McDonald's is set to axe its popular coffee stamp scheme in favour of a new rewards system, leaving hot drinks fans needing to spend more in order to enjoy their free cup of Joe.
The fast- food company has unveiled a huge overhaul to its stamp-based rewards scheme, as it plans to ditch the digital stamp collecting service to make way for a new wider points system that may leave some hot drinks lovers disappointed.
The reshuffle means that customers buying a coffee or hot chocolate will need to fork out £6.27 more in order to earn a free drink, the Sun reports. But it's good news for hungry patrons who are keen to earn points on other menu items, as the new scheme will open up the opportunity to earn rewards across the McDonald's entire offering.
Currently, Maccies lovers can get a digital stamp when buying a hot beverage under the McCafe Loyalty scheme.
When you tot up six stamps via the My McDonald's app, you'll have earned yourself a free drink, meaning you need to buy five beverages in order to get a sixth without spending a penny.
Under the current scheme, those buying a large cappuccino would need to spend £10.45 before securing a free beverage.
But the new plans mean that the stamps system will roll into a wider points-based offering called MyMcDonald's Rewards Scheme.
From October 31, thirsty patrons will have to earn 1,500 points to get a free, regular-sized drink. There will be an introductory double-points offer on hot drinks until December 31, but after that, you'll need to fork out £6.27 more to bag yourself a free drink under the new system when compared to the old one.
Simply put, each £1 spent at the fast-food chain will earn you 100 points. This means buying a large cappuccino for £2.09 will lead to 209 points.
So instead of the £10.45 spend before a free drink in the current scheme, customers will now have to spend £16.72 on eight drinks - equating to 1,500 points - to qualify for the free reward.
The double-points bonanza means that thirsty customers will only need to buy four drinks - totalling £8.36 - to nab a free drink when the new scheme rolls out, but this only lasts until the end of the year.
McDonald's explained that the new system allows customers to tally up all of their purchases in the new loyalty scheme, meaning that you aren't just limited to hot drinks when earning points.
This means that unlike the current scheme, your classic chicken nuggets will earn you points on the McDonald's app, as well as the brand-new McCrispy burger or anything else that takes your fancy.
The changes come after McDonald's announced that they were ditching the old stickers on hot drinks for digital stamps over the summer.
Now the system is having a complete overhaul, any patrons with existing McCafe stamps will need to sign up to the new MyMcDonald'sRewards scheme before October 31.
Each existing stamp will convert to 300 points over on the app, which is free to download. Any free drinks that have yet to be redeemed will show on the offers and rewards section on the app.
For anyone used to the sticker system looking to venture into the new digital version, all you need to do is show or scan your reward QR in the app to collect and redeem your points. Your points will last for an entire year on the app too.
Customers can also earn points as normal when ordering food and drink via the app, but you can't earn points from third-party delivery companies like Uber Eats and Deliveroo.
This shake up comes after McDonald's unveiled a huge menu change this week - adding five new items to the menu including mini potato waffles via its breakfast offering and the McCrispy burger, which is the first new permanent burger on the menu for 15 years.
When one of our writers tried the new McCrispy, she said it was 'definitely worth the wait' - even dubbing it her new favourite burger at Maccies.
The introduction of the new McCrispy burger meant that the Chicken Legend has now been removed from the menu, leaving some fans gutted.
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