A nostalgic fast-food promotion finally got its Get Out of Jail Free card.
On Sept. 29, McDonald’s announced its Monopoly game is returning to the U.S. after a 10-year hiatus. Starting Oct. 6 for a limited time, customers across the country can rediscover the “thrill of the peel” with new digital game pieces in addition to the classic ones.
Customers will order their favorite item from the Monopoly at McDonald’s menu, then peel and play — this time, using the chain’s app to collect property pieces and redeem prizes.
This go-round, fans can win vacations, a Winnebago motorhome, a Lowe’s shopping spree for the renovation of their dreams and much more. Each game piece also earns participants a bonus play for a second chance to win in the app with the opportunity to win anything from free food to a $1 million cash prize.
Alyssa Buetikofer, SVP, chief marketing and customer experience officer of McDonald’s USA, said in a press release that customers “have been clamoring for the return” of the game she called a “core memory” for them, and the company is happy to bring it back with a digital spin.
How to play Monopoly at McDonald’s
- Register: Download the app, opt in to Rewards and register for the game. Pre-register between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5 and you’ll get 500 bonus MyMcDonald’s Rewards points.
- Order: Starting Oct. 6, registered players can order select menu items and get a game piece to play. While some items will give you a physical piece — from the side of a large fry box, for example — others will get you a digital piece when you order in the app or use a reward code. See the app for a complete list of eligible menu items.
- Peel for Prizes or Properties: There are two ways to get in on the fun this time around: physical game pieces you can peel from packaging then scan in the app, or digital game pieces you can “peel” directly in the app to reveal if you’re an instant winner or collect a digital property piece.
- Bonus Game: In either case, customers can play the bonus game in the app for a second chance to win through Nov. 2.
McDonald’s has more than 41,000 locations worldwide and serves 70 million customers daily.
What you can order and what you can win
There are more than 30 eligible menu items across McDonald’s breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, including the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Egg McMuffin and large fries.
Folks who collect property pieces can win prizes like 1 million American Airlines AAdvantage miles, a $50,000 vacation to a Monopoly Go! location or a $10,000 Lowe’s shopping spree.
Those who play the bonus game through Nov. 2 have the chance to win prizes like a 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and exclusive experiences from the Coca-Cola Company, and one lucky player could win $1 million in cash.
Last but certainly not least, people can secure themselves free food prizes, including Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuits, Double Cheeseburgers and Snack Wraps. We could also win MyMcDonald’s Rewards points to use toward even more free food.
For a full prize list and official game rules, head to playatmcd.com.
Who could forget the ‘McMillions’ scam?
This game was once mired in controversy: In the ‘90s, Jerome P. Jacobson, a former police officer in charge of doling out the winning tickets to McDonald’s across the country, would instead swipe them for himself and friends, family and acquaintances, who would then claim the prizes and share millions of dollars in winnings with him.
His scam netted over $24 million in cash and prizes. Federal officials announced the arrests of Jacobson and seven of his associates in 2001, and a docuseries on the heist, “McMillion$,” came out on HBO Max in 2020.
Here’s hoping there are more safeguards in place this time around.
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