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McDonald's fan spots clever fries hack for 'better value' meal
Home>Fast food>McDonalds
Published 13:11 10 Dec 2025 GMT

McDonald's fan spots clever fries hack for 'better value' meal

People have worked out how you can get more bang for your buck at the US fast food chain

Britt Jones

Britt Jones

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Featured Image Credit: junce/Getty Images

Topics: McDonalds , Fast Food, Social Media

Britt Jones
Britt Jones

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Everybody loves a good bargain, and when it comes to getting the most out of your McDonald’s order, it’s even better.

From the US fast food chain’s burgers to its fries, drinks and sweet treats, Maccies has made a name for itself for providing cheap, yet yummy foods to UK consumers.

But sometimes, it feels like the portions are a little small at times, and you could maximise your order if you’re looking for the right combination.

For example, one Reddit user took to the discussion forum to ask an important question regarding McDonald’s fries, the portion differences per size option, and how to get the most out of your money.

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This one question is what led to a ‘better quality’ order that could get more out of your order.

A Reddit user came up with a smart bargain fries order (McDonald's)
A Reddit user came up with a smart bargain fries order (McDonald's)

The social media user asked: “Are two small fries actually better value than 1 large one?”

They explained that after looking at the McDonald’s App, they realised that there is a calorie disparity between the large fries (444 calories) and the small fries (237 calories).

They explained that it seems like it would be ‘better value to buy 2 small fries than 1 large one’ and asked if this could be possible.

The user wrote: “But how does this compare to reality on the ground? Do they under/overscoop? Am I missing something?

“It just seems strange as usually places price it so as that a larger amount is better value per gram.”

For one commenter, they said the original poster is absolutely correct in their assessment, writing: “Yes it's usually better value to get more smaller fries. Then one big one. Hard to get the right amount of fries , so you're likely to get more due to portion control.”

Of course, this buys into the idea that usually, you’d expect the large fries to be double the amount of the smaller fries but cost less than purchasing two small fries, so that it’s giving you more bang for your buck.

But with the small fries (£1.29) being 237 calories, if you doubled the number of fries, it would give you 474 calories, costing just £2.58 for the two items.

Order two smalls instead of the large and you're getting 30 more calories for one pence less (McDonald's)
Order two smalls instead of the large and you're getting 30 more calories for one pence less (McDonald's)

That seems like you’re getting 30 more calories for one penny less than if you were purchasing the large fries for £2.59.

Others in the comments agreed that buying two smalls is the right way to ensure you’re getting more fries, and theorised that the small fries are packed ‘fuller’ than the other sizes, be it due to a skills issue or the different bags being easier or harder to fill.

One person wrote: “Absolutely, if yours are like all the local ones near me they couldn’t fill the medium or large containers more than half to save their lives. You’d think it comes out of their checks.”

Someone else wrote: “I find smalls tend to be filled fuller in their respective package then larges. I expect it will be near a wash either way due to variances in skill filling them.”

Are you going to try this hack?

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