Philadelphia Cream Cheese Offers $20 to Skip Cheesecake This Holiday Season

A nationwide cream cheese shortage is impacting holiday plans across the U.S., prompting Philadelphia Cream Cheese to propose a unique deal. If you forgo making cheesecake this Christmas, the brand will reward you with $20, as reported by Today.

Rather than preparing cheesecake—which typically uses four packs of cream cheese, as per the recipe from Kraft Heinz

, Philadelphia's parent company—the brand suggests opting for cookies, brownies, pies, or other desserts that don’t rely on their product. To claim your $20 reimbursement, secure one of the limited reservations available starting at 12 p.m. EST on December 17 and again on December 18.

Once you’ve reserved your spot, buy the ingredients for your cream cheese-free dessert between December 17 and December 24, keeping your receipts. Use the unique link provided by the brand to submit your receipts between 9 a.m. EST and 11:59 p.m. EST from December 28 to January 4 to receive your $20 digital reward. This offer also applies to store-bought or restaurant desserts, not just homemade creations.

Philadelphia is urging everyday consumers to avoid its products to ensure businesses with higher demand have enough supply. A combination of supply chain disruptions, rising demand, and a cyberattack on a key dairy producer in October has led to an unprecedented cream cheese shortage. Junior's Cheesecake halted production for the first time in 71 years on December 3, while some New York bagel shops are stockpiling cream cheese. With the holidays likely to exacerbate the shortage, Philadelphia's reimbursement initiative aims to address the problem proactively.

For details on how to earn money by avoiding cream cheese this Christmas, head to SpreadtheFeeling.com. If you need ideas for holiday desserts, here are some classic options to inspire your baking.