Martin Lewis is encouraging money-savvy Brits to redeem their reward points at McDonald’s before the fast food chain makes changes to its loyalty scheme.
McDonald’s has announced that it will change the way the loyalty scheme works, including “how many points are needed to redeem” them for free food, according to its website.
While the fast food giant is yet to confirm exactly what will change, the announcement has got customers thinking they will need to earn more points to redeem items of food.
Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert (MSE) website has shared that in some cases, you’ll need 1,000 more points to redeem food at McDonald’s.
Got McDonald's points? Use them by 17 March to max value – some ‘freebies’ will cost 1,000 MORE points, full details here: https://t.co/YkbbUDRo6U #MartinLewis
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) January 27, 2026
When will McDonald’s change its rewards scheme?
Sharing the page on X (formerly Twitter), Lewis encouraged customers to make the most of the lower points threshold while they still can: “Got McDonald's points? Use them by 17 March to max value”.
March 17 is the day that McDonald’s will make changes to MyMcDonald’s Rewards, including adding “fresh new rewards”, it said.
According to MSE, to get food in tier one (including a Hash Brown, medium Soft Drink and mini McFlurry), customers will need 2,000 points – a 500 points increase compared to the current amount needed.
Tier two food items will be redeemed for 3,500 points, an increase of 1,000 points compared to the current rules. This includes items such as the Apple Pie, Cheeseburger and four Chicken McNuggets.
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It said items in tier three will require 5,000 points to be redeemed, up from 4,000. Items here include a Double Cheeseburger, a McChicken Sandwich and six Chicken McNuggets.
Finally, in tier four, items are expected to be redeemed for 6,500 points after March 17, up from 5,500. This includes the likes of a Big Mac, a McSpicy and a Double Sausage and Egg McMuffin.
On Reddit, McDonald’s customers shared their thoughts on what they think the new changes will mean for them.
One person started the discussion by sharing what looks like an email sent to them by McDonald’s, which shows the food items that will be redeemable for 6,500 points.
They said: “They have changed the double cheeseburger to 5,000 points now. That is double what it was a year ago. They are such a greedy company.”
Someone else said: “Double cheeseburger 4,000 points at the moment, so putting it up to 5,000 and a single cheeseburger from 2,500 to 3,500 points? Very greedy. They are making Burger King's and KFC's rewards look a lot better to me.”
Newsquest has contacted McDonald’s for comment.
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