How to get FREE food: Money saving hacks from Burger King, McDonald’s, Starbucks and Nando’s

A McDonald’s customer recently revealed a sneaky hack for buying a cheeseburger for half price. 

Josh Garlepp filmed his journey through a McDonald’s drive-thru in Perth, Western Australia, and posted it to TikTok on Sunday.

In the video, he asked a restaurant employee whether he could add a slice of cheese to his hamburger, valued at $1.50.

McDonald’s cheeseburgers are priced at $3.55 – more than double the cost of a hamburger – but the only difference between the two is a single slice of cheese.

But McDonald’s isn’t the only place you can get a bargain deal on a meal or a drink.

Here, FEMAIL reveals the top menu hacks from high street chains across the UK and worldwide to save a small fortune on food and drink. 

Burger King has a secret ‘Have It Your Way’ menu that allows you to customise its burgers any way you want to

BURGER KING: HALF PRICE BACON DOUBLE CHEESE BURGER

Burger King has a secret ‘Have It Your Way’ menu that allows you to customise its burgers any way you want to.

Money Saving Expert previously revealed a hack that means you can get the chain’s £4.39 Bacon Double Cheeseburger for less than £2.

To take advantage of the trick, all you need to do is order a Plain Double Cheeseburger from the King Saver menu at a branch of Burger King.

Then you ask the server to add bacon – and your burger should look identical to an official Bacon Double Cheeseburger that costs half the price.

The chain also has deals on its app including a £1.99 Whopper Burger and £1.99 chicken nuggets as well as a £2.49 Chicken Royale.   

STARBUCKS: UNLIMITED COFFEE FOR £1.55

Buried deep on the Starbucks website, the chain reveals that it offers free refills in the UK. 

We’re used to fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King offering refills on soft drinks, but it still may take some by surprise that a coffee chain also offers this deal.

There is a small catch, however.

Starbucks offers its customers free refills if they order a £1.55 filter coffee from any of its branches in the UK

Starbucks offers its customers free refills if they order a £1.55 filter coffee from any of its branches in the UK

The free refill offer only applies to the coffee titan’s filter coffees, which are on sale in the UK for £1.55.

But if you order one, you can then ask your barista for another tall filter coffee on the house.

The menu hack is revealed in the FAQ section of the Starbucks website.

The UK version reads: ‘When you purchase a Filter Coffee to stay in one of our participating stores in the UK or Ireland, after you finish you can enjoy a Tall Filter Coffee on us.’

But it adds that this deal is only available while stocks lasts, and that the free refill offer can be withdrawn at the discretion of the barista. 

PRET: FREE COFFEE FOR A MONTH 

To welcome customers back after stores closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pret A Manger is offering customers the deal of unlimited coffee for just £20 a month.

But the first month is free – meaning shoppers can go a whole month getting five coffees a day (that’s 155 coffees) without paying a penny. Though that may be a little too much caffeine for most.

To welcome customers back after stores closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pret A Manger is offering customers the deal of unlimited coffee for just £20 a month - with the first month free

To welcome customers back after stores closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pret A Manger is offering customers the deal of unlimited coffee for just £20 a month – with the first month free

MCDONALDS: £1.99 Big Mac and fries for life

Typically, the beloved burger accompanied by the restaurant’s crispy, golden fries costs close to £4. MoneySavingExpert has found an ingenious way to cut costs at the McDonald’s checkout, though.

A few minor steps are required to make this fast food hack work, but once you’ve got it down you’ll never pay more than £2 for a Big Mac meal again.

First thing’s first, you’ll need to make a purchase. MoneySavingExpert recommends opting for a 59p mini McFlurry, the cheapest thing on the menu. A drink will do as well.

One savvy fast food fan has found a way to save money on your next Big Mac from McDonald's

One savvy fast food fan has found a way to save money on your next Big Mac from McDonald’s

After you’ve made your purchase, take your receipt and head over to the Food for Thoughts website to enter the offer code written or printed near the survey details. The whole process should take about two minutes.

When all is said and done, you’ll be given a five-digit number redeemable for a discounted Big Mac and fries. The meal should come in at £1.99.

You can repeat the same process with each new receipt until the promotion ends but it is limited to one per day. The offer is also only available to over 16s.

Not a fan of the Big Mac? This offer works the same with the Fillet-O-Fish or Veggie Deluxe.   

NANDOS: SAVE 40p on chips £2 on chicken

Couples can save money in Nando’s by ordering a sharing platter instead of two separate meals. 

A large wing platter  – which includes 10 wings and large chips – costs £15.50, meaning diners can save £2.50.

If you fancy chips with your meal, a large chips cost 40p less than two regular, but gives you more overall, according to the Sun.   

Couples can save money in Nando's by ordering a sharing platter instead of two separate meals

Couples can save money in Nando’s by ordering a sharing platter instead of two separate meals

CAFFE NERO: One drink for the price of three  

Customers can get two free hot drinks with the Caffe Nero app  by referring a friend. 

On their website they explain: ‘To refer your friends, all you need to do is tap on INVITE FRIENDS at the bottom of the referral card. 

‘This will generate a link that you can send via your phone’s messaging apps, including Mail, native SMS as well as third party apps you have installed on your phone(e.g. Whatsapp). 

‘Please make sure that you are running on the latest version of the app to be able to refer someone. If you have issues generating a referral link, please check your Internet connection and make sure you have enough connectivity. 

Customers can get two free hot drinks with the Caffe Nero app by referring a friend

Customers can get two free hot drinks with the Caffe Nero app by referring a friend