🍟 5 Proven Ways to Save at McDonald’s

🍟 5 strategies to save money when eating at McDonald’s

McDonald’s is one of the most popular chains worldwide, but the average price of combos has increased in recent years across virtually every country. The good news is that there are concrete and legitimate ways to reduce this cost, and most people only know one or two of them.

We’ve compiled the five most effective strategies here, tested by consumers and compared against each other. When combined, they can reduce the cost of a meal by more than 40% without changing anything you already order.

1. The official app is the most underrated channel

Many people overlook it, but the McDonald’s application is the number one source of discounts. It provides coupons that don’t appear at the counter or drive-thru, valid only for those ordering through the app.

What you get by using the app:

• Daily offers with up to 50% off on selected items
• Exclusive combos for mobile orders
• Flash promotions at specific times (usually late afternoon)
• MyMcDonald’s Rewards program: points that convert into free food

The app is free and works on iOS and Android. Worth installing even if you only visit McDonald’s occasionally: use it when you need it, ignore it when you don’t.

2. Online coupon aggregators

Before any order, two minutes searching for coupons can yield good discounts. The best sites for this:

• RetailMeNot — global reference for coupons, with community ratings on each code
• Picodi — verified offers in over 40 countries, updated daily
• CouponBirds — codes tested by users and sorted by product type

In many cases, the discounts reach 20% or 40% on specific combos. That’s real money saved with minimal searching.

3. Cashback doubles your savings

Cashback is the money that comes back to you after purchase. For app orders via delivery (Uber Eats, DoorDash, iFood), some services return a percentage of the amount paid:

• Rakuten — returns 1% to 5% depending on the restaurant and platform
• TopCashback — Rakuten competitor, with similar rates
• Drop App — points per purchase, converted into gift cards

The crucial point: cashback stacks with coupons. You can apply a 20% coupon and still earn 3% cashback on the already reduced amount. In two clicks, the savings approach 25%.

4. The value menu nobody talks about

Nearly every country where McDonald’s operates has a line of cheaper items, generally called the “Saver Menu”, “Small Prices” or “€1 Menu”. These combos are designed to cost half the price of a main combo.

What’s typically included:

• Simple sandwiches like McChicken and cheeseburger
• Small beverages (soft drinks, coffee)
• Desserts like soft-serve cone and basic sundae
• Daily promotions at specific times

Combining two or three items from the value menu usually costs less than ordering a standard combo, with equivalent quantity.

5. Giveaways and free gift cards

International platforms distribute McDonald’s gift cards through legitimate weekly giveaways. The process is typically simple: free registration with email, no credit card required, and results come out a few times per month.

The most well-known:

• Best Deals — weekly giveaway of €10 gift card
• Honey Gold — monthly giveaway for Honey extension users
• Microsoft Rewards — points that convert into gift cards from various brands

This type of giveaway is free by nature: the platforms earn through commercial partnerships, not from participant fees.

Which strategy should you choose first?

If you could only adopt one, the recommendation is to start with the official app. It provides the greatest immediate return (daily coupons available all the time) and also accumulates points that turn into free food.

Next, it’s worth accumulating cashback through Rakuten and registering your email for weekly giveaways. These three fronts together typically generate savings of 30% to 40% on monthly fast food spending, without changing any habits.

Mistakes that cost money

Even those who use coupons make mistakes that cancel out part of the savings:

• Ordering at the counter without checking the app first (loses the mobile coupon)
• Forgetting to activate cashback before purchase (doesn’t apply retroactively)
• Mixing promotion with items outside the rules (some coupons are exclusive)
• Not checking code validity before ordering

These simple precautions prevent frustration and maximize savings on each visit.

The secret to consistent savings at McDonald’s is combining multiple strategies at once: app + coupon + cashback + giveaway. Nobody needs to do everything at once. Start with one, integrate the next and watch the bill drop without changing what you order.

This page contains links to partner sites.