If McDonald’s ignored National Cheeseburger Day, we’d have to question the entire fast-food ecosystem. Luckily, they’re showing up.
The burger giant’s reward members can get a free double cheeseburger on September 18, valid for one day only, and the deal disappears with the day.
The catch is that it only works through the app. Members can claim it through MyMcDonald’s Rewards, and the offer unlocks with a purchase of at least $1 before tax. One per customer at participating locations.
A double cheeseburger normally runs somewhere in the $3 to $4 range depending on where you live, so spending a dollar to unlock one is a real cut rather than a rounding error dressed up as a promotion.
There’s a second offer running alongside this one. New app users get a free Ranch or Spicy Snack Wrap on the first purchase of $1 or more, a standing first-purchase offer, mind you, not a one-day thing. Every dollar spent in the app also earns 100 points, which convert into free food later.
McDonald’s has been doing a lot of this lately. The Big Arch arrived earlier in the year. The value menu expanded with a batch of items under $3. A run of limited fall drinks landed in August and is still pouring. Even the fried apple pie returned after being off the menu for 34 years, which got more attention than any of the rest of it.
None of this feels accidental, though. Fast food chains have spent the past two years fighting over customers who decided the drive-thru stopped being cheap, and the app is where that fight is happening. Deals like this one exist to get people through the download screen, because the points system keeps working long after the burger is gone.
Sources: MyMcDonald’s Rewards, People, Southern Living