McDonald’s Monopoly Promotion Has Become an Exasperating Mess

29 Oct at 15:40

With a recent government shutdown leaving many workers unpaid, SNAP benefits interrupted, and grocery prices climbing, millions of Americans are facing real hardship. One coping strategy some people have turned to is McDonald’s Monopoly — the app-based promotion that lets users redeem codes for meals and prizes. But as necessity grows, so does the incentive to exploit the program, and the fallout is straining both customers and frontline employees.

Social feeds are flooded with posts encouraging people who are struggling to use the Monopoly promo’s free-to-play option. A TikTok highlighting the app redemption method has racked up millions of views in a single day, and similar clips are proliferating. Creators point out that the McDonald’s app will issue Monopoly pieces without a purchase, sometimes multiple times per day, and many viewers report that those redemptions are helping them get by.

“You just fed me and my boyfriend — we’re living in our car, thank you,” reads one prominent reply to a viral video, a sentiment echoed across platforms. Another Reddit thread calls the app-based variant of Monopoly a lifesaver: “Being able to eat something while having no money is so… rare.”

But desperation has produced extreme behavior. People are digging through restaurant trash for game pieces, asking other customers for discarded stickers, and even reselling winning codes online for hundreds of dollars. Some users describe deliberate workarounds — clearing the app cache, reinstalling, and repeating the process to appear eligible for more free plays — tactics intended to maximize redemptions before the promotion is curtailed.

Those tactics have consequences for staff. Workers report growing frustration as stores confront large, exploit-driven orders and customers attempt to game in-store kiosks or place multiple separate orders to bypass limits. In some locations, employees have had to refuse or scold customers attempting repeat redemptions.

Supply shortages are another direct effect: several restaurants have posted signs saying they will not honor Monopoly redemptions, and some outlets have opted out entirely because they cannot keep up with demand. News reports and local posts show customers encountering empty prize pools and missing pieces at multiple locations.

Online complaints are widespread — users across platforms complain about visiting multiple restaurants without finding any pieces, or placing orders and receiving no redemptions. While the promotion is scheduled to wrap up in early November, the limited supply and aggressive playstyles are making clear why McDonald’s includes the disclaimer “while supplies last.”

Despite the shortages and the backlash, many people continue to exploit the game and celebrate large hauls on social media. For those relying on the promotion for basic meals, the scramble underscores a larger problem: when public safety nets and paychecks fail, informal workarounds and digital promotions can become de facto lifelines — with real costs for customers, employees, and stores.