There is no such thing as a free pizza. Alisha knows this, and she’s bright enough to know that the courtesy coupon for a “free” pizza from Papa John’s would not, in fact, result in a pizza showing up on her doorstep without any money changing hands. She just didn’t expect to be charged $1.49 for the free item. “Silly Alisha, that’s the delivery fee!” you might say. No. It’s not. She had to pay sales tax and the delivery fee as well.

Oh, and that $2.50 delivery fee isn’t for the driver, so you need a tip, too.

Last month, I placed a delivery order from my local Papa John’s which took over an hour to arrive. About a week later I received a coupon in the mail for a FREE cheese pizza.

I went to the website to redeem the coupon and found that a free cheese pizza is actually $1.49! I did NOT add anything to the pizza or change the size. I include a screen clipping of the charges below.

The coupon does say that deliver fee may apply and customer responsible for all taxes. However, there is nothing to indicate that a free pizza will actually cost $1.49! Oh, and the final cost of that free pizza? $4.29.

The small print: Offer good for a limited time at participating Papa John’s restaurants. Limited delivery area. Delivery fee may apply. One time use only. Customer responsible for all applicable taxes. ¬©2012 Papa John’s International, Inc. FREELC

Well, that is more than zero, but it’s less than a regular price pizza. It’s just confusing that the cost of a free pizza is $1.49.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.