How the Cadbury Secret Santa Postal Service works
The Cadbury Secret Santa Postal Service lets adults in the Republic of Ireland send a free bar of chocolate to someone, anonymously. Cadbury covers the chocolate and the postage, and An Post delivers it. It runs from 06:00 on 2 November to 23:59 on 20 December 2026, with up to 20,000 bars on offer.
- Find a Secret Santa poster. Cadbury says they appear at bus stops, in shopping centres and around towns across the country.
- Scan the QR code with your phone's camera. This opens the Postal Service and shows whether a bar is available.
- Choose a bar and add the recipient's details. You have 10 minutes to fill in the form, so have their address ready.
Out of chocolate? Enter the daily prize draw
The bars are limited and are released in stages each day. When none are left, the page says "out of chocolate" and offers a daily prize draw instead, where the prize is another chance to send a free bar.
Cadbury says more bars are released through the day, so it's worth checking again later. You can also scan any poster you pass.
How the daily draw works
- Dates: the draw runs from 3 November to 16 December 2026.
- Entering: give your name and email address and agree to the terms, which confirm you're over 18. You may also be asked to verify your mobile number by text.
- Prizes: at least 20 bars a day. Bars left unclaimed the day before go into the draw too.
- Winning: the draw is at midnight and winners are emailed the next day. You must claim by 23:00 the day after the email is sent, so check your junk folder.
- Limits: one entry per person per mobile number, and you can only win once.
The terms give two ways in: a single day's draw, or every remaining draw if you agree to get Cadbury's news and updates by email. Read the tick boxes before you submit, as some of them are about marketing and how your details are used.
Cadbury Secret Santa rules at a glance
- Who can send: people aged 18 or over who live in the Republic of Ireland.
- Who can receive: someone aged 18 or over with a Republic of Ireland postal address.
- How many: one free bar per mobile number, and at most three bars to the same address.
- Which bars: 100g to 120g bars including Dairy Milk, Winter Wonderland, Caramel, Wholenut, Fruit & Nut and Bournville, subject to availability.
- Changes: you can't change the details after you submit them.
- Fair use: the terms don't allow using the service to harass or upset the person receiving the bar.
When will the bar arrive?
Don't count on it for Christmas Day. Cadbury says bars go out by An Post standard post one to two weeks after you submit the form, and can take up to six weeks to arrive. It doesn't guarantee a delivery date, and the bars can't be tracked once they're in the post.
Cadbury Secret Santa questions
Is it really free?
Yes. For the bars on offer, Cadbury covers both the chocolate and the postage.
Can I take part without finding a poster?
Yes, through the daily prize draw, using one of the links above. Sending a bar outside the draw starts with scanning a poster.
Where are the posters?
Cadbury says they're in cities and towns around the country, including bus stops and shopping centres. Its Secret Santa site has updates during the campaign.
Why does it say there's no chocolate?
The limit for that moment has been reached. Try again later, at the same poster or a different one, or enter the draw.
Can I send a bar if I sent one last Christmas?
Yes, if you find a poster with a bar available.
More Christmas in Dublin
Looking for something to do this Christmas? See all Christmas events in Dublin, Christmas markets and fairs and Santa experiences.
DublinGuide isn't connected with Cadbury. These details come from Cadbury's FAQs and terms and conditions, checked on 4 November 2026. The terms are what apply, so check them before you enter.