Niamh Spence
McDonald's fans are not happy after the fast food chain has announced a major upheaval to its rules.
After a summer of change including some favourites disappearing from the menu and even new items appearing to slip off the radar, it's no wonder foodies are getting frustrated.
Yet the latest update is going to hit them where it hurts as it sees their rewards earned after months and even years of purchasing could be gone.
The MyMcDonald’s Rewards programme sees users earn one point for every penny spent, which can then be redeemed for food, drinks or even donated to charity.
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Currently, 1,500 points are enough to claim items like a medium soft drink, small fries, a mini McFlurry or a regular coffee.
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With more points, customers can access larger meals and premium rewards. Until now, these points stayed valid for 12 months, giving diners plenty of time to accumulate and spend them, but all that is set to change.
The fast food chain has announced a change to the MyMcDonald’s Rewards programme, and it now means that regular visitors who frequently collect and redeem rewards may not notice a significant impact, but occasional diners could find their points vanish before they’ve built up enough to cash in.
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The MyMcDonald’s Rewards programme was first introduced in the UK in 2022, and has since become a key part of the restaurant. By linking points to everyday purchases, the scheme has encouraged people to come back and to stay connected to the fast food chain.
Now, with the expiry window cut in half, the incentive to use rewards quickly is stronger than ever, whether that means a free McFlurry on your next visit or losing out altogether if you wait too long.
A McDonald's update reads: "We're giving MyMcDonald's Rewards a bit of a refresh. As part of the latest update, we'll be changing how long your points are valid for.
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"From 30 December 2025, all points will expire six full calendar months after they're earned, instead of the current 12 months. This will apply to existing and future points, meaning any points earned before 30 June 2025 will automatically expire on 1st January 2026, unless you redeem them by then!"
However on Reddit the news has not gone down well, with many McDonald's fans left angry.
One person on the platform wrote: "6 months before the points expire? Incredibly stingy, and wasn't even that generous to begin with."
A second added: "Oh great more cuts"
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However a third was able to crack a joke as they posted: "Lol, about 30,000 points in free food coming my way in the next 3 months then."
A fourth was pragmatic as they shared: "My points never last more than 2 weeks so [shrug emoji]".
FOODBible has reached out to McDonald's for comment.