McDonald's has no bereavement line – here's how to close the account anyway

McDonald’s is the UK’s most visited restaurant chain, with over 1,300 locations across the country. Millions of people have the McDonald’s app, a MyMcDonald’s Rewards account, gift vouchers, or an active Monopoly prize claim. When someone dies, none of those things close automatically – they stay open until someone contacts McDonald’s and acts.

For most estates, McDonald’s is a lower priority than banks or utilities. There are no recurring subscription charges and no financial assets that need recovering urgently. But there are a few things worth knowing: Rewards points have an expiry date, gift vouchers may hold usable credit, and an active Monopoly prize claim could theoretically have real value. This guide covers all of it.

McDonald’s has no dedicated bereavement team and no specialist phone line for families. All requests are handled through general customer support. The process is simpler than notifying a bank – but it does require you to contact McDonald’s directly.

Quick reference

Does McDonald’s have a bereavement process?

McDonald’s does not have a dedicated bereavement process. There is no separate phone line for families, no specialist form, and no formal deceased-account pathway in the way that a bank or utility company would have.

What McDonald’s does provide is general customer support, accessible online at customerservices.mcdonalds.co.uk, by phone on 0370 524 4622, and by email at customerservices@mcdonalds.co.uk. Support agents can close an account on behalf of a next of kin or executor, but this request is handled through the same channel as any other enquiry.

This is common for restaurant and food service brands. It does not mean the process will be difficult – it means you will need to be clear about what you need when you contact them. Stating upfront that you are acting on behalf of someone who has died, and providing the key account details, will help move things along.

(Source: McDonald’s UK customer services, last verified May 2026.)

How to contact McDonald’s to close the account

There are two routes: through the app or website directly (if you have login access), or by contacting customer services.

If you have login access

If you know the deceased’s email address and password, you can delete the account from within the app:

1. Open the McDonald’s app and sign in with the deceased’s credentials.
2. Go to the More tab (bottom-right on most devices).
3. Tap Profile.
4. Select Delete account and follow the on-screen steps to confirm.

Account deletion is permanent. The account, order history, Rewards points, and any saved payment methods will be removed. Before deleting, check the Rewards balance (see below) and any active gift vouchers in the app’s Offers section.

Alternatively, via the McDonald’s website: sign in at mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb and navigate to account settings.

If you do not have login access

Contact McDonald’s customer services:

Online (recommended): Submit a request at customerservices.mcdonalds.co.uk. This is the most reliable route and creates a written record.

Phone: Call 0370 524 4622. This is McDonald’s general customer services line. Calls are charged at a standard geographic rate (the same as 01/02 numbers).

Email: customerservices@mcdonalds.co.uk

When contacting customer services, include:

• The deceased’s full name and the email address on their McDonald’s account
• A clear statement that the account holder has died and you are requesting account closure
• Your relationship to the deceased (next of kin, executor, or administrator)
• An offer to provide a copy of the death certificate if required

McDonald’s may ask for a copy of the death certificate to verify the request. Having a digital copy ready (scanned or photographed) will avoid delays.

(Source: McDonald’s UK help centre, last verified May 2026.)

What happens to MyMcDonald’s Rewards points

MyMcDonald’s Rewards is McDonald’s loyalty scheme, accessed through the app. Customers earn points with each qualifying purchase and redeem them for free food and drinks.

Points are cancelled on account closure

McDonald’s Rewards terms and conditions are explicit on this point: when McDonald’s is notified of an account holder’s death, it will close the account and all points will be cancelled. The points are not transferable to another account and are not redeemable as cash. There is no provision for the estate to inherit or redeem them.

Under normal operation (outside bereavement), points also carry an expiry: from 30 December 2025 onwards, each point expires six full calendar months after it was earned – so points earned in January 2026 expire on 1 August 2026. Points earned before that date had a 12-month validity. If the deceased had a significant points balance, it is worth checking the ‘View History’ tab in the Rewards & Offers section of the app to understand what is there before requesting closure – though recovery is not possible under McDonald’s current terms.

(Source: MyMcDonald’s Rewards Terms and Conditions (UK), last verified May 2026.)

Are the points worth much?

MyMcDonald’s Rewards points accumulate at 100 points per £1 spent. A Big Mac meal typically costs around 1,500 points. Even a heavy McDonald’s user is unlikely to have more than a few thousand points – worth a handful of free items at most. The estate is not losing a significant asset when the account closes.

If the deceased had a large balance and had earned it recently, you could contact McDonald’s customer services and ask whether the balance can be noted – but under the published terms, cancellation is the expected outcome on death notification.

McDonald’s Monopoly prizes

McDonald’s runs its Monopoly promotion periodically (it last ran in the UK in autumn 2025). Customers collect game pieces with food purchases and win prizes by completing property sets or finding instant-win pieces.

What happens to an unclaimed prize if the account holder dies

McDonald’s Monopoly prizes are subject to consumer rules that typically require the winning individual to claim the prize personally. The 2025 consumer rules state that prizes are non-transferable and cannot be claimed on behalf of another person in most circumstances. If the deceased had a winning game piece – particularly a high-value prize – contact McDonald’s customer services promptly and explain the situation.

For smaller prizes (free food items, for example), the practical reality is that the prize will not be recovered. For significant prizes (cash, cars, holidays), it is worth raising the matter with McDonald’s formally, in writing, with a copy of the death certificate and, where relevant, a grant of probate or letters of administration establishing your authority to act on the estate’s behalf.

The Monopoly promotion requires registration and claims to be made by the promotion end date. Do not delay if there is a prize at stake.

(Source: McDonald’s Monopoly Consumer Rules 2025, last verified May 2026.)

McDonald’s gift vouchers

McDonald’s does sell gift vouchers in the UK, available through third-party sellers and occasionally directly. These are not registered to an individual account in the way that a loyalty account is.

Physical gift vouchers are bearer instruments – they are not registered to a name or an account, and whoever presents them in a McDonald’s restaurant can use them. If the deceased had physical vouchers in their wallet, purse, or at home, the estate can use them or pass them on.

Digital vouchers and promotional offers within the McDonald’s app are tied to the account and are not recoverable on closure. Check the app’s Offers section before closing the account – but these vouchers have limited monetary value and expire regardless.

McDonald’s does not offer a gift card balance check tool online. For physical vouchers, the remaining balance (if any) is typically shown on the voucher itself. If in doubt, visit a McDonald’s restaurant and ask a staff member.

(Source: McDonald’s UK gift voucher FAQ, last verified May 2026.)

The McDonald’s app and stored payment details

The McDonald’s app allows customers to save payment cards for quicker ordering. When the app is set up for mobile ordering or table service, it may have a debit or credit card stored.

What to check

If the deceased used the McDonald’s app for mobile ordering, check whether a payment card is stored in the app. Payment cards can be removed without closing the account:

1. Open the app and sign in.
2. Go to More → Payment or Payment methods.
3. Tap Edit and then delete any saved cards.

Alternatively, closing the account entirely (via More → Profile → Delete account) will remove all stored payment details along with everything else.

Stored payment details after death

McDonald’s stores payment card details with its banking partner rather than holding them directly. Deleting the account removes the link, but any card-level cancellations (if the deceased’s card is still active) should be handled through the card provider. This is a standard step in estate administration for any account with a stored card.

Under UK GDPR, McDonald’s is required to erase personal data on request. Submitting an account deletion request through the app or by contacting customer services constitutes a formal request to delete personal data, including payment information. McDonald’s may retain some data for a limited period for legal and fraud prevention purposes, but the payment credentials will be removed.

(Source: McDonald’s UK privacy policy and account deletion guidance, last verified May 2026.)

Franchise ownership and business accounts

McDonald’s is a heavily franchised business: around 70% of UK restaurants are operated by franchisees rather than directly by McDonald’s Restaurants Limited. For a customer account, this does not matter – all customer accounts are held centrally through the McDonald’s app and website, regardless of which franchise operates the local restaurant.

If the deceased was a McDonald’s franchisee – that is, they owned or co-owned a franchise operation – that is an entirely separate matter from their personal customer account. Franchise ownership involves commercial agreements, property leases, staff employment, and significant business assets. It is a legal and business matter, not a consumer account closure. You will need professional legal and accountancy advice, and should contact McDonald’s franchising team through McDonald’s corporate channels.

The personal customer account and the franchise business account are separate. Closing the personal app account does not affect franchise operations in any way.

What to do – checklist

1. Check the Rewards balance – Open the app and go to Rewards & Offers → View History. Note the balance and expiry dates before taking any action.
2. Check for Monopoly game pieces – If the promotion is currently running or recently ended, look for any unscanned or unclaimed pieces. For high-value prizes, contact McDonald’s immediately.
3. Check for physical gift vouchers – Look through the deceased’s wallet, purse, or documents. Physical vouchers can be used by anyone and should be redeemed or passed to a beneficiary.
4. Check stored payment methods – Sign in to the app and remove any stored payment cards, or note them for removal when you close the account.
5. Close the account – Via More → Profile → Delete account (if you have login), or by contacting customer services at customerservices.mcdonalds.co.uk, 0370 524 4622, or customerservices@mcdonalds.co.uk.
6. Have the death certificate ready – McDonald’s may ask for a copy when you contact them.

Summary

McDonald’s does not hold financial assets in the estate-administration sense. There is no savings balance, no investment, and no recurring subscription that will keep charging after death. The practical priorities are: note the Rewards points balance before closing (you will not recover them, but it is good to know what was there), use any physical gift vouchers, raise any Monopoly prize claims promptly, and close the account through customer services.

McDonald’s customer services can be reached at customerservices.mcdonalds.co.uk, by phone on 0370 524 4622 (standard geographic rate), or by email at customerservices@mcdonalds.co.uk. The head office address is McDonald’s Restaurants Limited, 11–59 High Road, East Finchley, London N2 8AW.

For broader guidance on digital accounts and app subscriptions after a death, see our guide to what happens to digital assets when someone dies. For related food and drink accounts, our guides on closing a Deliveroo account when someone dies, closing a Just Eat account when someone dies, and closing a Costa Coffee account when someone dies may also be helpful. For a full overview, visit the what to do after someone dies hub.