The McDonald's Gift Card Restriction That Infuriates Hungry Diners

When it comes to raffle prizes or white elephant gifts, you can never go wrong with a gift card, especially if it's one from a fan-favorite fast food joint. McDonald's first rolled out its version of a gift card way back in 2005, aptly called the Arch Card. The reloadable convenience card is available in amounts from $10 to $100, with no expiration date. But for many Mickey D's customers, few things are more frustrating than receiving an Arch Card only to discover it can't be used as a payment for mobile orders. At first glance, that restriction really doesn't make much sense, especially because many customers rely on the app for all kinds of money-saving hacks.

As mobile-exclusive deals and loyalty reward points have become an especially popular part of the McDonald's app, many diners feel this exclusion makes their gift card less useful than cash. Understandably, Reddit users often rant about this feature, including one that noted: "McDonald's is losing money by not adding a simple gift card buying and using option on their app. This won't do much of anything to the company except miss out on some more profits." Another suggested a public protest of sorts: "Everyone should leave a 1 star app in the review and just say the reason is for the gift card. Enough bad reviews could streamline the feature." Others suspect something more nefarious: "Exactly, I think they want to make it difficult to redeem so it is less chance of it being used."

Despite the outcry, the global chain makes no attempt to hide this policy, as it's explicitly mentioned on the McDonald's Arch Card FAQ web page. Instead, the card must be redeemed in person at participating restaurants, whether it's swiping at the register or at a self-service kiosk. Customer complaints point out that competing restaurant chains allow gift cards to be directly loaded into their apps, making McDonald's look like a tech dinosaur, behind the times. It's certainly not keeping up with Starbucks, whose gift card sales often lead to profits.

"Horrible reason since EVERY major company they compete with has the ability to use gift cards IN the app lol," one Reddit user said. Others are frustrated because the best discounts and limited-time promotions are quite often exclusive to mobile orders. Customers feel they are forced to choose between using their gift card or taking advantage of the app-only savings. This is yet another disappointment for McDonald's fans lately, as many customers also have complaints about the mobile app itself, including additional purchase requirements to get a deal.

McDonald's has never publicly provided an explanation for this impediment, but there is one workaround. Rather than placing a mobile order, customers can go into the restaurant and scan their rewards code with a cashier or in-store kiosk, and then pay with the Arch Card. Inconvenient? Absolutely. But for now, it's the only way to earn rewards while paying with a gift card.