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If you grew up a big fan of fast food, chances are you often dreamed of somehow getting to enjoy unlimited McDonald’s for the rest of your life. While we’d rather not get into the semantics of whether eating that much fast food would be “healthy” or not, that dream is actually not as far-fetched as one may think, although it is incredibly difficult to achieve. Contrary to popular belief, the lifetime McGold Card is a very real thing and has been given to a handful of celebrities to enjoy as much McDonald’s as they could ever wish for, completely free of charge.
As of 2026, three celebrities are believed to still have active McDonald’s gold cards. Andrew Hammon, a retired hockey player from Canada, received a gold card during his time playing on the Ottawa Senators in 2015, but it was framed as a decorative item, and he still hasn’t tried using the card as of 2022. Hammon also received roughly $1,000 worth of McDonald’s gift cards that were only available to be used at locations in Canada.
Aside from Hammon, billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have both revealed that they possess the card in past interviews, although each card has different specifications. In the case of Buffett, the magic card has pretty limited use, as he can only use it at McDonald’s locations in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, albeit it’ll be active for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, Gates gets free food at any of the McDonald’s locations across the United States and beyond in perpetuity, making his the strongest version of the card in existence.
Celebrities who have gotten the McGold Card in the past
Beyond a hockey player and two billionaires, a handful of other famous people have gotten the chance to hold the McGold Card in the past. For starters, three former users of the unlimited McDonald’s cards, Juice WRLD, Regis Philbin — who got the card through his involvement in one of McDonald’s biggest contests of all time — and George W. Romney, have since passed away, leaving the functionality of their cards up in the air. Romney — father of former Senator Mitt Romney and the first known recipient of an unlimited McDonald’s card — was granted the special offer before the gold card gimmick was even established, being given a pink card instead. Alternatively, Juice WRLD was the newest celebrity to have received the card, getting it during his partnership with the restaurant chain in the late 2010s. While the rapper passed away in 2019, his McGold Card was sold in early 2026 to a fan of his and is said to still work as intended.
Nevertheless, one celebrity’s unlimited McDonald’s deal was not quite on the level as the other six we’ve mentioned, although it was, by definition, one of the chain’s illustrious gold cards; Rob Lowe received a McGold Card that he could use exclusively at any McDonald’s location in Santa Barbara back in 2015, but it was only active for one year rather than for his entire life. Other than that, some local celebrities and McDonald’s contest winners have also gotten versions of the McGold Card from franchisees over the years, meaning it’s possible for you to get your hands on the mythical item someday down the line.