The Maze: McDonald’s and Uber have expanded their deal across 14 markets, giving Uber the lead on deliveries ordered through the McDonald’s app in participating markets. Customers will be able to order and track their meals inside the restaurant’s app, with Uber’s courier network handling most deliveries. McDonald’s is also bringing Uber into its loyalty program. A seasonal ride discount starts in select markets this November, while earning McDonald’s points through Uber Eats is still planned.
Source: Uber Direct merchant guide. Uber’s merchant guide shows how customers receive tracking updates after a courier picks up an order.
Video: Uber Eats. An earlier explainer on how a business can use Uber couriers for orders taken through its own app or website.
The Details:
Two places to order. The companies name the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the U.K. among the markets where Uber Eats will be the preferred partner for McDonald’s app deliveries. Uber will handle most of those orders through Uber Direct, its courier service for orders taken by another business. Deliverect, which makes software that connects online orders with restaurant systems, will help with the handoff. Its existing Uber Direct integration can route orders to the kitchen, arrange a courier and return delivery updates. Customers who prefer to order in Uber Eats can still do so. The agreement also covers Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, with no full schedule showing which feature will reach which market or store.
The checkout setup already exists. McDonald’s tested in-app delivery with Uber in the U.K. in 2021. Its January 2026 U.K. terms spell out what that split looks like. Customers see the delivery fee and any applicable service fee before paying in the app, where they also track the order. McDonald’s collects payment for the food on behalf of the restaurant operator, which sells the meal. The courier still has to get it to the door, and the delivery time shown in the app is an estimate. The chain’s 2021 announcements named both Uber and DoorDash as preferred partners for its app. The new agreement makes Uber the only partner for rewards tied to deliveries and rides in participating markets. For delivery itself, the companies call Uber preferred, and they haven’t disclosed how they will divide orders among couriers.
Spend points on rides first. The first announced perk is a seasonal offer that lets members spend MyMcDonald’s Rewards points on Uber ride discounts through the McDonald’s app. The companies haven’t named the first countries or said how many points a discount will cost. Later, they plan to let customers earn McDonald’s points on eligible food orders they place through Uber Eats and spend those points in the McDonald’s app. They haven’t set a public launch date for that feature. McDonald’s says its global delivery business exceeds $20 billion a year, without disclosing how much comes through its own app or how much Uber delivers.
MarketMaze Take: The handoff to the courier was already possible. McDonald’s is now trying to give customers another reason to return to the app. That matters at its scale. McDonald’s reported $41 billion in purchases by loyalty members at company-run and franchised restaurants in the year to September 30, across 70 markets. A ride discount can give a member another reason to open the app. If earning on Uber Eats follows, it could give McDonald’s a way to bring some marketplace customers into its own rewards program.
Uber can win deliveries even when the customer starts in the restaurant’s app. For restaurant operators, the question is who does what after checkout and whether the combined offer brings more orders worth serving. A familiar app can simplify ordering, while the restaurant still depends on a courier network to get dinner there on time. The companies haven’t disclosed their rates, who pays for the incentives or whether the new setup improves delivery. The result to watch is additional orders and repeat visits after those costs.
