'Inflation On Rewards?' — McDonald's Customers Complain Their Points Just Became Less Valuable

If McDonald's customers thought they could escape inflation by using app rewards points, the company is about to teach them a valuable lesson. Fast food has been at the forefront of consumer concerns over inflation for some time, as what was once thought of as an affordable convenience has gotten more out of reach for many. Of the chains getting the most heat about rising fast food prices, the burger behemoth is front and center. Since 2019, McDonald's has hiked its prices quite a bit, with an average jump of 40%, according to the McDonald's Corporation. However, the great deals and rewards offered on the McDonald's app often help to offset that — at least they did until now, as the points required to claim rewards just increased.

As one understandably frustrated user on Reddit put it: "Inflation on rewards?" While a few items like hash browns and vanilla ice cream cones remain at the same price, almost everything else now requires around 15% to 25% more reward points than they did last month. Because customers earn 100 points for every dollar spent on eligible items through MyMcDonald's Rewards, that means you're now spending 15% or more to amass the same points. The one good new policy (which is kind of exciting) is that you can now use 4,000 points to get $3 off any order. While that's nice for flexibility, it doesn't make up for those favorite items that just got more expensive.

While McDonald's has already switched the reward tiers on its website and app, the increases can be clearly seen through the magic of the Internet Archive's snapshot of the MyMcDonald's Rewards page from only a few months ago. The old page lists the McChicken, cheeseburger, and sausage biscuit as costing 1,500 rewards points compared to the updated McDonald's website which lists the same items at 2,000. Most other items have also jumped by 500 points as well.

In fact, the entire 3,000 tier, which included medium fries or six-piece nuggets among other options, now costs 3,500 reward points. Similarly, the old 4,500 tier has moved up to 5,000. Unsurprisingly, the most expensive tier has increased the most, with 6,000-point items, like the famed Big Mac or a Happy Meal, now costing 7,000 rewards points. That level takes an extra $10 of spending at McDonald's to earn. Of course, adding insult to injury, McDonald's rewards points also expire six months after you earn them — no matter how many points you have left.

McDonald's customers have been left with points they had earned that are less valuable than they were a few days ago, and are now at risk of losing them entirely if left unused for just a few months. Understandably, fans aren't happy. "Everything got worse. That's the update," one Reddit user put it simply. "Any time a company 'updates' its rewards program, 99% of the time it's making it worse." Another commenter added that, "I was starting to eat at BK more anyway..." For those frustrated by this rewards inflation, that last Redditor may have a point.