McDonald's (In-App Only) Discount Gift Cards
How to use McDonald's gift cards
McDonald's gift cards work inside the McDonald's app through your Arch Card Balance.
To load your card, open the app and go to More, then Profile, then Payment Methods, then Arch Card, then Add Funds. Enter the card number and PIN from your Card Depot account. The balance transfers to your Arch Card Balance and you pay with Mobile Order and Pay.
For a full walkthrough, see our guide on how to use gift cards online.
What an Arch Card Balance actually is
The first time you add funds, the app creates an Arch Card Balance for your account. It behaves like the balance in the Starbucks or Dunkin' app: one running total that every card you add feeds into.
Two things worth knowing before you start.
A physical Arch Card you bought in a store is separate. Adding a Card Depot gift card creates or tops up your in-app balance. It does not attach to, or draw from, a plastic card sitting in your wallet. If you have both, they are two different balances.
You can stack cards onto one balance. When you add funds you choose whether to create a new Arch Card Balance or transfer into an existing one. Transferring into the existing one keeps everything in a single number, which is what you want if you buy more than one card.
Your balance has to cover the whole order
This is the one rule to plan around. McDonald's does not support split payment on Arch Card Balance. Your balance has to cover 100% of the order or the app will not let you use it. You cannot put $20 on the gift card and the last $4 on a credit card.
So keep the balance ahead of your spending rather than matched to it. If your usual order runs $12 to $15, a balance sitting at $50 covers several visits without ever running into the problem. A balance sitting at $11 covers nothing.
If you run the balance down to an awkward amount, top it up with another card before your next order rather than trying to spend the remainder exactly.
How to check your McDonald's gift card balance
Check your balance three ways: in the McDonald's app under your Arch Card Balance, online at the Arch Card balance page, or by phone at 1-877-458-2200.
For other brands, our guide on how to check any gift card balance covers the steps for every major retailer.
Why a discount adds up on a McDonald's habit
McDonald's is a small-ticket, high-frequency purchase, which is exactly where a discount compounds. A coffee run or a lunch a few times a week is not much on any single visit, but it repeats fifty-odd weeks a year.
Buying the balance at a discount and letting it draw down means the saving happens once, at purchase, and then you stop thinking about it. There is no code to enter and nothing to remember in the drive-thru. Check the current rate above and multiply it by what you actually spend in a month.
Ordering in the app also earns MyMcDonald's Rewards points on eligible purchases if you have opted into Rewards, so the app route gets you the discount and the points on the same order.
Deals stack with your balance
App deals and McValue offers stack with a discounted gift card. They work on different things, so using one does not cost you the other.
A deal cuts the price of specific items. A discounted gift card cuts the cost of the money you are paying with, whatever you order. Apply the deal to your order, then pay from your Arch Card Balance. Both savings land on the same visit.
Offers come and go and are usually tied to particular menu items. A gift card balance works on the whole menu, every visit, until it runs out.
For more on layering savings, see our guide on how to stack discount gift cards with store promotions.
Getting cash back on a leftover balance
Gift cards are generally not redeemable for cash, but several states require retailers to cash out small remaining balances. McDonald's runs this through mcdonalds.vconow.com, and you have to be in an eligible state for it to apply.
Thresholds differ by state, so check the rules where you live before you assume a balance is strandable. Our guide to state laws requiring merchants to cash out gift cards covers which states have them and at what amount.
Common questions
Can I use a McDonald's gift card in the app?
Yes. Add it under More, Profile, Payment Methods, Arch Card, Add Funds. The balance moves into your Arch Card Balance and you pay with Mobile Order and Pay.
Can I split payment between a gift card and a credit card?
No. Your Arch Card Balance has to cover the full order. Keep the balance comfortably ahead of your typical order size.
Does it link to the physical Arch Card I already have?
No. A card added in the app creates or tops up your in-app Arch Card Balance. A physical card bought in a store is a separate balance.
Can I add more than one gift card?
Yes. When you add funds you can transfer into your existing Arch Card Balance so everything sits in one total.
Can I use app deals at the same time?
Yes. Deals and offers apply to your order, then you pay the remaining total from your Arch Card Balance.
Do McDonald's gift cards expire?
No. The balance does not expire and there are no fees for use or non-use. See our guide on whether gift cards expire.
Do I still earn Rewards points?
Yes, on eligible purchases made in the app when you have opted into MyMcDonald's Rewards.
Can I use one to buy another gift card?
No. Arch Cards cannot be used to purchase other gift cards.
Where our McDonald's gift cards come from
Card Depot buys newly issued digital gift cards from authorized distributors and wholesale partners at volume pricing, and passes the difference on. Same card numbers, same PINs, same balances as buying at face value. Nobody is offloading an unwanted card.
Your code arrives in your Card Depot account, most orders within minutes. If the balance is short, or the card has any issue, we cover it. Report it inside 100 days and we make it right, with a replacement or a refund.
