By Laura Woods, Contributor
Feb. 29, or Leap Day, arrives on your calendar once every four years -- and 2016 is one of them. The reason there are 366 days every four years instead of the standard 365 is to remain in sync with the true astronomical year. It actually takes the Earth approximately 365.24 days to orbit the Sun, so Leap Year allows it to play catch up.
It's not a federally recognized holiday, but Leap Day is a special occasion, so retailers typically offer many sales, deals and discounts. From food to travel deals, here are 29 Leap Day 2016 discounts.
Leap Day Deals on Restaurants
From free dinners to cheap margaritas, here are the best Leap Day deals on food and drink.
- Hard Rock Cafe: Customers with a Leap Day birthday receive a free entrée from the restaurant's Leaplings Eat Free menu with a valid photo ID.
- Dog Haus: Enjoy a free upgrade from a single to a double burger on Feb. 29, which will save you $2.49.
- Legal Sea Foods: Get two 1-pound lobsters and two sides at any of the East Coast eatery's 30 non-airport locations for $29 (over a $50 value).
- Margarita's Mexican Restaurant: The Northeast Mexican chain is offering Fried Ice Cream (regularly $6.49) and a special 8-ounce Leap Year Margarita (regularly $7.99 for a 16 ounce) for $2.29 on Leap Day.
- Tropical Smoothie: Club Tropical members get any 24 ounce Classic Smoothie for $2.29 (regularly $4 and up) on Feb. 29.
- Carrabba's Italian Grill: Use the printable coupon or online ordering code 20OFFCHECK to save 20 percent off your entire meal through March 6. Certain exclusions apply.
Leap Day Sales on Clothing and Accessories
Check out the best sales on clothing, shoes, sports equipment and more for Leap Day 2016.
- Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More: Get a free Leap Year 2016 T-shirt at any of the retailers participating locations on Feb. 29 -- no purchase required.
- Foot Locker: Utilize sites like PromoCodeWatch to get codes like LKS16F3L to save 15 percent on purchases of $70 or more through Feb. 29.
- Lids: Enjoy free shipping on orders of $50 or more through Feb. 29. No coupon code required.
- Aeropostale: Use code 50013092 or this printable coupon to save $10 off purchases of $50 or more made with your Visa card through March 31.
- Lane Bryant: Use coupon code FEBDRTLB to save $35 off your online purchases of $150 or more, plus free shipping, through Feb. 29.
- Lands' End: This printable coupon will save you 20 percent off regularly priced swim merchandise at all Sears locations through Feb. 29.
- OshKosh B'gosh: Save 25 percent off orders of $40 or more with code CARU2F29 and 15 percent off site wide with code CARU2F19 through Feb. 29.
- Bath & Body Works: Get $10 off any purchase of $30 or more with code SP168993 through March 13.
- OneHanesPlace: Save $10 off purchases of $50 or more through Feb. 29 with this printable coupon or follow this link to have the discount automatically applied to your online order.
- Men's Wearhouse: Get $40 off a prom tux or suit rental through July 3 with this printable coupon.
- Columbia Sportswear: Use code COLSALE30 to save 30 percent off select sale items through Feb. 29.
- Golfsmith: Take $20 off orders of $125 or more with code 86PUB022 through Feb. 29.
Leap Day Discounts on Travel
Celebrate Leap Year by booking a vacation using these impressive travel discounts for flights, hotels and more.
- Jet Blue: The booking period on Jet Blue's "Book Before You Leap" sale ended Feb. 2, but the company is offering another deal for travel through April 30. You can save $150 on $2500 or more to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central or South America if you travel before April 30 using code WINTER16.
- Expedia: Save up to 29 percent off select hotels worldwide with reservations made on the Expedia mobile app on or before Feb. 29. Some restrictions apply.
- Avis: Take $25 off the cost of a weekly car rental with code MUWA169 through March 30.
- CheapOAir: Use code GETAWAYS30 to save up to $30 on Getaway Vacations through Feb. 29.
- Marriott: Enjoy up to 20 percent in savings when you use code ADP to book a room in advance through March 19.
Leap Day Promos on Electronics and More
A Leap Day sale is the perfect opportunity to save big on necessities like appliances, smartphones and more.
- Best Buy: Save 20 percent off one regular-priced small appliance with code SAVEONSMALLS through April 4.
- Verizon: Coupon code VZWDEAL will save you up to $50 off select smartphones through Feb. 29. New device payment is required and upgrades are excluded.
- Dell Refurbished Computers: Take $600 off servers of $2000 or more with code SERVER$600 through Feb. 29.
- Dollar General: Use code FEBSAVE to get $5 off orders of $50 or more through Feb. 29.
- FedEx Office: Save $25 off print orders of $100 or more with code NAT638 through March 28.
- MOO: Get 15 percent off greeting cards with code 7C2W8B through Leap Day for new customers only.
Keep Reading: 10 Best and Worst Deals on Amazon
What Is a Leap Year?
This article, 29 Best Leap Day 2016 Deals, Freebies and Discounts, originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com.
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