Rachael Davis
For most of us, the Nando's Black Card is the stuff of dreams. Given to only a select few high-profile chicken lovers, the coveted card lets holders eat free PERi-PERi chicken whenever their heart desires.
It's a bit ironic that the freebies are given to famous people, who probably wouldn't bat an eyelid at spending a few more quid on two sides rather than one when getting a Nando's meal, but that doesn't mean they don't appreciate the gesture.
Plenty of celebs have sung the praises of the benefits of a Black Card - literally, in the case of Example and Ed Sheeran's viral Nando's Skank from 2010 - but some have even confessed to taking the privileges much too far.
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Comedian Jack Whitehall has made no secret of his love for Nando's, with the chicken chain even featuring in some of his stand-up shows, but in a 2023 interview with Matt White from Manchester's Finest he revealed just how far his obsession goes.
"You could get four complimentary meals on it and I'd take all my mates [...] daily," he said in the interview.
"And then I became the first person that they took the Nando's black card back off because I'd abused it.
"It wasn't within the spirit of the offer."
If eating copious amounts of free chicken isn't 'in the spirit of the offer', then what is?
Officially known as the High Five Card, the Black Card offers unlimited amounts of free meals to its owner for one year.
"As a valued friend of Nando's, the person named on this card is entitled to one starter, one combo meal, one dessert and one soft drink - along with up to four friends. Sorry, no free alcoholic drinks," the card reads.
Reading those rules, it doesn't seem like Whitehall acted outside of the scope of the offer - but it's highly likely Nando's weren't expecting the comic's unwavering, daily dedication to chicken.
If reading this sorry tale has made you hungry for free Nando's, I'm afraid we have some bad news. Unless you're graced with an offer of a Black Card by the chicken chain itself, it's basically impossible to get your hands on one.
As per Nando's website: "We can tell you for certain is that no-one who's requested a card, no matter how politely, has ever received one. Asking for one is simply the biggest taboo - a definite no no."
So there's nothing for it apart from keeping our fingers crossed that one day our devotion to PERi-PERi will be noticed by the chain, but that we don't cross the line like poor Jack.