No matter what people think of McDonald’s – even with the recent attention around their CEO’s video – they consistently run successful promotional events.
While many customers are still eager for another McDonald’s and Pokémon partnership, McDonald’s has created its own trading card game featuring beloved characters and imagery from the fast-food chain.
So, McDonald’s is dropping these collectible cards, and apparently one of them is super rare! I’m diving in to find out everything you need to know about them.
When is the release date for the McDonald’s cards?
The McDonald’s cards range has launched today (Tuesday 17th March 2026), we’re pleased to confirm.
This promotion includes a choice of a Big Mac, Double Big Mac, Double Big Mac with Bacon, a 9-piece McNuggets, a 9-piece Spicy McNuggets, or a McPlant. Each meal comes with a side and a drink.
With every purchase from this menu, you’ll get a four-pack of McDonald’s cards. Each pack includes at least one special ‘Character Card’ that lets you get a free item. You can find details about this and other rewards later in this article.
How many McDonald’s cards are there?
McDonald’s has announced that their 2026 card collection will include a total of 25 different cards.
The core set of 24 cards is divided into four types: Characters, Fans, Retro, and Legendary. The Legendary cards are special because they have a holographic finish.
Plus, there’s a unique Chase card, bringing the total to 25. We’ll share details about this 25th card shortly, so stay tuned!
Which McDonald’s card is the rarest?
The most valuable card in the 2026 McDonald’s collection is a unique Chase Card featuring Ronald McDonald.
There are only 10 of these cards in existence, according to the official McDonald’s press release.
If you discover a Ronald Card, you’ll win a fantastic £10,000 prize!
Full list of McDonald’s trading cards for 2026
Here’s a complete list of the McDonald’s trading cards planned for 2026, with their official card numbers.
Set 1
#1 Hamburglar#2 Fry Scoop#3 Straw Dispenser
#4 Order 000
Set 2
#5 Birdie the Early Bird#6 Can I Take Your Order?#7 Apple Pie Tree
#8 McDonald’s Multimixer
Set 3
#9 Grimace#10 Gherkin Transfer#11 Coin Spin
#12 McDonaldland
Set 4
#13 McNugget Buddies#14 Milkshake Dip#15 Cheeseburger Chair
#16 Speedee
Set 5
#17 Phil A. O’Fish#18 Molten Apple Pie#19 Big Mac Jingle
#20 Location #1
Set 6
#21 Fry Girl#22 Special Sauce#23 McDonald’s Pizza
#24 Golden Arches
£10k Instant Win Card
#25 Ronald Card
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Full list of McDonald’s rewards from the cards promo
Character card rewards
Each character card you get—found in every pack—unlocks a special reward, which is explained below.
Fry Girl – free Fries
Hamburglar – free Hamburger, Cheeseburger or Mayo Chicken
McNugget Buddies – free 6 Chicken McNuggets
Phil A. O’Fish – free Filet-O-Fish or 4 Chicken McNuggets
Grimace – free Medium Soft Drink or Medium Milkshake
Birdie – free Single McMuffin
Collect to win rewards
Okay, so I found out that if I manage to collect all the cards and scan them into the McDonald’s app, I get even more rewards! Pretty cool, right?
Set One
Collect: Hamburgular, Fry Scoop, Straw Dispenser and Order 000.
Win: Free Medium Selected Meal (1 million to be won).
Set Two
Collect: Birdie the Early Bird, Can I Take Your Order?, Apple Pie Tree and McDonald’s Multimixer.
Win: McDonald’s CARDS T-shirt (x40,000 to be won).
Set Three
Collect: Grimace, Gherkin Transfer, Coin Spin and McDonaldland.
Win: £50 Cash (x50,000 to be won)
Set Four
Collect: McNugget Buddies, Milkshake Dip, Cheeseburger Chair and Speedee.
Win: £100 Cash (x10,000 to be won).
Set Five
Collect: Phil A. O’Fish, Molten Apple Pie, Big Mac Jingle and Location #1
Win: Free Medium Meal a week for a year (x2,000 to be won).
Set Six
Collect: Fry Girl, Special Sauce, McDonald’s Pizza and Golden Arches.
Win: £1,000 (to be won x700).
That covers everything about the 2026 McDonald’s card promotion. Happy collecting!
Authors
Rob Leane leads gaming coverage at TopMob, managing news and features for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile, and VR games. He creates content for TopMob’s website, social media, and video platforms, and also produces their weekly gaming newsletter. Before TopMob, Rob worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional, and Dennis Publishing.
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2026-03-17 18:05