Well it is not often that an offer lands in my inbox that immediately brings a smile to my face, but McDonald’s has done it this time. If you read my articles regularly you will know I am a big fan of coffee, it is one of the main fuels that gets me through the day. The only thing I do not like about it is the price, particularly as it has increased so significantly over the past few years.
I was therefore quite pleased to open an email from McDonald’s with a subject line offering me free coffee. Yeah right, I thought. What is the trick.
I will get straight to the point, there is not one. Actually it is up to four free coffees. Not bad at all, and you might be wondering why they are giving this away. It turns out McDonald’s has launched a new blend of McCafé coffee, described as a lighter roasted arabica bean. The one thing I cannot yet comment on is how it tastes, since that will be the real test of whether I stick with it once the free period ends.
The deal itself is simple enough. Download the McDonald’s app if you do not already have it, then head into the Rewards and Offers section, and you should find the coffee offer waiting for you there.
It runs from Tuesday 8 September through to Wednesday 30 September. Each week you can pick from a Flat White, Latte, Cappuccino, White Coffee, Americano, Double Espresso or Single Espresso, so there is enough variety that you are not stuck with the same drink for a month.
| Drink | Regular price |
|---|---|
| Flat White | £2.19 |
| Latte | £2.19 |
| Cappuccino | £2.19 |
| White Coffee | £1.79 |
| Americano | £1.79 |
| Double Espresso | £1.59 |
| Single Espresso | £1.29 |
That gives you a maximum saving of £2.19 if you pick a Flat White, Latte or Cappuccino each week, or a minimum of £1.29 if you stick with a Single Espresso, depending on which drink you choose.
I have written before about whether the wider McDonald’s McCafé rewards scheme is actually worth it, and my honest view there was more mixed than this free coffee offer alone suggests. Four free coffees over three weeks is a genuinely good deal with no catch I have found so far, but it is also clearly a trial designed to get people trying the new blend, so I would not build a whole coffee routine around McDonald’s on the strength of a month of free drinks. If you want to work out what your actual coffee habit costs you across a year, my coffee cost calculator is worth five minutes before deciding whether switching chains makes any real difference.
For now, four free coffees is four free coffees. Download the app, claim yours each week, and decide once the free period ends whether the new blend is good enough to keep you coming back at full price.
For a full comparison of how McDonald’s McCafé stacks up against Starbucks, Costa and Black Sheep, see my Coffee Loyalty Schemes: Which Ones Are Actually Worth It? guide.