Bill Gates is part of an ‘elite’ list of McGold Card owners
The card allows him to eat for free at any McDonald’s worldwide
The card is valid for life
Published on Jul 22, 2024 at 7:36 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Jul 22, 2024 at 9:32 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood
Bill Gates is the owner of a highly prestigious – not to mention rare – McDonald’s ‘Gold Card’ – also known as the McGold Card.
A McDonald’s Gold Card gives its owner the possibility to eat for free at any McDonald’s restaurant within a certain area.
There aren’t many gold cards in existence, and Bill Gates’ one is even more special because it allows him to eat free worldwide.
McDonald’s has never revealed how many of these cards are in circulation, but the company did once acknowledge it actually exists.
In a press release shared by McDonald’s in 2022, the company’s chief marketing officer for the US Tariq Hassan confirmed the gold card is a thing.
“Our fans have been fascinated by the lore of the McGold Card and if it really exists,” Hassan said.
However, while Hassan did indeed confirm it exists, he did not share how many cards are currently in circulation, or who has one.
What we do know is that Bill Gates isn’t the only billionaire with one of these cards.
McDonald’s doesn’t say exactly who owns one, but we do know that actor Rob Lowe had one at some point.
We also know that another world-famous billionaire has one.
Bill Gates is known for living a seemingly frugal life.
Just like most billionaires in his position, he does own a yacht and uses private jets all the time, but he also famously wears a $50 Casio and doesn’t spend money on things like cars.
Mind you, there’s another billionaire that’s perhaps even careful with his money – Warren Buffett.
Warren Buffet, a man worth $136 billion who still drives a 10-year-old car, also owns a Gold Card, but a twist.
While Bill Gates gold card allows him to eat for free any McDonald’s location worldwide, Warren Buffett’s gold card only allows him to eat for free in Omaha, his hometown.
According to Buffett himself, this isn’t an issue for a very clear reason.
Speaking to CNBC, Buffett explained why.
“There’s just a few of [these cards]. Bill Gates has one. His is good throughout the world, I guess. Mine is only good in Omaha, but I never leave Omaha, so mine is just as good as his,” he said.
For the rest of us mere mortals, we can only dream of free McDonald’s at any location, even though we haven’t already got enough money in the bank to buy a billion Big Macs.
Speaking to CNBC, Buffett explained why.
“There’s just a few of [these cards]. Bill Gates has one. His is good throughout the world, I guess. Mine is only good in Omaha, but I never leave Omaha, so mine is just as good as his,” he said.
