The McDonald's Card That's Giving America Serious FOMO

McDonald's is nothing if not cheap. You could walk into your local McDonald's with a single $20 bill and you can eat to your heart's content. But if there's one thing people love more than cheap stuff, it's free stuff. What if there was some way that you could score some free Mickey Dee's for a whole year?

McDonald's is no stranger to contests and promotional events. You may recall the famous McDonald's Monopoly game, where customers could peel stickers off their fry containers or drink cups to see if they won prizes ranging from a bundle of cash to free medium fries (via McDonald's).

In 2019, the Golden Arches collaborated with furniture magnate La-Z-Boy to give away a "McDonald's themed La-Z-Boy couch" that included everything from built-in phone chargers, a built-in cooler for "chilling McFlurries," and plush recliners (via Elite Daily). You have to give it to McDonald's, considering if you're powering through a cheeseburger and some McNuggets, you're going to be doing it on your couch.

With all these fabulous contests and sweepstakes happening at many McDonald's locations across the world, it wouldn't be too out there to consider that the chain would be willing to lure in customers with the promise of winning free food for a year. Indeed, McDonald's has decided to tempt customers with a special sort of card that would not only set them above the average fast-food consumer but also reward them with very select perks exclusive to the "club."

Imagine you're in a McDonald's in the United Kingdom, maybe London or Manchester, wherever you want. As you wait in line, trying to convert from dollars to pounds, you see a man whip out a solid gold card emblazoned with the McDonald's logo. That is the McDonald's Gold Card, something offered by McDonald's in the U.K. to its luckiest customers.

According to McDonald's U.K.'s Twitter, the chain is giving away 1,000 Gold Cards to a select handful of customers — provided they participate in the "Double Peel" contest. Should you win a Gold Card, you could order a medium to regular-sized meal (an entrée, side, and drink) for free once a week for an entire year (according to the Terms and Conditions). While it's not exactly being able to get a free meal every day, it's still a pretty handy card to have in your wallet.

While there are currently no Gold Card contests here in the United States, that doesn't mean some Americans don't have their own personal Gold Cards. According to Reader's Digest, some of our nation's wealthiest individuals like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Rob Lowe all have a Gold Card. A surprising selection of people to be palling around with Ronald McDonald.