McDonald’s Monopoly 2023: how to win free food & cash prizes

If you like the sound of free food, cash jackpots, and the chance to win major prizes like a MINI electric car or a £2,000 holiday, then you need to get yourself over to your nearest McDonald’s this September.

Most McDonald’s fans probably already have an idea of what the McDonald’s Monopoly competition is and how it works. But while the basic premise stays the same each year, there are always new prizes to win, and sometimes there are changes to the rules too.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about how to play McDonald’s Monopoly. And, most importantly, we’ll let you know how you can increase your chances of winning amazing prizes.

What is McDonald's Monopoly?

The basic idea is that McDonald’s customers receive game pieces (stickers) when they buy certain food and drink items. These game pieces are based on sections of the Monopoly game board, including Mayfair, Bond Street and Old Kent Road, and entitle winners to free food, cash prizes and more.

These game pieces can mean big prizes. As well as the chance to win food and cash, you could also win McDonald’s merch, or something from one of their prize partners (which include Skullcandy, TUI and Photobox).

When is McDonald's Monopoly 2023?

The promotion begins on September 6th this year, and the 2023 McDonald’s Monopoly end date is October 17th. You’ll be able to redeem your prizes up until October 31st.

How to play McDonald's Monopoly and what you can win

* When sold as part of a medium or large meal (other than a salad meal), served after 11am

Collect To Win game pieces

Collect To Win pieces, also known as property pieces, are the world-famous classic board game-inspired pieces that you probably think of when you think of McDonald’s Monopoly.

Each property sticker features the name of a Monopoly street or train station and is part of a wider property set of two, three or four different properties, just like in the classic game.

For example, Leicester Square, Coventry Street and Piccadilly make up the yellow set, and Park Lane and Mayfair make up the dark blue set.

Collecting property piece sets gives you the opportunity to win some pretty impressive McDonald’s Monopoly prizes. However, some properties are very rare, meaning your chances of winning the top prizes are lower.

If you win a property game piece, you’ll need to register it in your Monopoly Wallet in the McDonald’s app (please note, there is no separate McDonald’s Monopoly app — just log in to the usual app and follow the links to your Monopoly Wallet).

Each sticker will have a 12-digit code printed along the right-hand side. Enter the code into your app to ‘bank’ that property.

There are some truly amazing prizes on offer this year for those who collect a complete set. Check out the Collect to Win prizes up for grabs:

What is Monopoly Double Peel? All Collect To Win pieces also come with an extra chance to win. When you bank your property on the app, you’ll also get the chance to win an extra prize.

Instant Win game pieces

While McDonald’s Monopoly is probably most famous for its classic Monopoly-style Collect To Win property pieces, these aren’t the only ways to win big.

Instant Win game pieces look just like the peel-off Collect To Win stickers, but they have a very different way of working. As their name suggests, if you get an Instant Win sticker, you’ll get an instant prize. This could be anything from a pair of cinema tickets to a McDonald’s Gold Card.

If you find an Instant Win game piece, you can redeem it straight away at your local McDonald’s or via the app. See the list of this year's Instant Win prizes below to see what you could win.

Cash, merch, vouchers and subscriptions:

As well as free food and cash prizes, you may also win discount vouchers for brands like Skullcandy and Buyagift.

Digital Peel game pieces

Every time you bank a property piece in your Monopoly Wallet, you’ll get a Digital Peel game entry too. Here’s the full list of Digital Peel prizes for 2023.

Cash prizes:

• £100 cash
• £50 cash
• £20 cash
• £10 cash
• £5 cash

McDonald's merch and food prizes

Vouchers, subscriptions and other prizes:

As well as the above prizes, Digital Peels can also mean prize draw entries and even extra properties being added to your Monopoly Wallet. With your Digital Peel game piece, you may be entered into the £100,000 prize draw.

How to win McDonald’s Monopoly 2023

If you want to know how to win McDonald’s Monopoly, we have plenty of tips and tricks to help you increase your chances.

 The more you buy, the better your chances

The more McDonald’s menu items you buy, the higher your chances of winning big prizes. It’s also worth keeping in mind that what you buy will also determine whether you qualify for game pieces at all.

For example, if you’re torn between a Chicken McNuggets meal and a Chicken Selects meal, you might want to go for the Selects because these qualify for game pieces (whereas McNuggets don’t).

 Check out which eligible menu items will cost you the least

While all McDonald’s Monopoly qualifying items will come with two game pieces, some items cost more than others to buy.

For example, if you’re craving a chicken burger, the McSpicy is usually cheaper than the McCrispy. Similarly, a large Coke Classic will cost you more than a large Diet Coke.

If you’re open to tweaking your order, you could get the same number of Monopoly game pieces while paying less for them.

 Don’t waste money upsizing

Whether you opt for a medium or large meal doesn’t make a difference when it comes to how many stickers you’ll get, you get two game pieces on every qualifying item, no matter the size. This means there’s no point in ordering a larger item in the hope of getting more stickers (unless you’re feeling hungry, of course!).

 Keep an eye out for rare game pieces

If you want to increase your chances of winning a big prize by collecting a full property set, we’d recommend you get clued up on which properties are the rarest.

In past years, we’ve seen people listing Monopoly pieces for sale online, so you could look out for pieces that complete your set, but we don’t reckon this is a very fruitful method. You’ll need to be careful you don’t get scammed out of your money too, as private sellers are entirely unregulated.

 Don’t throw away your game pieces!

Always check your McDonald’s wrappers in case you’ve missed any valuable game pieces in your haste to get that Big Mac down you. After all, you don’t want to throw away your chances of winning a Mini Cooper, do you? It's important to remember to check all game pieces too, as any could be a winner.

More McDonald’s money-saving tips

While the month or so that McDonald’s Monopoly runs is probably the most promising time for fast food enthusiasts to snap up freebies, there are other opportunities throughout the year to get discounted and free food.

1. Play Winning Sips

McDonald’s Winning Sips is a new peel-to-win competition that works in a similar way to McDonald’s Monopoly.

Peel-off stickers on eligible drinks give customers a chance to earn Instant Win prizes, app-based prizes, and prize draw entries. These prizes include everything from food items like Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets to McDonald's branded merchandise and cash prizes of as much as £10,000.

2. Earn MyMcDonald’s Rewards

By using the McDonald's app, you can collect one MyMcDonald's Rewards point for every penny you spend. There are also bonus points you can snap up when you buy certain menu items, making it easier than ever to reach the 1,500-point reward threshold.

Once you hit 1,500 points, you’ll be treated to a range of free food and drink products. Your choices include a free Big Mac, Bacon Mayo Chicken or a mini McFlurry, depending on how many points you have. On McDonald’s Mondays, you can also enjoy special deals on different products each week. These are exclusive to customers using the app, so it’s really worth making sure you’re signed up.

To take advantage of MyMcDonald’s Rewards, you’ll need to download the McDonald's app from the App Store or Google Play. Make sure you’re logged in when you’re ordering from your mobile or scan your unique QR code if you're dining in the restaurant.

3. Discounts for NHS staff

Did you know NHS staff can enjoy 20% off all main menu items via the MyMcDonald’s app? If you currently work for the NHS and have a valid NHS email address, you can link your NHS email to your MyMcDonald’s account and enjoy this tasty discount. This offer can be redeemed once a week and can’t be used in conjunction with any other offers or promotions.

4. Students can enjoy free food

Students carrying a valid student ID or Student Beans ID can enjoy a complimentary Mayo Chicken, Cheeseburger, or McFlurry every time they purchase an Extra Value Meal or Wrap Meal. Please note that this offer can only be redeemed in restaurants and doesn’t extend to McDonald's delivery services.

5. Give your opinions in the McDonald’s Food for Thoughts survey

When you next make an order at a McDonald’s restaurant, be on the lookout for an invitation to the Food for Thoughts survey on your receipt.

By completing the customer feedback survey on the Food for Thoughts website, you'll be rewarded with a discount voucher to use on a future visit to McDonald's. This voucher entitles customers to a Big Mac, Filet-o-Fish or Vegetable Deluxe, with medium fries or a side salad, all for just £1.99.

You’ll need to complete the survey within 60 days from the date of your visit in order to qualify.

6. Compare the prices at different branches

McDonald’s food and drink prices can vary between restaurants and even branches located just a few miles apart can have different pricing.

You should bear this in mind if you have a few branches within a reasonable distance. If you can get your McDonald’s cheaper without having to travel much further, it could be worth it.

Feeling peckish?

So, now you’re armed with everything you need to know about how to win big in McDonald’s Monopoly 2023.

Our key takeaways to remember include making sure the food and drinks you buy are included in the Monopoly promotion, as otherwise you won’t earn game pieces on them. It’s also worth keeping in mind which qualifying items are the cheapest, as these will get you competition entries for the lowest price.

You should also always make sure to check your stickers for prizes, including any that have a code on them to be entered within the McDonald’s app.

And lastly… good luck!