The exclusive—and elusive—card offers amazing perks
McDonald’s Gold Cards Really Do Exist—Here’s Everything to Know
Updated on Mar. 24, 2025
There are a lot of crazy stories about McDonald’s out there—some true (like the McD’s with turquoise arches) and some completely fabricated. But of all the fast-food chain’s lore, perhaps the most intriguing is the very idea of a McDonald’s Gold Card.
A gold card for anything sounds fancy and exclusive … but what kind of delicious perks might you get with one that’s specific to McDonald’s? And does this mythical card even exist? While you’ll have an easier time finding the McDonald’s birthday cake than the McDonald’s Gold Card, it really does exist, and for those who have one, it’s kind of magical. Read on for all the details.
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What is the McDonald’s Gold Card?
The McDonald’s Gold Card essentially gives the cardholder free McDonald’s—sometimes for life, sometimes for 50 years and sometimes for a different designated amount of time. It all depends on who gifted the Gold Card, whether it was McDonald’s corporate or a franchisee. (Remember, most McDonald’s locations are owned and operated by individual business owners.)
There may be other restrictions on the card, depending on the recipient. In some instances, a Gold Card can be used worldwide at any McDonald’s restaurant. But for others, it is limited to a person’s local area. A prime example of this is businessman Warren Buffett, who received a McDonald’s Gold Card that gives him free meals for life … but is only accepted in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
What are the perks of a McDonald’s Gold Card?
Free food, obviously. Gold Cards like Buffett’s fetch unlimited free McDonald’s meals any day of the week. However, it depends on how and when you get the card. (More on that below.)
Which celebrities have a McDonald’s Gold Card?
Aside from Buffett, who has gone on record about his Gold Card, Bill Gates also confessed in a TikTok that he has one that works all over the world.
Actor Rob Lowe was gifted a McDonald’s Gold Card to use at any location across Santa Barbara and Goleta, California. (The two cities are essentially side by side.) However, his expired in 2016. But you know what’s cool about Lowe’s card? It was given to him by David Peterson, son of Herb Peterson, who invented McDonald’s’ Egg McMuffin.
Do ordinary people have any hope of getting a McDonald’s Gold Card?
It isn’t out of the question, but it isn’t as easy as “knowing a guy,” like Lowe did. McDonald’s famously ran a McDonald’s for Life contest in December 2022 during a promotion called SZN of Sharing. During a two-week period, every purchase a customer made in the McDonald’s app earned them another entry in a drawing for a McDonald’s Gold Card. The winner received the precious Gold Card, plus three more to give to family members or friends. That card allowed for two free McDonald’s meals every week for 50 years.
McDonald’s hasn’t run this contest again since 2022, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed and our McDonald’s app open, just in case!
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Sources:
- McDonald’s: “Be the Hero of the Holidays with the Gift That Keeps on Giving: the Legendary McDonald’s McGold Card”
- Yahoo! Finance: “Billionaire Warren Buffett Has a McDonald’s Gold Card That Gives Him Free Meals for Life”
- Kiplinger: “McDonald’s Gold Card: The Mysterious Piece of Plastic That Gets You Food for Life”
- Eater: “Why Rob Lowe Has a McDonald’s Gold Card”
