Woman's 'Hack' to Save $3 at McDonald's is Going Viral
At least one TikTok user is doing everything in her power to help people save money while eating at McDonald's.
A few days ago, a woman with the TikTok username "Danisaidyes" revealed there's a way to get a McDonald's Cheeseburger meal for roughly $3 less than it's listed price. As of July 2025, a small Cheeseburger meal at McDonald's costs $8.85.
Interestingly enough, a Cheeseburger Happy Meal from the iconic fast-food restaurant costs $5.95. This hack was on full display in Dani's latest TikTok video.
"It’s exactly the same thing but you get a toy with the Happy Meal," she said in the TikTok video. "The math ain’t mathing."
Dani proved she wasn't lying by recording her experience at the McDonald's drive-through. She asked the employee how much a small Cheeseburger meal costs as opposed to a Cheeseburger Happy Meal.
"But they’re like exactly the same thing but the Happy Meal comes with a toy," she told the McDonald's employee.
Not only did the employee agree with Dani, she admit that she "dies inside" when customers don't take advantage of this hack.
@danisaidyes Lucky you don’t have to be 12 years old to order the kids meal #maccasrun #exposed #snackseries
♬ original sound - danisaidyes
Dani's initial video went viral on TikTok, receiving over 324,000 views and countless comments.
"It's a loss leader," one person said. "A Happy Meal usually has an adult meal sold at the same time, and that kid becomes a future adult customer."
"A cheeseburger by itself is 4.85, I was going to just get a cheeseburger yesterday but for 1.10 cents more I got a small fries drink and toy," another user commented.
We'll see if people take advantage of this Happy Meal hack at McDonald's.