McDonald’s Rewards Program Guide (2026)

How MyMcDonald’s Rewards works — points, tiers, and how to get free food

Last checked: Oct 14, 2026100 pts per $1Independent guide

See reward tiers

Quick answer

⭐ MyMcDonald’s Rewards is free: earn 100 points per $1 on eligible purchases, and redeem starting at 1,500 points (~$15 spend). Join in the McDonald’s app.

⚠️ 2026 change: tiers were reshuffled in May 2026 — the current US tiers are 1,500 / 2,000 / 3,500 / 4,000 / 5,000 / 7,000 points (up from the old 4-tier setup).

How MyMcDonald’s Rewards Works

Join: download the McDonald’s app and opt in to MyMcDonald’s Rewards — membership is free (mcdonalds.com, current Oct 2026).

Earn: 100 points for every $1 spent on eligible products. At the drive-thru, counter, or kiosk, present the 4-digit code from the app’s “Earn Points” tab before ordering. In-app orders earn automatically. Taxes, fees, gift-card loads, and delivery fees don’t earn points.

Redeem: pick a reward in the app → “Use at Restaurant” for a 4-digit code → give it to the crew before ordering. One reward per order. You can earn points and redeem a reward in the same order — one code handles both.

Expiry: points expire on the first day of the month after the sixth month from when you earned them (e.g., points earned Jan 5 expire Jul 1). The app flags points expiring soon.

Delivery: McDelivery orders placed in the McDonald’s app earn and redeem points. Third-party orders (DoorDash, Uber Eats) are not part of the program.

Source: McDonald’s official mymcdonalds.com pages (current, Oct 2026); The Points Guy (Aug 2026).

Reward Tiers (2026 — current)

⚠️ The old 1,500 / 3,000 / 4,500 / 6,000 structure is outdated. Tiers changed in early May 2026 (announced by member email). Item examples below rotate by location — the app is the source of truth.
Tier Points Example redemptions
1 1,500 Hash brown, apple pie, small coffee, vanilla cone
2 2,000 McChicken, cheeseburger, sausage biscuit
3 3,500 Medium fries, sausage burrito, 6-pc McNuggets
4 4,000 $3 off an order of $3+
5 5,000 Large fries, Filet-O-Fish, hotcakes, large frappe
6 7,000 Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Happy Meal, McFlurry

Tiers: The Points Guy (Aug 12, 2026), cross-checked with Groupon’s McDonald’s hub (Oct 2026). Devaluation: most items now cost 500–1,000 more points than before (Food Republic, May 2026).

Ordering in the McDonald's app

Earn 100 pts per $1 — in app, drive-thru, or kiosk

Medium fries reward

Free medium fries = a popular 3,500-point redemption

Sign-Up Bonus & Birthday Reward

🎁 New members: free Big Mac

First-time app users who join MyMcDonald’s Rewards get a free Big Mac with a $1+ purchase. It can take up to 48 hours to appear in your Deals tab and is valid through the last day of the month (VonBeau, Aug 2026; confirmed by The Points Guy).

Bonus tip: link a payment card and you’ll get 1,500 bonus points on your first Mobile Order & Pay transaction — enough for an instant Tier 1 reward (Groupon, Oct 2026).

🎂 Birthday reward: free medium fries

Rewards members get free medium fries around their birthday — add your birthday to the app profile a few days ahead so the treat appears (Tasting Table, May 2025; birthday-reminder push reported June 2026). Note: this is a promotional deal voucher, not a written program guarantee.

App Deals (separate from points)

These are standing deals, not point redemptions — but they live in the same app:

🍟 Free Fries Friday — every Friday in 2026

Free medium fries with any $1+ purchase via Mobile Order & Pay, every Friday. App-only (deal trackers, 2026).

🎲 Monopoly US 2026 — Oct 6 to Nov 1

App-based gameplay this year — ordering in the app or scanning your rewards code earns bonus digital plays, and instant-win prizes include Rewards points (Oct 2026 reports).

Members also get rotating weekly offers in the app’s Rewards & Offers tab. Full deal roundup on our McDonald’s value & deals page.

Coffee reward

Small coffee — a classic 1,500-point redemption

What’s Changing (announced)

📣 Announced, not yet live: at the September 2026 investor day, McDonald’s said loyalty is moving to a tiered system by visit frequency — perks like faster point earnings, early menu access, and launch-event invites. No launch date yet (Reuters, Sept 23, 2026). Also announced: Uber ride credits and Disney+ subscriptions for US members “this year” — still to come.

Rewards Program FAQs

How do I join MyMcDonald’s Rewards?
Download the McDonald’s app and agree to participate in MyMcDonald’s Rewards. It’s free — you earn simply by buying as usual (mcdonalds.com, Oct 2026).
Is MyMcDonald’s Rewards free?
Yes — membership is free. You earn points on the food you’d buy anyway.
How many points do I earn per dollar?
100 points per $1 on eligible products (mcdonalds.com, current Oct 2026).
How do I earn points at the drive-thru?
Open the app’s “Earn Points” tab and present the 4-digit code (or scan it at the kiosk) before ordering. In-app orders earn automatically.
Do MyMcDonald’s Rewards points expire?
Yes — on the first day of the month after the sixth month from when they were earned. The app flags points that are expiring soon.
Can I earn or redeem points on delivery?
Yes for McDelivery orders placed in the McDonald’s app. No — rewards can’t be redeemed on DoorDash or Uber Eats orders.
What’s the cheapest reward?
1,500 points (about $15 of spend) — e.g., a hash brown, apple pie, small coffee, or vanilla cone (Aug 2026 tier data).
Can I redeem a reward and earn points in the same order?
Yes — one 4-digit code handles both. You earn 100 pts/$ on the items you pay for alongside the redemption (McDonald’s FAQ, Oct 2026).
Can I share points or use two rewards at once?
Neither. Points are yours alone and can’t be transferred, and redemption is limited to one reward per order (mcdonalds.com, Oct 2026).
Is there a sign-up bonus?
New app users get a free Big Mac with a $1+ purchase (may take 48h to appear). Linking a payment card adds 1,500 bonus points on your first Mobile Order & Pay order.

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