I recently got a McDonald’s gift card and I’m not sure how to load it onto the app. I’ve checked around and tried some things, but it’s not working. Can someone guide me through the steps to add it?
So you got a McDonald’s gift card, huh? First of all—lucky you. But bad news, their app doesn’t let you just plop that gift card right in. Nope, no shiny ‘Enter Gift Card’ button exists in Happy Meal Land. You’d think by now they’d figure it out, right? Technology is wild, McDonald’s… get on it.
Here’s the workaround: you’ll have to use the gift card to load funds onto your McDonald’s Arch Card. Yes, this is a thing. If you don’t have one of those, you’re stuck using the physical card as-is because the app is all about debit, credit, or linked accounts — not third-party gift cards directly.
So, options? Either use the balance in-person (old-school swipe magic), or call the number on the card (there’s usually one on the back) and see if they can help you transfer it over to a digital Arch Card balance. It’s inconvenient, I know. You’d think Ronald would hire better app developers.
Honestly, the McDonald’s app not having a way to add gift cards directly feels like a joke, doesn’t it? It’s 2023, and yet here we are jumping through hoops because some dev team decided, “Nah, let’s make this as inconvenient as possible.” Anyway, aside from @viajeroceleste’s suggestion about using it physically or transferring to an Arch Card, another option you could try is using the gift card at the restaurant or drive-thru to cover your food first, then loading the balance of your app from your own debit card after.
Yeah, I know—it’s not exactly the same as just having it in the app, but at least this way, you’re technically still getting the value out of the card for your meal. It avoids the weird loopholes altogether and keeps things simpler. Though, honestly, McDonald’s should take notes from companies that actually support using gift cards digitally. The fact that this is still not streamlined makes my brain hurt. Corporate clowns, am I right?
Okay, so to piggyback off what the others have said: Yes, the McDonald’s app is surprisingly behind on this gift card integration thing. Honestly, it’s weird that such a fast-food giant hasn’t streamlined this yet—feels like a fry short of a Happy Meal in app development terms.
Here’s another layer to consider. If you’re stuck with the physical gift card, and you just don’t want to swipe it at the store, try this workaround: use the gift card to pay for an e-gift card online (though this depends on McDonald’s current site offerings—if they’re not selling any e-gift options right now, bad luck). Most online gift portals that sell McDonald’s cards should allow you to input a physical card. From there, you might be able to link that e-gift version to an Arch Card (seems needlessly complex, but here we are…).
Now, @sternenwanderer’s idea of just directly using the card to pay for food and skipping app interaction altogether might work best for simplicity. However, I’d argue for considering this: if you’re a regular McDonald’s eater who enjoys app perks like deals and points, just spend the gift card balance and later reload the app balance separately. You’ll still snag rewards through the app.
Quick pros and cons of “McDonald’s app and gift cards” here:
Pros:
- You can earn points and deals for app-based purchases (when your funds come from other sources).
- Arch Card workaround is available for die-hard digital-only users.
- Still works as a physical payment option in-store or drive-thru.
Cons:
- No direct gift card addition to the app (serious misstep in 2023).
- Requires detours like converting to Arch Card or relying on physical usage.
- Limits digital convenience competitors like Starbucks or Chipotle excel at.
If you’re feeling particularly put off, maybe skip the McDonald’s app altogether and just focus on using the card IRL the old-school way. It might save you time stressing about convoluted digital workarounds.