McDonald's has a little-known Gold Card that grants lucky holders unlimited free fast food for a year or even a lifetime. The exclusive cards are typically reserved for high-profile celebrities like actor Rob Lowe, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, and billionaire investor Warren Buffett. However, a handful of ordinary individuals have also received them for acts of heroism or philanthropy.
Rob Lowe revealed his Gold Card on Jimmy Kimmel Live last year, explaining that he received it from a friend whose father created the Egg McMuffin. The card entitles him to free food for a year at any McDonald's owned by his friend David Peterson in Santa Barbara or Goleta, California. Peterson is a franchise owner whose father, Herb Peterson, debuted the Egg McMuffin in 1972.
In 2013, Charles Ramsey received a Gold Card after helping rescue three women held captive by Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro. He was awarded free McDonald's for a year at all locations and unlimited free food for life at local Ohio restaurants. Similarly, California philanthropist Larry Crandell was given a lifetime Gold Card by Peterson on his 90th birthday for his community fundraising efforts.
Other recipients include Nadine Baum, a Maryland woman who received a lifetime gift certificate on her 100th birthday, and Andrew Hammond, a goalie for the Ottawa Senators ice hockey team, who got a lifetime card from a local franchisee. Warren Buffett has a card allowing him free McDonald's in Omaha, Nebraska for life, while former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's father, George W. Romney, had a 'little pink card' for free McDonald's for life.
