McDonald’s announced that customers who use their app in December will have a chance to win the storied McDonald’s Gold Card, plus three more for friends, which entitles users to free food for life.
The fast food giant announced the “SZN of Sharing” event will run between December 5 and 25. Anyone who takes advantage of various app promos throughout the month will be entered to win the main prize, Parade reported.
“Our fans have been fascinated by the lore of the McDonald’s Card and if it really exists. And now, we’ll make this McDonald’s legend a reality for our fans by giving them the ultimate holiday gift – a chance to win a card and then share access to it with three of their family or friends,” McDonald’s USA Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Tariq Hassan said in a statement.
“Just by using the McDonald’s App, everyone can experience the joy that comes with sharing McDonald’s this holiday season.”
The card entitled recipients to the equivalent of two meals per week for 50 years, which means the potential for chowing down on a total of 5,200 McDonald’s meals for free.
These famous cards have been discussed for years, but no one was sure they existed for a while. Eventually, it was revealed that celebrities and other people who were deemed “heroes,” including Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Mitt Romney’s father George Romney did have these fabled cards. Rob Lowe also has one and bragged about it during a late show appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in 2016.
Most McDonald’s Gold Cards are franchise or state-specific — Lowe’s card is only valid at franchises in Santa Barbara or Goleta, California, Insider reported. People who are deemed “local heroes” can be awarded cards by franchise owners as they see fit.
The publication noted that only two people have confirmed cards that work in any McDonald’s location: Romney, who received his from restaurant owner Ray Kroc himself, and Bill Gates.
Recently, McDonald’s debuted “adult Happy Meals” that come with a toy. The “Cactus Plant Flea Market Box” was a limited-time collaboration with the fashion brand Cactus Plant and came with retro toys including Grimace, the Hamburglar, Birdie, plus a new character named Cactus Buddy.
The popular items sold out quickly, and the collectible toys popped up on resale sites for inflated prices.