McDonald's confirms major rule change and diners aren't happy

McDonald's has confirmed a significant rule change that has not gone down well with some diners. Many of the fast-food giant's customers now use its app for purchases, special deals, branch check-ins, and reward points collection.

For every penny spent at McDonald's, app users can accumulate one MyMcDonald's Rewards point. Once you've amassed a certain number of points, these can be exchanged for rewards, including snacks, main courses, and drinks, or you can choose for McDonald's to make a charitable donation on your behalf.

For example, 1,500 points could get you a medium soft drink, regular coffee, mini McFlurry, or small fries, among other items. The more points you gather, the larger the items you can claim.

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The points can remain in your account until you decide to use them, but this is about to change. A McDonald's update reads: "We're giving MyMcDonald's Rewards a bit of a refresh. As part of the latest update, we'll be changing how long your points are valid for.

"From 30 December 2025, all points will expire six full calendar months after they're earned, instead of the current 12 months. This will apply to existing and future points, meaning any points earned before 30 June 2025 will automatically expire on 1st January 2026, unless you redeem them by then!".

The update has not been well-received by some McDonald's fans. After a Reddit user shared the news, others quickly joined in to voice their opinions.

One person on the platform said: "6 months before the points expire? Incredibly stingy, and wasn't even that generous to begin with." A second added: "Oh great more cuts", although a third seemed to take it better, writing: "Lol, about 30,000 points in free food coming my way in the next 3 months then."

A fourth added: "My points never last more than 2 weeks so [shrug emoji]".