Fast food can be expensive, but here are 5 hacks to save on your next drive-thru meal
These days, chasing down a craving could cost you if you’re not thinking ahead.
As in retail, it often costs more to walk into a brick-and-mortar business and chase a craving or impulse than it does to do your shopping online. Popular fast food chains are proving that it usually pays to order through the app.
Last month, a hankering for fries and a Coke led me to the McDonald’s drive-thru. Because this was a snack based on a whim, I spent $6.32 for a large order of fries and a medium soft drink. There’s a price to immediacy and I paid it that day.
If I had placed the same order through the McDonald’s app it would have cost me as little as $1.60. But more on that later.
Over the last few years, diners have balked at rising menu prices of many fast food restaurants. Sit down chains like Chili’s took on McDonald’s in an ad campaign last year, arguing its “Big Smasher” at $10.99 was a better bargain than the iconic Big Mac meal (plus it comes with unlimited chips and salsa).
But with smartphone apps, the fast food giants have battled back and diners can snag some staggering deals.
Fast food apps & hacks
1. Intro deals
▪ As soon as you download the app and sign in, McDonald’s offers new users a free large order of fries as long as you spend at least a buck. So that’s how my medium fountain drink and large order of fries could have cost as little as $1.60.
▪ At Wendy’s, the intro offer is a free chicken sandwich or free 10-piece nuggets, no purchase necessary. The app is a little wonky, but I was able to get a free order of spicy nuggets and a Jr. Frosty for $1.60.
▪ And at Taco Bell, as soon as you download the app and make an account, you can order a free chicken or beef taco or beef burrito.
2. In-app exclusives
▪ With in-app exclusives there are even bigger deals. There’s currently an offer for a daily $2 Big Mac at McDonald’s, or a deal designed or couples, a 20 piece McNuggets, two medium fries and two medium drinks for $10. One disappointing note, McDonald’s doesn’t let you combine in-app deals, like, say Chick-Fil-A.
▪ Or over at Taco Bell, the king of living mas does a weekly Tuesday deal where a major menu item is as cheap as a buck. The last few weeks have included $1 “Cheesy Dipping Burritos” and $1 Cheesy Gordita Crunches, for members with a certain level of rewards points.
▪ Most brands only offer the best deals in the mobile apps, but some like Starbucks and Wendy’s let diners place orders on computers.
3. Look for daily deals
▪ Coffee giant Starbucks has one of the most popular fast food apps on the market. For the Monday after the Super Bowl, Starbucks offered a free Tall hot or iced coffee to alleviate any hangover or sluggishness that might have been lingering.
4. Rack up points
▪ Another reason you want to order through the app is every burger, nugget and taco earns points for free stuff. Most apps have a points system where every dollar earns so many rewards points. Wendy’s has an easy rewards menu, showing what you can unlock for a certain level of points, with 200 points, or $20 worth of food the entry point. McDonald’s and Chick-Fil-A also have rewards programs.
5. Best deal in fast food
▪ There’s no way to order in the app and there’s no drive-thru, but Costco remains undefeated in bang for your buck dining. Costco is legendary for its $1.50 hot dog and soda combo, a quarter-pound frank and soft drink, with a small dining area to boot. We did a taste test last year and found that Costco diners are getting even more than they bargain for, as the hot dog is slightly more food than advertised.
The ultimate big box store requires a $60 membership fee, but even with that annual cost the famous hot dog and soda combo still feels like a steal.
This story was originally published February 14, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Fast food can be expensive, but here are 5 hacks to save on your next drive-thru meal."
