Tim Hortons collected your data without consent, so you can now claim a free coffee and donut

Tim Hortons customers can now claim a free hot beverage and baked good as part of a class-action lawsuit settlement.

In a February 1st email, the coffeehouse giant reached out to customers who had used the Tim Hortons app between April 1st, 2019 and September 30th, 2020.

Starting February 1st, eligible customers can sign into their Tim Hortons account and claim the free items in the ‘Offers’ section. You’ll have one year to claim them and up until January 31st, 2025 to use it. Those who did not receive the email but feel they should have can contact Tim Hortons’ digital support team.

This all comes after a 2020 joint investigation between then-federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien and his provincial counterparts which found that Tim Hortons had sold the geolocation data of its app users. Ultimately, the privacy watchdogs ruled that Tim Hortons had collected “highly personal” information about customers without their consent.

Multiple class-action lawsuits were then filed against Tim Hortons parent company Restaurant Brands International (RBI), which resulted in the Supreme Court of Quebec approving a settlement last July. While RBI agreed to the settlement without any admission of liability, the company says it has taken measures to delete any geolocation data collected from app users. It adds that it has instructed its third-party vendor, Radar Labs, to do the same.

Tim Hortons is directing customers who want more information into the settlement to this website.

Update 01/02/2023 6:36pm ET: The story’s headline has been updated to more accurately reflect former federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien’s and his provincial counterparts’ findings.