McDonald’s McValue Platform Finally Is Here — and It’s Doubling Down on All Thin…

Back in November, McDonald’s announced a high-profile release coming in 2025 (and no, it doesn’t have anything to do with Pokémon): McValue, a new platform designed to present customers with every available deal, promotion, and freebie, both in-store and through the McDonald’s app. McValue is now live, and with its launch, the company aims to deliver the feeling of “getting more than you expect.”

It’s certainly an apt time to be promising big savings in fast food, since rising food costs turned even a drive-thru meal into a “luxury” for many Americans in 2024. McDonald’s, along with several other chains, pivoted to discount meals rather than flashy menu items to draw customers, and its $5 meal deal proved so popular that it remains on offer seven months after its debut. Throughout 202, we saw this trend repeated, as big-box stores and restaurant chains alike competed to offer the best deals. 

Which brings us to McValue. The November press release depicts McValue — which will be available on menus and in the app — as a set of four columns: “in-app exclusive deals,” which rotates its offerings regularly (for example, 10 Chicken McNuggets for $1); “local deals,” which lists franchise-specific promotions happening at the nearest McDonald’s locations; “meal deals,” such as the aforementioned $5 meal that has seen so much success since its June 2024 rollout; and “buy one, add one for $1,” a new suite of discounts that incentivizes the customer to order a second item to go with their first. The list of items will vary by time of day and includes the McMuffin, Filet-O-Fish, fries, hash browns, and more.

Think of McValue as a new iteration of something like the Dollar Menu: It’s available to anyone who orders at McDonald’s, whether they’re using the app or just strolling into a restaurant. There will be some deals exclusive to the app, such as a free McCrispy chicken sandwich for first-time app users and free medium fries with any $1 purchase every Friday in 2025. But the star of the show, the “buy one, add one for $1” menu, will be available to all. 

To front-load the notion of “value” and show that they’re serious about saving customers money, McDonald’s has also teamed up with 16 other brands to cross-promote offers beyond the McDonald’s menu as McValue launches nationwide. These include a free trial of YouTube TV, a subscription to Tinder Gold Premium Access, and 20 minutes’ worth of free wi-fi on American Airlines flights, among others. These will be redeemable through McValue ads on major social platforms. 

A high-profile rollout calls for an A-list brand ambassador, so McDonald’s has tapped actor/professional wrestler John Cena to amplify the news about McValue. “I’ll admit – it’s tough to choose between some of my favorites sometimes, but now I don’t have to,” Cena says in the press release. “The fact that fans can mix and match with the new McValue menu to get great deals on the food they love is going to be an absolute game-changer.” (Granted, Cena’s celebrity means he could comfortably purchase the entire McDonald’s menu upon each visit — but everyone likes feeling like they got a good deal.)

“It’s a great excitement and energy in our restaurants,” said McDonald’s USA president Joe Erlinger of the $5 meal in June 2024. “It’s a way to really bring value and affordability to our customers at a time when the consumer is really stretched, feeling the stress of several years of inflation.” 

With McValue, the chain is leaning even further into its strategy of leading with savings, and time will tell how the rest of the industry responds to meet that demand.