Mug Root Beer Is Giving Away Free Soda This Month

The madness is finally coming to an end—March Madness, that is. On Sunday, the University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks to win the 2025 NCAA Women’s Division I Tournament. It’s also the Huskies’ first win on the women’s side since 2016, a triumphant follow-up to the men’s team winning the tournament in both 2023 and 2024. 

“What does this have to do with Mug Root Beer?” you may be wondering.

Mug Root Beer has a mascot, and that mascot is a bulldog, cleverly named, “Dog.” Dog is prominently displayed on most Mug packaging, always holding a frothy, frosty glass of root beer. Before March Madness began, the brand promised that if any team that had a canine mascot won the tournament, everyone would get free soda. The Huskies mascot is, of course, a husky—Jonathan the Husky—so now, we can all celebrate with free root beer.

How to Get Free Mug Root Beer 

It’s fitting that this offer has something to do with (basketball) hoops because there are a few hoops you need to jump through to get your free soda. Which, technically speaking, is a rebate, not a giveaway. The short form of the instructions is on Mug’s Instagram and TikTok, but the process is a bit convoluted.

• Buy any Mug or Mug Zero Sugar Root Beer to enjoy (with or without ice cream). 
• Text "FREEMUG" to 737-377-3774 starting now through April 18, 2025 to redeem your free Mug or Mug Zero Sugar products via rebate up to $4.00.
• You will then receive a return text that instructs you to “Text TERMS and review the Rebate terms and purchase requirements to redeem this Rebate.” Once you agree to terms and conditions, you’ll receive a text that says, “Great! Please text us *clear* pictures of your *entire* receipt.”
• That receipt must be dated between April 7, 20245, and April 18, 2025. All requests must be made by April 25, 2025.
• Then, you can start the rebate process, which will not include “tax or other applicable fees.” You’ll also need to provide the company with your PayPal or Venmo account information because rebates will be paid only through those two online payment systems.

The process definitely includes several hoops, but as a kid, I recall helping my mom send in receipts and box tops for various rebates and waiting weeks for them to arrive via mail. Then she’d have to take the 50-cent or $1 rebate check to the bank to cash it, so perhaps, the hoops that Mug is requiring aren’t so bad. And it's a small price to pay for free soda. After all, root beer isn't just for drinking.