GOLDEN ARCHES
From a cheaper Big Mac to grown-up Happy Meals, McDonald’s workers share tips to getting secret menu options and discounts
You can use the chain's self-service kiosks to customise your meal and make new creations
IT'S hard to spend a lot of money at McDonald's as the prices are pretty low but there are ways of saving even more money at the fast food chain.
Workers have revealed their thrifty secrets to bagging discounts and ordering secret menu items that won't cost you extra, including how to snag a cheaper Big Mac and even a grown-up version of a Happy Meal.
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Insiders have leaked secrets to scoring money off your meal on social media and Reddit.
For some of the tips, you may need to use one of McDonald's self-service kiosks which are in more than 1,200 branches in the UK.
You could also use its app. Both allow you to customise your order.
The tips are the latest addition to the mysterious McDonald's secret menu.
It may not be that secret these days but it still gives you a way of ordering off-menu items that will tickle your fancy - and even save you some money.
Make a cheaper Big Mac
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Make a Big Mac for £1.59 by ordering a double cheeseburger, according to .
But ask to substitute ketchup and mustard for the special Big Mac sauce and add shredded lettuce.
It might look a bit sub-par and it crucially won't have the third slice of burger bun but it tastes like a real Big Mac and will cost just £1.59 compared to a £3.49 Big Mac - a £1.90 saving.
Ice cream for less
You can save 30p off the cost of ice cream at McDonald's if you know how.
Opt for a 59p Mini McFlurry instead of an 89p Ice Cream Cone at the fast food giant, according to blogger Jordon Cox, of .
Jordon Cox points out that you will get about 10g less ice cream in the Mini McFlurry but you will save a few pennies.
Order a McChicken for 99p
Get £2.20 off a McChicken Sandwich by ordering the very similar 99p Mayo Chicken, according to Mr Cox.
A McChicken normally costs £3.19 so it's a significant saving.
McDonald's says on its website that the sauces in the two burgers are different.
Other than that though and it's hard to tell the two apart - so if you don't mind having "cool mayo" instead of "sandwich sauce," opt for the cheaper option instead.
How to get the freshest fries at McDonald's
Order a grown-up Happy Meal
Some fans have been able to order a grown-up version of a Happy Meal, which costs £2.49 for a cheeseburger, drink, side and a toy.
The hack is known as the "All-American Meal".
Apparently if you ask for this, you will get a small drink, a cheeseburger, and small fries for less than the price of a Happy Meal, according to .
It comes from the US though, so it hasn't been tried and tested in the UK.
Here, if you order a 99p cheeseburger, a 89p small fries and a 89p small fizzy drink, it will cost you £2.77 - 28p more than a Happy Meal.
Still, it could be worth a try.
Supersize your burger for less
You can triple the size of a Double Sausage and Egg McMuffin for £2.80 by using a customise feature on the self-service till to beef up the breakfast burger for £6.99.
Normally, the McMuffin meal costs £4.19.
The hack was discovered by McDonald's super fan Paul Steele last year.
How to get extra toppings on your McFlurry for 20p
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McDonald's ice cream fans who've been left disappointed by a lack of sauce and sprinklings will be delighted to know that they can get an extra shot at a bargain price.
For 20p more, you can ask for extra toppings including more sauce.
It's only available in certain branches in the UK though as many McDonald's restaurants are franchises, which set their own prices.
How to get free extra toppings on your burger
Mr Cox said you can add free extra toppings on your burger on the chain's self-service kiosks.
Ketchup, mustard, onion, pickles, mayonnaise and shredded lettuce can all be added free of charge.
But you will have to pay extra for cheese and bacon.
Get more drink without paying extra
One insider on revealed there's an easy way to get more fizzy drink without paying more: ask for no ice.
Drinks are kept cold at the restaurant anwyway, and your cup won't be taken up by lots of ice meaning you will get more for your money.
Get a smaller chicken salad and pay less
The chicken salads at McDonald's start from £3.49.
But there's a way of bagging one for £2 less, according to DailyMail.com.
Insiders have revealed you can order a £1.09 Shaker Side Salad and then ask for extra chicken, which will cost about 40p more.
That means your meal will cost £1.49 - though prices vary from restaurant to restaurant.
How to always get fresh fries
An insider has revealed a trick for always bagging fresh fries.
He said order a side of chips without any salt as workers then have to make a fresh batch of fries.
“We also have to clean out the tray that the fries are stored in to make sure no salt gets on them," he said.
He also told The Sun Online to go just after peak times when the menus are changing over because that is when the food will come out the best.
The employee said: “The peak times are eight and 10, 12 and two, and five and seven.”
More on Money
McDonald's has about 1,300 restaurants in the UK. You can .
Today, we revealed that the fast food chain has raised the price of its double cheeseburger by 10p - as it launches a new bacon double cheeseburger on the menu.
McDonald's has also launched a veggie Happy Meal for the first time which offers kids a Veggie Wrap main.
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