McDonald's | App Report, Store and Ranking Data

This is one of my most-used but most-frustrating store apps. When it works, it’s great! The deals are good, it can be used to order ahead or from your table, and the points system offers some great redeemable offers that have fed me more than once when I’m low on cash. I use an iPhone and don’t experience the same frustrating glitches as every Android user I know who has attempted to use the app. I have, however, frequently experienced an embarrassing delay in the drive-thru when the app won’t open (wireless internet service decreases outside every store, so it’s best to prepare the app and the coupon you use before arriving at a McDonald’s location). More frustrating - and with no ready solution - each time the app updates, it logs me out. That wouldn’t be a problem if I simply had to log back in, but the app uses some bizarre “helpful” system where you must supply your email address. After supplying the email address attached to your account, a screen notifies you that an email has been sent to help you log in. A button at the bottom of the screen says it will open your email app - but this only opens the native email app for your phone (in my case, the Apple email) - so do not use that feature unless you are using the email service that came with your device. Once you locate the email, you click a link and it opens your web browser and automatically returns to your McDonald’s app. You can order, use your coupons or points, etc., at this time. NOW YOU GET TO CHOOSE BETWEEN TWO FRUSTRATING OPTIONS. If you return to your web browser to do something else later that day, McDonald’s has hijacked the tab (much like malicious software does) and will quickly fling you back to its app. If you have Lightning fast reflexes or a good working knowledge of mobile web browsers, you can eventually close that tab and restore your phone’s browser to working condition. BUT Closing the McDonald’s tab in your browser means you will have to go through the entire log-in process again the next time you try to use the app. OPTION 1: Leave the McDonald’s tab open on your web browser and never use your web browser for anything else; or OPTION 2: Close the McDonald’s tab on your web browser and spend five minutes logging into the app EVERY time you want to use it. I use this app regularly, whether it requires me putting my car in park in the drive-thru and ignoring the people honking behind me, standing in line at the counter fussing with my phone while other customers become impatient, or sitting at a table to log in and place my order despite being short on time. I use it because the deals are great and the food is great. McDonald’s has had this issue with the app for months (maybe over a year at this point?) and I know I’m not the only one who has complained about the inefficient/frustrating login issue. The app would work better if login security were done with a PIN code and the app kept the user logged in. The email-> web-> redirect (indefinitely) -> app feature is frustrating, inefficient (for the customer), and is a deterrent from using the app to all but the desperate (like myself).

Well what’s the worse thing a billion dollar national chain can do to a person who is in your demographic… nickel and dime . Remember that time you went and ask for an extra cream or jelly ? Then was told it’d cost more but you figured out , ask at the window . Eventually they just gave you the dang extra jelly … the app is this but in a app. I got the app for the daily deals . But eventually the deal I was getting was toooo good , so it was a only inside deal , then eventually no longer option and limits applied …I work at 5am to 6am start times. To use the deals it’s a 24 hour wait … like now I’m missing breakfast because my “deal” isn’t eligible for 14 minutes . Corporate policy makers to silly to think of making the wait 23 hours but the wording just says 24 hours to avoid the silly inconveniences. Corporate level decision makers to far removed from the practical to understand how hard limits effect their analytics . It’s a huge institution in our country now ran by those who look down on its front end people I imagine. One behavior often points to an internal culture that preaches tolerance but is fine benefitting from the turn over . The us versus them culture is nurtured by this sort of social economic fertilizer and all for pleasant tasting poison .

I find that when I place my order online with the app and choose a McDonald’s nearest my work location that the location services in the app will automatically revert my chosen store to a different location that’s near my home. I then have had several verbal disputes with the McDonalds staff due to these technical problems and it’s getting very frustrating!! I’m told that I need to go back to the store that was listed in the app. But my argument to the staff is that I didn’t choose that location. The location services automatically assumes that I want to place the order at the store that is nearest my home. But, I prefer to go to the store that’s near my workplace. My workplace is only 10 minutes from my home and there are 3 McDonald stores within the 5 mile radius of my home and workplace. So my request is to have the location services upgraded to keep the initial location in tact through out the ordering process and stop automatically assuming that the customer wants to place an order at an incorrect store that was chosen in the first place!!

I’m not the biggest fan of the McDonald’s app and I think it’s because I’m spoiled by Chick Fil A. One thing that McDonald’s won’t allow is for you to use your points for several items on one order. I literally never use my points because the deals are usually better than the free item I would get. With Chick Fil A, I can use all of my points at once. I have over 5,000 points with McDonald’s and they usually expire because they won’t allow stacking. Also the app is super buggy. Sometimes when I try to use a deal it won’t allow it because something is “on sale” which is dumb because I don’t know that when I select the deal and then you can only choose one deal every like 30 minutes or something so I can’t even go back and choose another. The last time I tried to use a deal, their drinks were on sale for $1.99. Had I been getting a specialty drink it would’ve actually been a deal, but it was charging me $1.99 for a sweet tea which is regularly $1.68, so it made no sense. It needs work. Fix these problems and I may use it more.

I had so many points built up and used the app very frequently. Once day it just simply kept giving me error code after error when tryin to log in. I have deleted the app fully off my phone and restarted my phone, the downloaded again about 40 times over the last year just to try again. The same thing continues to happen. I have an iPhone 12 and it says I’m a using an older version of app since I didn’t update my phone get but that should not be a problem!! It should still work and I don’t update my phone because it just slows it down. At this point I feel like McDonald’s did this in person to get people to make a new account and abandoned all their built up points so McDonald’s will save a ton of money and not have to give any more free food. Developers please let me log in on the last version of app!!

McDonalds did an update that required me to log in again. Evidently, because I changed my Facebook email, their system now thinks it’s both a NEW account and a pre-existing account. I had to create a new email for McDonald’s only because Facebook login no longer works, and McDonald’s just gives a canned “reinstall the app!” So don’t give them your payment information to store. Because they’ll be locked in behind a login you can’t access. It’s hilarious they say “reinstall and if not contact us.” Because that’s what I did before the review. And other than “try to reinstall the app, or contact us” that’s their own “troubleshooting” step. Reinstall, and then send a message to our digital shredder where we will ignore you.

Twice now I’ve had changes made to my sandwich disappear. I dont know if it’s making it a meal that does it or applying a coupon, but it reverts back to default. Not going back to store to resolve, it’s not their fault as receipt shows no changes. But I’m going to stop using the app if it happens again. UPDATE: App changed location to one across town I haven’t ordered at in 6+ months, card was changed, can’t cancel, can’t change location, can’t order at location I need to because of outstanding order, no way to get any sort of support beyond emailing and waiting.