Seven ways to save money on your order at McDonald’s including free food and half price Big Macs
WE all love a cheeky McDonald's, and you can treat yourself for less using these X tricks to knock money off your order.
From making a DIY Big Mac for half the price to getting freebies and discounts on your birthday, there's plenty of ways to save cash.
The tips will come in handy for hungry diners battling against a cost of living crisis, which has seen Maccies raise prices.
The fast food giant has added up to 60p to a number of menu items, including the cheeseburger, and McPlant meals.
It will come as a blow to customers, who are set to be as much as £3,000 worse off in general due to a big squeeze on budgets.
Here's how you can save money on your favourite meals.
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Choose your branch wisely
Researching and comparing prices at your local McDonald's branches could save you some cash on your order.
Menu prices can vary in restaurants just a couple of miles apart.
Our research found a Big Mac meal can be up to 30p cheaper at restaurants that are just two miles apart from each other.
A 30p saving may not sound massive but it would equal £1.20 per month if you treat yourself to a McDonald's each week or £14.40 per year.
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A couple could double the savings to £28.80 in a year while a family of four could save £57.60 on a Big Mac meal each week for a year just by looking slightly further afield.
Get freebies on your birthday
You can bag freebies and discounts on your birthday if you’re a My McDonald’s app user.
Remember to log your date of birth in the app - otherwise you could miss out on free food or drinks.
The birthday offers are usually in line with the McDonald’s Mondays offers, discounts and deals.
The chain said you could get a free coffee too if it was your birthday.
Get Big Mac and fries for just £1.99
If you're a Big Mac fan, you can get the burger along with a side of fries for just £1.99.
All you need to do is fill out a quick survey feedback survey after a previous visit to redeem the offer.
All you need is an old McDonald's receipt from a previous trip no longer than 60 days ago.
A 12 digit code will be printed on the proof of purchase, and you can enter this McDonald's Food for Thought website to need to fill out a quick survey regarding your recent trip.
You'll then receive a five digit code which is your voucher for the £1.99 offer, so jot it down.
You can then use this five digit code to get a Big Mac and fries for £1.99.
It usually costs wound £4.79 so you'll be saving around £2.80 under the offer.
Get half price meals
If you live in London, keep hold of your bus tickets.
Sometimes, McDonald’s vouchers are printed on the back where you can get deals and discounts.
If you keep them safe, you'll be able to use them the next time you visit the chain - make sure you keep an eye out for the voucher expiry dates.
Avoid ordering meals and bulk up instead
If you're a fan of the 'nugs, then avoid choosing a meal and bulk order instead if you're with company.
Meal deals come with your choice of main snack - like a burger or chicken nuggets - along with fries and a drink.
But sometimes it makes more sense to bulk buy items individually and split them between the family, one ex-McDonald's worker told The Sun.
A medium meal with six Chicken McNuggets costs £5.49. If you’ve got three mouths to feed, that comes out at £16.47.
But if you bought 20 Chicken McNuggets for £5.09 - which means each person gets six each with two left over - three medium fries at £1.29 each and a medium drink at £1.09 each, you’d be spending £12.23 in total.
That marks a saving of £4.24.
Make a DIY Big Mac for half the price
A Big Mac can cost as much as £3.99.
If you make a few tweaks to your order, you can make your own for half the price.
Jordan Cox, dubbed Britain’s Coupon Kid, previously told The Sun how to get a DIY Big Mac for just £1.49.
Order a Double Cheeseburger and add in the items you get in a Big Mac, which includes onions, pickles and shredded lettuce.
McDonald's won't let you buy Big Mac sauce to pop inside, Jordon says, but if you add ketchup and mustard, you'll create a sauce that tastes similar.
“You don’t have the bun in the middle, but it sort of tastes like a Big Mac in terms of what’s inside,” Jordan said. “You’ll save about £2.”
Sign up to the app
Signing up to the My McDonald's app means you can keep on top of the latest deals and offers.
The app will allow you to browse the latest menu available at McDonald's - you can download it for free via Google Play or the App Store.
It works anywhere you have internet, so you can look up what's on offer while you're out and about, or at home.
Every Monday, the app has a host of deals available to cash in on.
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Typically you can get things like a Big Mac, McMuffin or Fillet-O-Fish for just 99p - usually the fast food favourite would cost £3.69 so hungry deal hunters can save £2.70.
You have to order it on the app and claim it from your closest McDonald's by 11.59pm on the day though.