McDonald’s Deals: What One Year of Data Shows

McDonald’s Deals: What One Year of Data Shows

The most consistent McDonald’s deal in DealMeal’s data was the $5 Meal Deal. It appeared on the chain’s U.S. deals page on all 354 days we observed between July 13, 2025, and November 10, 2026. The rest of the page changed. McDonald’s replaced its $1 add-on offer in April, and the free item for first-time app customers varied by month.

McDonald’s deals on DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub followed a different pattern. DealMeal reviewed 8,707 delivery offer-days from July 25 to November 11, 2026, and a smaller historical set. The ordering channel mattered because the deals, qualifying purchases, and minimum spend differed.

Quick answer

For McValue, check McDonald’s own app or local restaurant for an eligible pickup or in-store offer. The $5 Meal Deal appeared on every observed day. For delivery, a free item with a qualifying purchase dominated the DoorDash and Uber Eats records, usually at $15. Grubhub most often showed buy-one-get-one 6-piece McNuggets with a $15 minimum. Check your location and cart for current eligibility.

Key findings

• Four to eight offers per observed day. McDonald’s page displayed five to nine cards, including one McValue overview.

• One clear value-menu switch. Both versions of “Buy one, add one for $1” appeared on all 213 observed days before April 21, 2026. The Under $3 Menu and $4 Breakfast Meal Deal appeared on all 141 observed days from that date onward.

• Five first-order freebies. The app welcome offer rotated among a Big Mac, large Fries, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, 10-piece McNuggets, and a Snack Wrap. Neither observed October showed a welcome freebie on the national deals page.

• Delivery promotions varied by app. Free items dominated on DoorDash and Uber Eats. Buy-one-get-one, or BOGO, dominated on Grubhub among listing-days with a recorded offer.

How often McDonald’s deals appeared on its own page

The national deals page displayed a median of six cards on the days DealMeal observed it. One card was always a McValue overview. The remaining four to eight cards advertised offers, menu prices, or promotions, including occasional app campaigns. The page showed no percentage-off, dollar-off, or free BOGO deal on the observed days.

The $5 Meal Deal was the most persistent offer. It listed a McChicken or McDouble, four McNuggets, small Fries, and a small drink. The terms listed the McDouble version at $5.50 or $6 in some areas. Prices and participation could vary.

The old add-on was last observed on April 20. The next day’s observation showed both new offers, and the two versions of McValue never appeared together in the observed data. The $4 breakfast bundle listed a Sausage McMuffin or Sausage Biscuit, Hash Browns, and a small coffee. The Under $3 Menu listed individual items, including the McChicken and McDouble at lunch and dinner.

How the McDonald’s app offers changed month to month

When the page advertised a first-order freebie, it offered one item with a first app order of at least $1. The item could change from one month to the next, and the offer terms gave the last day of the month as the end date. The counts below show when the offer was visible on the national page.

McDonald’s listed Monopoly sign-up from September 22 through November 1, 2026, including all 27 observed days in October. The welcome offer returned on November 2. The October 2025 gap had no corresponding Monopoly card on the national page, and the reason for either gap is unconfirmed.

Other offers had their own terms. Free Fries Friday appeared on 147 observation days through December 31, 2025. Its appearance on the page reflects how long it was advertised. Friday redemption and the $1 app purchase still applied. A separate free medium Fries offer with a $1 app purchase appeared on 71 observation days starting August 7, 2026.

McDonald’s delivery deals on DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub

The delivery comparison covers listing-days with at least one recorded deal. A listing-day means one McDonald’s listing on one app on one date. DealMeal split the recent data on October 8, when the delivery sample expanded geographically, and compared each app’s promotion mix within each period.

On DoorDash and Uber Eats, the minimum was $15 on 5,978 of 6,201 free-item offer-days (96.4%). Eligible Uber Eats items included the Egg McMuffin and Sausage Egg Biscuit. Grubhub’s signature offer was BOGO 6-piece McNuggets with a $15 minimum, which accounted for 1,925 offer-days. A $15 threshold still applied even when the BOGO headline emphasized the extra nuggets.

Across the three apps, BOGO appeared on 25.5% of 4,275 listing-days in the first period and 24.4% of 4,380 in the second. Recalculating by the original observation date gave similar shares, 24.3% of 2,839 and 24.8% of 3,075, respectively. The comparison tracks listed offers. Some menu-only specials were separate, including a 10-piece McNuggets BOGO shown in 24 DoorDash menus in the November sample.

Percentage discounts were uncommon in the recent sample. Of 148 percentage-off offer-days, 89 offered 15% off, 52 offered 20% off, and seven offered 30% off select items. The 15% and 20% deals carried minimums of $15 to $40. The seven 30%-off observations listed no minimum.

What changed near the end of October

Using original observation dates, DealMeal saw Uber Eats’ free-item offer with a $15 minimum at 34–50 listings per day from October 15 through October 29. From October 30 through November 10 it appeared at 0–14 listings per day, even as more McDonald’s menus appeared in the Uber Eats sample in November. The November follow-up spans 11 days, so the change is an early signal.

Grubhub’s 6-piece McNuggets BOGO fell to 0–2 observed listings per day from November 1. McDonald’s listings also largely disappeared from the Grubhub menu sample at the same time. The data cannot distinguish between a promotion ending and the affected listings dropping out of the sample.

What earlier delivery records show

In the older U.S. sample, DealMeal recorded 1,017 offer-days across 564 listings from July 13, 2025, to July 2, 2026. Free items led in each full quarter. Dollar-off offers still mattered in some months, accounting for 57.4% of 94 observed offer-days in March 2026 and 66.0% of 94 in June. The older sample was much smaller than the recent one, so the mix within each period is more informative than the change in raw counts. For a broader chain comparison, see the DealMeal fast-food deal tracker.

DealMeal data insight

None of the 368 McDonald’s delivery listings in the latest menu sample listed a McValue meal deal or the Under $3 Menu. Individual items were still available. The median listed McChicken price was $3.79 across 331 listings, and the median McDouble was $4.19 across 332 listings. Those are delivery menu prices before fees or item promotions.

DealMeal also compared 9,881 same-name menu items across 69 matched pairs of listings from the same McDonald’s restaurants. The Big Mac, McChicken, McDouble, and Big Mac Meal matched in price every time those items were compared. Of 2,334 price differences between DoorDash and Uber Eats, 2,281 were in drinks, McCafé, seasonal McCafé, or Sweets & Treats. Matching menu prices still leave room for different promotions and checkout totals.

How to choose between McValue and delivery

1. Start with the items you planned to order. If you want a McChicken, McDouble, or breakfast bundle, check the McDonald’s app for a participating restaurant and an eligible pickup or in-store price. The McValue terms excluded delivery.

2. Check the minimum and the reward. If your delivery order already qualifies, an eligible item you would otherwise buy can make the offer worthwhile. If you have to add food to qualify, compare the new total with your original cart.

3. Compare checkout totals for the same basket. Include any fees, taxes, and tip shown at checkout. Check the delivery apps for eligible items and confirm that the offer appears in your cart.

For example, the median listed Uber Eats price for a Big Mac Meal in the menu sample was $11.59. One meal at that price falls below a $15 minimum. Two would total $23.18 before fees and any promotion, so that threshold is easier to reach if you were already ordering for two. Actual prices and eligible subtotals depend on the listing and the offer.

See the pickup versus delivery deal comparison for more on how ordering channels affect eligibility.

Methodology and limitations

DealMeal reviewed 5,229 cards from McDonald’s U.S. deals page and grouped wording variants into 17 named entries, including the McValue overview. Each named entry was counted once per observation day. The headline’s “one year” refers to 354 observed days across a span of 16 months, July 13, 2025, to November 10, 2026. There were 132 days without an observation, including July 2–23, 2026. The results describe the page when observed. Local prices, participation, and account eligibility can vary.

The recent delivery dataset covered 1,107 McDonald’s listings on DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub, with 8,707 offer-days across 109 reporting dates and 8,655 listing-days with a deal. An offer-day counts a distinct offer title for one listing on one reporting date. Some offers appeared in multiple reports from the same underlying observation. Using original observation dates yielded 5,950 offer-days. From October 8, coverage included the Washington, D.C., area and 13 large metro areas. The earlier U.S. delivery dataset had thinner coverage. The DealMeal app works across the United States, while DealMeal.co showcases selected regional examples on the web.

The menu analysis used the latest available menu for each listing in the November sample, covering 81,401 menu entries across 368 listings. For duplicate exact item names within a listing, DealMeal used the lowest listed price. The delivery evidence describes the mix of offers when a deal was observed. It cannot establish how often an individual restaurant has a delivery deal, who funds a promotion, whether it was redeemed, or what customers paid at checkout. DealMeal did not measure prices on McDonald’s own app menu. Read more about how DealMeal measures food delivery deals.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get the McDonald’s Under $3 Menu through delivery?

The value-menu terms observed from April 2026 excluded delivery or McDelivery. Check a participating location for pickup or in-store ordering. Individual items can appear separately on delivery menus at different prices.

Does the $5 Meal Deal cost $5 at every McDonald’s?

Prices and participation vary. In the observed terms, the McDouble version cost $5.50 or $6 in some areas.

Does McDonald’s have a free item for new app users?

The national page often advertised a free item with a first app order of at least $1. The item rotated and some months had no observed welcome offer. Check the offer in your own account before ordering.

Is “Buy one, add one for $1” the same as BOGO?

The historical McValue deal charged $1 for the second eligible item. A buy-one-get-one-free offer provides the eligible second item free when the order meets its terms.

Which delivery app had the most common McDonald’s BOGO offer?

Grubhub had the highest share of BOGO among observed listing-days with a deal. Its recurring offer was buy-one-get-one 6-piece McNuggets with a $15 minimum. Check the local listing for current availability.

Which McDonald’s deal is worth checking first?

For a small order or a McValue bundle, start with the McDonald’s app and check the pickup price at a participating restaurant. For delivery, compare the same basket across apps and consider a promotion if the items you already want meet its minimum. The checkout total shows whether the offer helps.

Compare nearby delivery deals with DealMeal

Use the DealMeal guide to finding and comparing offers, or get the DealMeal app to see which deals are available near you.