Here's How To Get 'Extra Credit' With McDonald's Back-To-School Deals

McDonald's has been a staple of the American food scene for as long as many people can remember. Some of their memories may include parents buying low-priced Happy Meals for their kids or going to whatever McDonald's PlayPlaces if they happened to be in the area – at least before they became less enticing and began to go away (via Reader's Digest). But it might not be as easy to associate McDonald's with going to class.

However, the big M behind the Big Mac has looked for ways to attract and support both students and their teachers. At locations around San Antonio, Texas, McDonald's gave free breakfasts to teachers and students who were participating in STAAR testing earlier this year, reports the San Antonio Current. Last year, McDonald's treated educators to a breakfast freebie to say thank you (via a press release). Its latest promotion is based on going back to school in a way that teachers and students alike might appreciate.

Some may recall that at the end of June, McDonald's effectively announced a virtual summer camp for kids (via the McDonald's website). That wrapped up with an effort to appeal to fans of Kid Cudi's music by offering merch as well as a series of daily food deals, per People. Now that summer camp is over, back-to-school season is here, and the company is clearly hoping to hit a sweet spot. Brand Eating reported that McDonald's is going to be offering a week's worth of syllabus-themed deals on its app. What does that mean exactly?

From August 15th through 18th, McDonald's prices will match what appear to be class levels from 101 to 401, with deals like a McChicken Sandwich that cost $1.01 or a 10-piece McNuggets order for $3.01. Brand Eating also noted that just as students can earn extra credit in their classes, app users can also earn extra credit in the form of McDonald's Reward points. Those who snag all four "syllabus" deals will double the reward points they would receive "on a single order placed between August 22 and 31, 2022." The school-themed deals seemed to have people on Reddit doing math. But it was because they were thinking about how much less the items named in the deals used to cost compared to now.