day is Tuesday, Oct. 6. Del Taco, Taco John’s and Torchy’s have free tacos for rewards members, Moe’s has $2 tacos all week, and Taco Bell is raffling off 500 Duolingo plushies.
National Taco Day falls on Tuesday, Oct. 6 this year, so the taco chains get Taco Tuesday and a taco holiday on the same day. Most of them are marking it with free or cheap tacos.
There’s a catch. Almost every deal runs through an app, which means signing up for a rewards account before you get anywhere near a taco.
Del Taco went the furthest. Chief marketing officer Noah Chillingworth calls it “a brand built around tacos,” and the chain’s October calendar backs him up.
Where can you get a free taco on National Taco Day?
These are the free ones, and every one of them needs a loyalty account:
Del Taco: a free taco with any purchase in the Del Yeah! Rewards app. The All-American BurgerTaco doesn’t count.
Taco John’s: a free Beef Crispy Taco for rewards members, and you get 14 days to use it, so it doesn’t have to be Tuesday.
Torchy’s Tacos: buy one taco, get one free for rewards members, on in-restaurant orders only.
Chronic Tacos: a free taco when you sign up for its app’s loyalty program.
Chuy’s: a free entree if you dine in dressed as a taco and post a photo on social media. That’s the deal. A taco costume.
Which chains have cheap tacos for National Taco Day?
If free isn’t on the table, cheap is. Moe’s Southwest Grill is selling up to three tacos for $2 each from Oct. 6 through Oct. 11, once per rewards member. El Pollo Loco has three tacos for $5 for its rewards members, but that one ends Tuesday.
Baja Fresh has three chicken street tacos for $6. Fuzzy’s Taco Shop has $2 Original tacos plus a scratch-off card, and Condado Tacos is taking 50 percent off tacos all day, dine-in or ordered through its app and website.
And yes, 7-Eleven showed up too, with buy-one-get-one potato-and-egg and chicken fajita tacos at participating stores.
Is Taco Bell giving away free tacos on National Taco Day?
Not exactly. Taco Bell’s big Tuesday item is a plush.
The chain teamed up with Duolingo for what it’s calling Global Taco Day, and the headliner is a Taco Bell version of Duo, the language app’s green owl, wearing a little uniform and a headset.
It’s this week’s Tuesday Drop, from 2 to 3 p.m. PT, which is 5 to 6 p.m. ET.
Read the fine print on this one, because it’s a sweepstakes.
There are 500 plushies up for grabs in the U.S., out of 1,000 worldwide, and you have to be a Taco Bell Rewards member, a U.S. resident and at least 16 to enter. One entry per person.
The sure thing is the sauce. The new Duo Habanero packet comes free with a Doritos Locos Taco, and extra packets run 20 cents each. Rewards members also have through Tuesday to claim a free month of Super Duolingo.
“National Taco Day is about more than just food,” said Luis Restrepo, Taco Bell’s chief marketing officer for North America. Sure. The tacos help, though.
Del Taco’s Tacoberfest deals run through October
Del Taco’s free taco is one piece of a monthlong promotion the chain calls Tacoberfest. After Tuesday, the app swaps in a new buy-one-get-one-free taco every week.
Oct. 7 to 10 is the Carnitas Big Fat Taco. Oct. 14 to 17 is the Crispy Chicken Taco, Oct. 21 to 24 is the Grilled Chicken Taco and Oct. 28 to 31 is The Del Taco. Street tacos already had their turn, Oct. 1 to 4.
Add it all up and Del Taco has a taco deal running on 21 of October’s 31 days.
Not one of those weekly windows includes a Tuesday.
Why is National Taco Day on a Tuesday now?
It didn’t use to be. For years, National Taco Day was Oct. 4, whatever day of the week that happened to land on.
In 2024, National Day Calendar moved it to the first Tuesday in October, at Taco Bell’s urging. That came after Taco Bell’s legal push to free up the phrase “Taco Tuesday,” which Taco John’s had held as a trademark for decades before giving it up in July 2023.
So the chain that used to own Taco Tuesday is now handing out free tacos on it. Funny how that works out.
How to get National Taco Day deals before they run out
Make your accounts tonight, not at the counter. Some offers only show up after you’re signed in, and a lunch line is a bad place to wait on a verification email.
Every deal is at participating locations, so check your local store in the app before you drive over.
And if you’re chasing the Taco Bell plush, set an alarm for 5 p.m. ET. Five hundred owls spread across the whole country won’t last long.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Taco Bell (Sept. 30, 2026), Global Taco Day sweepstakes terms, Duo Habanero sauce pricing and the Super Duolingo offer
Del Taco (Oct. 1, 2026), the National Taco Day free taco, Tacoberfest dates and Noah Chillingworth’s quote
NerdWallet (Oct. 2, 2026), deals from Taco John’s, Torchy’s, Chronic Tacos, Chuy’s, Moe’s, El Pollo Loco, Baja Fresh, Fuzzy’s, Condado Tacos and 7-Eleven
Taco Bell (Sept. 17, 2024), National Day Calendar moving National Taco Day to the first Tuesday of October
CBS News (July 18, 2023), Taco John’s giving up the “Taco Tuesday” trademark
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