Do McDonald’s Points Expire? (Things You Need to Know)

Do McDonald’s Points Expire? Learn how long your points last, changes to the expiry policy, and tips to make the most of your rewards before they expire. Stay informed and maximize your McDonald's experience!

Online shopping gives customers not just a seamless experience but also access to numerous lucrative deals as part of marketing strategies. Therefore, if you are curious to discover more offers from retailers, one of these rewards is redeemable points.

Like all other online retailers, McDonald's guarantees customers an impressive reward program. Whether using the website or the McDonald's app, you will get points for your engagement and expenditure. Thus, as long as you spend bucks ordering from McDonald's, you get more points. However, the issue arises when customers need to determine if these McDonald's points expire.

We have researched for you. Therefore, read the article below for all the FAQs and more tips on the McDonald's reward program and points.

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Do McDonald’s Points Expire?

We know nothing lasts forever, so McDonald's points also expire. The expiration period for these points varies by region. In general, McDonald's points are valid for about a year. Specifically, they expire on the last day of the 12th month after they were earned]. For example, if points are earned on January 1, 2024, they will expire on December 31, 2024.

However, there are regional variations in the expiration rules. For instance, in Australia, the points expire on the first day of the month after 12 months from when they were first earned. In the United States, the points expire on the first day of the month after the sixth month from the day the points were earned.

McDonald's loyalty program members need to be aware of these expiration terms to ensure they use their points before they expire. Notifications about expiring points are typically sent via email or can be seen in the McDonald's app under the "history" section of the "Rewards and Offers" tab.

Thus, keep reading our article to the end if you still want to explore McDonald's reward system, how the program works, the tiers, and more. We have all you need to know here.

About McDonald’s Points System

The McDonald's Point System forms an integral part of MyMcDonald's Rewards, a loyalty scheme designed to enrich the customer experience. This program allows patrons to amass reward points through purchases and various interactions at McDonald's. These accumulated points can then be exchanged for a range of enticing rewards, including McDonald's beverages, exclusive surprises, and delectable food items.

Aimed at promoting regular patronage, the MyMcDonald's Rewards program tailors the customer journey, offering increasingly valuable rewards as more points are collected. To become part of the McDonald's points ecosystem, simply download the McDonald's app. Every purchase you make not only earns you points but also grants additional bonuses, enhancing your reward potential with each transaction.

What Are McDonald’s Reward Points?

McDonald's rewards points are loyalty points customers get when they purchase from the restaurant and scan the reward QR code. Through the QR code, you earn 100 points for every dollar you spend on the app. These points are available through the app and at the drive-thru or in-store. Thus, you get the reward points depending on the total expenditure.

For the reward points you get, you will be limited to redeeming only the eligible rewards at the front counter, drive-thru, and scanners. You can also redeem them for the delivery order using the app. However, you can start redeeming the McDonald's rewards points when they total 1500 points and above. Still, you are limited to redeeming one reward at a time.

To earn these points, one must also agree to participate in the MyMcdonald reward, and before ordering, you must present the unique 4-digit code to get the points automatically. To get more insights into the McDonald's reward points, click on the website here.

McDonald's Reward Program Tiers

From the first food restaurants, reward programs have become routine and secret weapons in marketing the companies. Through the reward program, McDonald's gives you points for purchases, which you can exchange for exclusive products. The more points you get, the more free food you can claim on the website. However, you can only start claiming these offers when you attain 1500 points to qualify for the first tier free gift.

Therefore, since the launch of the new McDonald's reward program, the restaurant has offered customers access to the four-tier stages, which are determined by the total number of points earned. When you reach a new tier, customers can claim the tier-one offers. Today, there are four tiers to try, and the more points you earn, the bigger the free items you earn because you are moving to the higher tier.

From the research, some eligible items under each tier are highlighted below. But remember, these are subject to the future changes:

Tier 1: 1,500 Points
Rewards Available: At this initial tier, customers can redeem their points for one of several options, including a McChicken sandwich, hash browns, a vanilla cone, or a cheeseburger.

Tier 2: 3,000 Points
Rewards Available: When customers accumulate 3,000 points, they can choose from medium fries, a sausage burrito, a six-piece Chicken McNuggets, or a large iced coffee.

Tier 3: 4,500 Points
Rewards Available: At 4,500 points, the rewards become more substantial. Options include large fries, a large frappé, a Filet-O-Fish sandwich, or a Sausage McMuffin with egg.

Tier 4: 6,000 Points
Rewards Available: This is the highest tier, offering the most substantial rewards. Customers can choose from a Happy Meal, a Big Mac, a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, or a Quarter Pounder with cheese.

In addition to the above free items to claim, customers who participate in this reward program qualify to enjoy multiple lucrative deals and other free restaurant items. In most cases, McDonald's tends to hold random drawings and events among the participating members.

How to Get Free McDonald's Points?

Besides the purchase to earn points, you might also be interested in learning other ways to earn free McDonald's rewards points. Based on their terms and conditions, they clarify that McDonald's provides other new ways to earn points and redeem them often. Among these are the points accelerators and bonus campaigns.

Thus, remember that McDonald's is entitled to decide to terminate, change, or give you multiple ways to earn these points and the option to redeem them. For instance, they give customers access to the points linked to the bonus campaigns and through the accelerators. Also, remember that getting and redeeming these points is also determined by the terms and conditions of the particular offers on the website.

Can Customers Use McDonald's Deals And Redeem Points Simultaneously?

No, customers cannot use McDonald's deals and redeem points simultaneously. According to the official McDonald's Rewards FAQs page, customers are limited to redeeming one reward per order at this time. This means that if a customer has a deal and wants to redeem points for a reward, they would have to do so in separate transactions. However, when redeeming a reward or using a deal, customers only need to provide one 4-digit code, which will allow them to redeem the free item and earn points for additional products purchased in the same transaction.

Mcdonald's Purchases that Don't Qualify for Points

Mcdonald's also clarified the qualified purchases to get the reward points. The Activities like active rewards, promotional offers, and mobile deals, when redeemed, still give you the points. This comes with the condition that the points are only earned on the US dollar you spend for the particular transaction. Equally, when you use the Mcdonald Arch card to make payment for the qualified purchase, you still earn points.

However, some purchases and transactions will not earn you reward points. Some of these are delivery fees for the order you purchased through the app when you load extra money on the gift card—the McDonald's Arch card—and, lastly, the taxes, bags, and bottle fees that cover the fees or surcharges on purchases from McDonald's.

Taxes, bags and bottle fees, and other surcharges or fees.
McDonald's Card purchases or loading money on a McDonald's Card (but when you use a McDonald's Card to make a qualifying purchase, you will earn points).
Delivery orders from third-party delivery apps.
Any purchases where the customer does not identify their MyMcDonald's Rewards account before completing the purchase.

Conclusion

Through The McDonald's reward program, eligible customers and or participants earn points on every dollar spent through McDonald's app purchases. Download the app, spend money, and earn points. To claim the rewards, you must achieve at least 1500 points in tier one going up to tier 4, that is, 6000 points equal to $60. Use this reward program quickly because the points expire after 6 months.