17 McDonald’s Hacks for Cheap & Free Food (2025)
McDonald's is a crowd-favorite. But did you know that 26 million Americans visit McDonald's every day? It is one of the most affordable fast-food joints in the world. But why spend more when there are smarter ways to save at McDonald's? In this blog, we will discuss some McDonald's hacks so, you can get cheap and delicious meals, and get the best burger for your buck!
McDonald’s Hacks for Free Food
1. Download the App to Get a Free Big Mac
Big Mac is one of the premium burgers on McD's menu. Getting it for free or cheap is a steal. You can get a free Big Mac when you download the McDonald's app and make a minimum purchase of $1. Here is how you can claim it:
- Download the app.
- Join the My McDonald's Rewards.
- Explore the deals under the "Rewards and deals tab.
- Find the offer "Free Big Mac with a minimum purchase of $1.
- You can use this offer for online orders or at the restaurant. Whatever works for you.
2. Make your Own Big Mac by Getting a McDouble
No doubt that a Big Mac is the best option at McDonald's, but it can be quite expensive. On average, a Big Mac may cost around $6.29 (prices vary by location). But if you want to get a similar taste at a lower price, you can get a McDouble instead at $2.89. Just ask the staff for similar toppings to the Big Mac, and you are good to go. You can also order a Big Mac sauce along with the McDouble to get the exact taste. Make your own Big Mac and save more!
3. Get Free Toppings
While McDonald's may be phasing out its self-serve beverage stations, you can still ask for free toppings on your orders. Ask the staff if you can get extra lettuce, onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, or mayo. You can get the toppings for free on your cheap cheeseburger and make it delicious. Bonus: If the restaurant has a self-service kiosk, you can customize your order yourself. But if you want extra bacon or cheese, you may have to pay a little extra for it.
4. Use Buy One, Add One Lunch and Dinner Hack
McDonald’s offers value meals, but the BOGO lunch and dinner hack steals the cake. With the "Buy One, Add One for $1 offer, you can get one menu item at full price and get the second item for just $1. This can help you get a second item for your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. How does it work?
- Choose one full-priced item from the buy one, add one section.
- Add a second eligible item for $1. It can be a Sausage McMuffin, a McChicken, or a Double Cheeseburger, etc. Read the ToC for more info.
- Use this offer for online orders or in a restaurant.
5. Free Fries on Fridays with McDonald's App
Fridays are for fun and fries! McDonald's has a Free Fries Friday. It means you get free medium fries with a minimum purchase of $1 on the McD app. So, you need to order an item from McDonald's McValue and get free fries. Make sure you opt in to McD Rewards to redeem this offer. Download the app for a better ordering experience and claim free fries easily.
6. Save with Mayo Chicken Sandwich
The mayo chicken sandwich is a basic item with bread, lettuce, mayo, and a chicken patty. It is also one of the cheapest items on the menu. Rather than ordering the McChicken sandwich, which costs around $3.10 (on average), you can get the mayo chicken sandwich for less than $2. This sandwich pretty much has the same ingredients as the McChicken, but you save a lot more. If you want to go for a more filling meal, you can get two of these.
7. DIY a McDonald's Chicken Salad
Get the most out of your Mayo Sandwich. Yes, you can do a lot more with it and make a salad. McDonald's usually charges more if you order a main salad item. But you can get creative and make your own salad by getting a chicken mayo sandwich and a side salad. Believe us, getting these two items is cheaper than getting a McDonald's salad.
8. Get Cheap Thrills with Cheap Nuggets
McDonald's has the most delicious chicken nuggets. And these are inexpensive as well. The trick is to get larger sizes to get more value out of it. Rather than having a 4-piece meal, you can get a 10-piece or 20-piece option. Prices of the nuggets can vary by location, but you can get a 20-piece meal for $11.29 (average). Rather than paying $3.39 for 4 nuggets, you can get 20 for $11.
| Hot tip: The best value comes from the McDonald's chicken sharebox. You can get 6x chicken selects, 12x chicken nuggets, 2x McNuggets dips, and 2x select dips that serve 4 people. It costs somewhere around $11 as well, so you can get it and share it with your friends. |
9. Take a Survey and Get Free McDonald's
You are entitled to a free McDonald's item if you take a survey as a customer. Just purchase something from McDonald's, and you will get a receipt. You can then use this to take a survey. Offers may vary by location. Always check the McDonald's app or store for availability.
Here is how you do it.
- Once you make a purchase, you get a receipt.
- Then, on the receipt, you will get a survey code or use the store number, date, and time on your receipt.
- Visit the McDVoice website and share your survey on the food, service, and cleanliness.
- At the end of the survey, you will get a code for a free or discounted item on your next visit. Use it on your next McD purchase.
10. Free Coffee for Seniors
Some of the McDonald's restaurants offer special discounts for seniors, teachers, and veterans "availability varies; call ahead. You can use the McDonald's store locator to contact the store near you and ask them if they have any ongoing discounts that you can use. However, most of the locations do offer free coffee for seniors. If you are someone 55+, then you can get a free medium-sized coffee at McDonald's; you just have to ask for it and verify your age.
11. Get Free Food with McDonald's Rewards
McDonald's has a rewards program called My McDonald's Rewards, where you can earn bonus points on your orders. For every $1 you spend, you earn 100 points. You can use these points later to redeem free food like a Big Mac on your next order. Here are the free food options you can get with your points:
| Points | What Rewards you can get* |
| 2000 points | Cone, baked pie, small/med coffee/tea, hash brown |
| 4000 points | Small/med Fries, Sausage McMuffin, large coffee/tea |
| 6000 points | Fries (Large), McMuffin Breakfast sandwich, McDouble, Snack-size McFlurry, Chicken Snack Wrap, Junior Chicken. |
| 10,000 points | Big Mac, McMuffin Extra Value Meal, Bacon 'N Egg McMuffin, 6-pc Chicken McNuggets, Happy Meal, Filet-O-Fish, McCrispy, McVeggie |
| 14,000 points | 10-pc McNuggets, Big Mac/Quarter Pounder Extra Value Meal |
*Rewards vary by market; check the app.
12. Snag Double Cheeseburgers for 50 Cents
On special days like National Cheeseburger Day, McDonald's offers free food or huge discounts to its customers. For example, this year on National Cheeseburger Day (18th September), McDonald's offered a one-day, app-exclusive deal where you could purchase one discounted burger for 50 cents. The offer was for a limited time, but it was an amazing offer where one customer could get one double cheeseburger for 50 cents. So, watch for national burger/cheeseburger days in the app's Deals tab.
13. Find McDonald's Coupons
You could save a lot more if you just looked for coupons/deals before ordering. Check today's McDonald's coupons on GrabOn before you order. Just go to the website and search for "McDonald's in the search bar. Copy the coupon code you want and apply it during checkout. It's that easy.
| Quick Tip: GrabOn offers Burger King coupons as well, which you can take advantage of. There are plenty of fast food deals you can use to save on your next burger order. So, if you crave fast food next, don't forget to explore the coupons before ordering. |
14. Get Cashback on your McDonald's Order
When there are no coupons to go for, you can try out cashback and still save on your McDonald's order. There are sites like TopCashback, Quidco, and MyCashbacks.com where you can get cashback on your purchase. It doesn't cost you anything, and you get free cash for placing the order. You can use these cashback sites for other cashback offers too.
15. McDonald's Extra Value Meals
If you want to get an entire meal for cheap, you can always opt for McDonald's Extra Value Meal. In this bundle, you get a main item like a burger and a side item like fries. Plus, you can get a discounted drink in the combo. McDonald's lets you get all this at a steal price. But please note that the prices of these value meals may vary by region. Here are some of the meals you can get:
- Big Mac Meal
- Chicken Mac Meal
- McChicken Meal
- Big Tasty Meal
- 9 Pcs Chicken McNuggets Meal
- Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal
Why get value meals? Because a Big Mac might cost $6 (avg), and a Big Mac value meal can cost $8 (avg). You get a main item, a side item, and a drink by spending 2-3 bucks more. So, enjoy these bundles for better value.
16. Look for Family Meals or Bundle offers
While McDonald's usually does not offer group discounts, occasionally you can find "Family Meals on the menu or look for "Sharers and Bundles, where you get combo deals. To find these deals, go to the McDonald's app or website and check out the menu. If you are ordering from the restaurant, ask the staff if they have any family deals or group offers you can redeem.
17. Get the Secret 10:35 burger
The 10:35 McDonald's burger is a well-kept secret. It is a popular item on the unofficial McD menu, which is created by combining a double cheeseburger and a breakfast sandwich. This is briefly available between the brunch period, especially around 10:30 am to 11:00 am. Because the 10:35 burger is not on the menu, you need to place a grill order and ask for the items separately. Ask for a McDouble and an Egg McMuffin, then combine them. This is a secret McD hack that you can use to get a brunch burger. Use the hacks/tips mentioned above to get free and cheap McDonald's. Sate your palate and your wallet. Happy Savings!
Looking for more savings? Don't forget to check today's McDonald's coupons and exclusive deals at GrabOn!
Frequently Asked Questions
How to get a free McDonald's burger?
There are a few ways you can get a free McDonald's burger. You can download the McDonald's app and get a free Big Mac with your purchase of $1. If you have joined the rewards program, you can also collect enough points to get free McDonald’s. On top of that, you can also take a survey and share a review to get a free Big Mac (or any other item).
What is the 80/20 rule at McDonald's?
When Dick and Mac McDonald started McDonald's, they had a wide menu. But they noticed that 87% of their sales were coming from burgers, fries, and shakes. So, they redesigned their menu and operations to make sure they served the customers what they wanted most in 30 minutes. The 80/20 rule defines the success of McDonald's, where you focus more on what the majority of your customers want, and 20% is a diversified customer base.
Do McDonald's employees get a discount?
Yes, McDonald's employees get a 30% discount on an order per day. You can claim this discount via the "Deals section of the McDonald's app. McDonald's only allows one offer per employee per day. And you cannot combine this discount with other offers. So, if you have multiple offers at hand, choose the one that offers the most discount.
Can I get McDonald's free for life?
Yes, you can get free McDonald's for life if you have a McGold Card. But the card is very rare and limited to high-profile individuals like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. So, rather than putting your hopes in the McGold Card, you can become a member of the McDonald's My Rewards program and earn points with every purchase. Then you can use these points to get free food later.
