Menu hacks, free food and £2.99 Big Mac and Fries… the insider’s guide to McDonald’s that could save you £429 a year
WHETHER it’s a weekend treat or a hangover cure, nothing hits the spot quite like your favourite McDonald’s order – whether that’s a cheeseburger, hot coffee or just a warm bag of fries.
But tucking into your favourite burger or sipping your daily drink from the fast food chain can taste even better if you know you’re also bagging an absolute bargain.
While Maccies is known for its affordable prices already, did you know there are also plenty of clever ways to save more, and even get your favourite meals, fries, coffees and sweet treats for FREE?
Here, we reveal exactly how you can cut the cost of your favourite fast food – and save up to £429 a year at McDonald’s.
Save with your receipt
You could get a Big Mac and fries for just £2.99 when you use a McDonald’s receipt to complete a feedback survey.
A Big Mac would normally set you back £4.69 while medium fries usually cost £1.69 – adding up to £6.38 together – meaning you could save £3.39 doing this.
All you need to do is scan the barcode on the bottom of the receipt.
It will take you to the website where you can complete the survey.
Once you have filled it out you will be sent a 12-digit code, which you can use to redeem the offer.
If Big Macs are not your thing, you can also redeem the voucher to get six Chicken McNuggets, a Big Mac, Filet-o-Fish, McChicken Sandwich, Quarter Pounder with Cheese or the McPlant.
If you wanted, you can also swap the medium fries for a side salad.
You can use the deal every time you get a new receipt.
If you used it ten times over the course of a year you would save £33.90.
Grab a Wednesday wrap
If you love tucking into a McDonald’s wrap at lunchtime then you’re in luck as you could get your hands on one for just £1.99 when you dine on a Wednesday.
The home of the Golden Arches has five wraps on offer as part of its Wrap of the Day deal, including The BBQ & Bacon Chicken One, The Spicy Veggie One, The Caesar & Bacon Chicken One, The Katsu Chicken One and The Sweet Chilli Chicken One.
The Katsu Chicken One would normally set you back £3.49, which means you could save £1.50 with this deal.
Three ways to win McDonald's Monopoly
Every year McDonald’s launches its Monopoly game, which gives its customers the chance of winning top prizes.
Players need to collect game pieces on McDonald’s food items including fries and McFlurries.
Winning stickers can be redeemed for a number of prices, which can include cars, holidays or £100,000.
Instead of relying on luck, Sam Thomas, an analytics lead at Embryo, said there are ways to boost your chances of winning.
He said: “There’s a couple of hacks to understand in order to increase your odds at winning.”
There are nine rare stickers that stay the same each year, Sam explains.
These include:
- Dark blue: Mayfair
- Green: Bond Street
- Yellow: Coventry Street
- Red: Strand
- Train stations: Liverpool St Station
- Orange: Marlborough Street
- Light blue: Euston Road
- Pink: Northumberland Avenue
- Brown: Old Kent Road
If you find one of these, keep hold of it as the remaining stickers should be much easier to find.
Sam said: “Some pieces are common, while others are exceedingly rare, so knowing which pieces are the rarest can help you prioritise your efforts.”
You can also swap stickers with other McDonald’s customers through social media platforms.
There are Facebook groups and chat forums dedicated to McDonald’s Monopoly.
Sam said: “These platforms often have members who share information about the rare pieces they’ve received or traded.”
McDonald’s also often has promotions where you can get extra game pieces when you buy certain menu items.
For example, side salads, vegetables, or fruit bags come with three pieces, but fries only come with two.
If you ate one of these wraps every Wednesday then you would save £78 over the course of a year.
Swap your sandwich
If you are a fan of the McChicken Sandwich then you could save up to 50 per cent with this clever hack.
The Mayo Chicken is very similar to the McChicken Sandwich but costs almost a third of the price.
A Mayo Chicken will set you back £1.39 while the McChicken Sandwich costs £4.49.
Both burgers contain crispy coated chicken with lettuce in a soft bun.
Making the switch would save you a whopping £3.10.
The only real difference is the Mayo Chicken is a little smaller than the McChicken Sandwich.
But even ordering two Mayo Chickens would set you back just £2.78 – £1.71 less than the McChicken Sandwich.
Making this switch every week would save you £88.92 a year.
Buy in bulk
You could save money on your favourite chicken nuggets by buying in bulk.
Two boxes of six McNuggets will set you back £8.18.
But you could get 20 nuggets for just £5.99 with a McNugget Sharebox, saving you £2.19.
If you did this just ten times a year you would save £21.90.
Share them with a colleague or family member to maximise the savings.
Say no to ice
McDonald’s fizzy drinks are usually served with ice but you could get more drink in your cup if you order it without.
Fast food fans have said they got 30ml more by ordering their drink without ice.
You can do this yourself on the app, or at one of the self-service checkouts.
Save at your local branch
MCDONALD'S charges up to 15 per cent more for meals bought at a service station or out of town restaurant instead of a branch in the city centre.
We’ve previously revealed that heading to a city centre restaurant can save you up to 40p on your meal.
McDonald’s prices vary from restaurant to restaurant but service station and out of town restaurants are nearly always more expensive.
Our investigation compared the price of a large Big Mac meal, egg McMuffin meal and a Cheeseburger Happy Meal at restaurants in and around six UK cities to find the different cost.
In Durham, buying your McDonald’s meal at an out of town location would cost you 40p extra.
Meanwhile, prices are 40p higher at a Newcastle service station.
Dodge the ‘sugar tax’ on drinks
Soft drinks with added sugar are subject to a “sugar tax”, which can add up to 14p to their cost.
Just one McDonald’s drink is subject to the tax so you could save money by avoiding it.
If you order an original Coca-Cola then you will pay an extra 8p for a small, 12p for a medium or 14p for a large.
But if you order a Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Zero Sugar then you do not need to pay the tax.
A small saving – but every little helps!
Knock money off with a newspaper
It’s easy to look for deals online or with an app, but you can still save big with a paper voucher.
You may be able to find them on the back of paper bus tickets, car parking tickets or newspapers.
Some newspapers offer vouchers which you can use to get a Big Mac and fries or a Quarter Pounder with fries for £1.99.
A Big Mac would normally set you back £4.69 while a bag of medium fries usually costs £1.69.
That means the deal could save you a huge £4.39.
If you used one of these vouchers just ten times this year then you would save £43.90.
Look out for these vouchers throughout the year.
Or join Whatsapp and Facebook groups to get alerts when they become available.
Get a discount with a £5 meal deal
Who doesn’t love a meal deal at lunchtime, and you can save big with a £5 Meal Deal at McDonald’s.
Grab a Cheeseburger or Mayo Chicken, medium fries, a medium soft drink, and a bonus side of four Chicken McNuggets for just £5.
You could save £2.46 with the deal, compared to buying the items individually.
Grabbing this deal every week would save you £127.92 annually.
Get appy
Ever so often McDonald’s offers limited-time only deals through its app.
They usually last for around a week, but some are only available for a day.
Recent deals have included six nuggets for 99p, £1.99 Double McMuffins and a Quarter Pounder with Cheese for £1.29.
Six Chicken McNuggets would usually set you back £4.39, so you could save £3.40 with the offer.
Meanwhile, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese typically costs £4.69, meaning you could also save £3.40 with the offer.
But not all of the deals are available to everyone.
Some are just for selected accounts or new app users, so check the app regularly to avoid missing out.
If you got your hands on just ten of these deals a year you could save £34.
Make a point with every penny spent
You can also earn rewards when you buy items in store.
You can earn one point for every penny you spend at McDonald’s when you order using the fast food’s app in participating restaurants.
That includes when you buy items at the kiosk, drive-thru or with McDelivery via the app and counter.
You can start to redeem the points when you have 1,500 of them.
1,500 points will get you small fries, a medium salad, regular McCafe, mini McFlurry, hash brown or a regular drink.
For 2,500 points you can get a Vegetable Deluxe, Bacon Mayo Chicken, Cheesy Bacon Flatbread, medium fries, Double Cheeseburger or an apple pie.
Or if you save up to 4,000 points then you can get your hands on a Big Mac, Double Sausage & Egg McMuffin, Large Crispy Chicken Salad, six Chicken McNuggets, McChicken Sandwich, McPlant or Filet-O-Fish.
Meanwhile, for 5,500 points you can get a McSpicy, Mighty McMuffin, McCrispy or Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese.
If you have enough points for a reward then it will be unlocked in the rewards menu.
You can redeem your reward at a participating restaurant at the kiosk, drive-thru, front counter, McDelivery via the McDonald’s app or orders made on your McDonald’s app.
The app is free to download on Apple and Google Play.
Use the McFlurry map
There is nothing worse than getting to your local McDonald’s only to find the McFlurry machine is broken.
But did you know there is a website that you can use to check if the ice cream machine is working?
Mcbroken.com uses your location to show all the McDonald’s branches in your area and whether their machines are working or not.
It will also tell you when the information was last updated, so you’re never caught out again.
Save if you are a student
Students can get their hands on a free McFlurry, Cheeseburger or Mayo Chicken if they order one meal.
To get the deal they just need to buy an Extra Value or Wrap Meal in-store.
Make sure to ask if the deal is still running and bring your student card to avoid missing out.
My McDonald's tips as a Coupon King
JORDON Cox, the Coupon King, reveals his money saving tips.
Get free toppings
It’s easy to get free toppings with this simple tip.
Simply go to the self-order screens or use the McDonald’s app.
Then just add extra mustard, ketchup, onions, pickles, mayonnaise or shredded lettuce for free to any burger.
If your burger already includes those ingredients then you will get double the amount.
Meanwhile, if it’s not normally in there then it will be added for you.
Chicken select cheat
There are two Chicken Selects in a wrap of the day.
If you order two of these wraps without the wraps or salad then you will spend £3.98 and get four selects.
Meanwhile, if you order a three box of Chicken Selects then you need to pay £4.99.
Big Mac hack
You can make your own Big Mac for half of the cost of the normal burger.
Simply order a Double Cheeseburger for £2.29.
Then if you remove the ketchup and add some sandwich sauce it is similar to the Big Mac sauce.
You can do this on the app or using the touch screens in the restaurant.
The burger will be almost identical to a Big Mac, but will cost £1.71 less.
Avoid cold fries
One of the worst things about waiting for your order at McDonald’s is when your food is served cold.
But there is a simple trick to make sure that you’ll always get a fresh batch of fries.
If you order your fries with no salt at the till or the self-service machine you will automatically be served a hot, fresh batch.
You can also use this trick if you order any customised item as they will have to make them especially for you.
If you do want salt on your fries then just ask for it separately.
You can then add it on your own afterwards.
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