I'm a McDonald's expert – three FREE ways to increase your chances of winning top Monopoly prizes | The Sun

MCDONALD'S fans will be desperate to know how to they can get lucky in this year's Monolopy competition.

The fast food giant's game is back today and customers will be brimming with excitement at the thought of bagging a prize.

To be in with a chance of winning, players need to collect game pieces on McDonald's food items like fries and McFlurries.

Winning stickers can be redeemed for a number of prizes, which range from Maccies menu favourites to £100,00 in cash.

The Sun spoke exclusively to lucky mum-of-one Kiran Johal who won a Mini Cooper after a fluke trip to her local drive through.

But instead of just relying on luck, Sam Thomas, the analytics lead at Embryo, says there are other ways to boost your chances of winning.

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“Increasing your odds of winning McDonald's Monopoly requires a bit of a strategic approach," Sam said.

“However, there's a couple of hacks to understand in order to increase your odds at winning."

We asked Sam for his top, free tips to boost the chances to win on McDonald's Monopoly.

Probability matters

McDonald's Monopoly has nine rare stickers that stay the same every year.

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If you manage to find one of these, make sure you keep hold of it as the remaining stickers in the set should be much easier to find.

Sam said: "It's important to recognise that the odds of winning are determined by the rarity of the pieces.

"Some pieces are common, while others are exceedingly rare, so knowing which pieces are the rarest can help you prioritise your efforts."

The list of rare McDonald's Monopoly pieces is as follows:

• Dark blue: Mayfair
• Green: Bond Street
• Yellow: Coventry Street
• Red: Strand
• Train stations: Liverpool St Station
• Orange: Marlborough Street
• Light blue: Euston Road
• Pink: Northumberland Avenue
• Brown: Old Kent Road

Join online groups

"There are online communities, chat forums and social media groups dedicated to McDonald's Monopoly," Sam said.

"These platforms often have members who share information about the rare pieces they've received or traded."

These mega fans swap stickers with each other through platforms like Facebook in order to win top prizes.

This could help you to increase your chances of finding the missing pieces you need to win.

If you're considering swapping your stickers, keep in mind that the terms and conditions state that "prizes and game pieces or their codes are not transferable, divisible or permitted to be sold or resold."

If you're caught having swapped or paid for stickers, you may have your prize taken from you.

You could also be disqualified from the giveaway. 

If you're unsure, it's best to read the terms and conditions on the McDonald's website.

Be strategic

McDonald's often has promotions where certain menu items come with extra game pieces.

For example, you can increase your chances of winning by swapping your fries for a healthy side.

The sides of salad, veg or fruit bag, which you can have as part of your meal, come with three pieces.

Fries however come with only two game pieces in a meal.

Sam said: "Monitor which items are giving you the most game pieces and order accordingly to maximise your game piece collection."

You can find your nearest McDonald's using the site locator on the chain's website.

More ways to boost your chances of winning

Sign up to the McDonald's Rewards scheme

Through the McDonald's Rewards scheme, you get one point for every penny you spend.

But if you're signed up to the scheme you also get a code for a free bonus peel for Monopoly through the free app.

The peel is sent to the email address you set your account up with.

This gives you double the chance to win.

Pick up unchecked or unredeemed vouchers

Just because the game has started, that doesn't mean everyone will be playing.

So if you're in your nearest McDonald's restaurant, make sure you have a look around for abandoned packaging with stickers still on it.

You may be able to find some free food instant wins, an online game code, or a property you need to finish a set.

It's worth noting some Maccies fans say you can't do this, but there have been no reports of issues in previous years.

How does McDonald's Monopoly work?

Players who take part in Monopoly can collect stickers from their food packaging that represent train stations or colour co-ordinated road names – much like the classic game.

But not all menu items are worth the same amount, and this determines how you redeem a prize.

Instant win food prizes can be redeemed at any McDonald's branch by handing the token over at the counter when you order.

You can also cash in game pieces on the touch screen kiosks in store or via the app by inputting the 12 digit prize code.

To find your nearest store, just search using the store locator on McDonald's website.

If you've got a winning token or code, you may need to provide some of your personal details to be able to redeem it, such as your date of birth, email address and phone number.

You will then be asked to choose how you want to receive your winnings, which will be either via email or delivery.

There's also a chance you'll get an app play code to collect. This will be clear when you peel off the sticker.

You'll need to have the app to enter the code and see if you've won a prize.

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It's free to download the app either from the Google Android or iPhone app stores.

Here is a full list of prizes for this year's McDonald's Monopoly, including £100k cash and "gold cards".

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.

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