Fast food can be a huge time-saver, especially if you’re trying to grab a quick bite on the way to work or feed a hungry family. But if you’re not careful, it can also bust your budget — unless you can plan ahead to take advantage of deals and promotions. Before heading to the drive-thru lane or ordering a pizza, check out these money-saving fast-food deals.
Prices and availability are subject to change.
Wendy’s: Biggie Bags
Wendy’s has had a massive decline in the amount and quality of its offers and deals over the last few months. The chain revamped its Biggie Bag deals to increase the price and completely axed the popular 4 for $4 meal deal. Still, those are the best deals you can get right now on food, because the coupons in the Offers tab of the app are all for just $1 off a premium combo, $3 off a $20 purchase, and $1 off any drink, crispy chicken sandwich, or 4-piece nuggets with a $5 purchase.
KFC: $10 Bucket of the Day
Big buckets of chicken are usually the best deal at KFC, and right now, there’s a $10 Bucket of the Day deal. Each weekday, you can get a different bucket of chicken for only $10, which is a pretty good deal, especially for 10 wings on Wednesdays. On Mondays and Fridays, you get 24 nuggets, and on Tuesdays, you get 8 legs and thighs, and on Thursdays, you get 8 tenders.
If you’re looking for a deal on a family meal over the weekend, you can get six bone-in fried chicken pieces, six chicken tenders, two large sides, four biscuits, and dipping sauces for $30, or an 8-piece Build-a-Bucket meal for $20. If a single meal is all you’re after, there’s a Taste of KFC 2-piece meal for $5.
Subway: $7 Meal Deals
The days of $5 Subway footlongs are long over, but you can still get a good deal on a combo meal. Each day of the week, a different sub will be available in a $7 meal deal with a 20-ounce drink and side, or you can get just the 6-inch sub for $5. Here are the daily specials.
- Monday: Cold Cut Combo
- Tuesday: All-Pro Sweet Onion Teriyaki
- Wednesday: Meatball Marinara
- Thursday: Baja Chipotle Chicken
- Friday: Tuna Sandwich
- Saturday: The Ultimate B.M.T.
- Sunday: The Philly
There’s also a new menu of $4 Deli Faves menu, but people aren’t terribly impressed by it. And in case you haven’t heard, Subway pulled a bait-and-switch recently. They brought back the popular Sub Club, then quickly got rid of the free footlong deal — the entire point of the Sub Club. Yeesh.
Taco Bell: $7 Supreme Luxe Box
Taco Bell has a number of box meals to pick from for pretty low prices. For the $7 Luxe Cravings Box, choose a specialty like a Crunchwrap, plus a taco or Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, a taco, a side, and a drink. There’s also a Supreme version for a dollar more that comes with a Chalupa Supreme, Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, taco, and side, and drink. And for only $5, you can once again get the Classic Luxe Box with a burrito, taco, side, and drink.
If it’s just an item or two you’re after, check out the new Luxe Value Menu with lots of under-$3 options like a mini taco salad and mini churros.
McDonald’s: $1.49 Fries
Well, it finally happened: McDonald’s appears to have gotten rid of its free fries on Friday promotion for 2026. (Check the app just in case, because some people report still having it in some locations.) In its place is a rather mediocre replacement, to boot. You can get any size fries you want for $1.49, once per day if you order online. If you’d rather not use the app, check out the new McValue menu that offers a lot of buy-one-get-one-for-$1 items, or snag a $5 sausage McMuffin with egg meal or an $8 Big Mac or 10-piece McNugget meal.
Plus, check the Deals section of the mobile app for offers like a $7 medium combo meal or BOGO for 50-cent breakfast sandwiches.
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Panera: $10 Mix and Match Menu
Like many other chains, Panera has axed its inexpensive value menu this month. Gone are the $7 Value Duets, and in their place is a new Mix and Match menu with half sandwiches, half salads, and soups priced at $5 each. The catch? You MUST purchase at least two, so you’re spending $10 instead of $7. If you’re still interested, these are the 10 items you can choose from (but you can’t pick two of the same):
- Half sandwiches: Toasted Italiano, Toasted Caprese Focaccia, Bacon Turkey Bravo, Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
- Half salads: Fuji Apple Chicken, Ranch Parm BLT, Caesar
- Soups: Creamy Tomato, Homestyle Chicken Noodle, Bistro French Onion
Hardee’s: $6 Original Bag Meals
Hardee’s has a great meal deal right now. The $6 Original Bag comes with a small fries and drink, plus you get to choose two entrees: hot ham and cheese sandwiches, double cheeseburgers, or chicken tender wraps. You can also get two for $5 select breakfast items as well.
Popeyes: $20 9-Piece Chicken Meal
Popeyes always has great deals on buckets of chicken. Right now, you can get a family meal with 9 pieces of bone-in chicken or tenders plus one large side and four biscuits for $20. There’s also a new $5 Faves menu that includes three-piece chicken, two wraps, and two sides. If you want sandwiches, you can get two with fries for $12.
Plus, check the Offers section of the website, where you can score lots of other great deals like a 10-piece family meal for $26 or the ever-popular $13 Two Can Dine meal with five pieces of chicken or six tenders plus two sides and biscuits.
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Little Caesars: $7 Extra Most Bestest Pepperoni
Little Caesars does cheap pizza well, but the chain has raised prices a couple of times in the last few years. The cheapest option will now run you $6 instead of $5. We still recommend paying a dollar more to get Extra Most Bestest pies for more cheese and more pepperoni, making the chain noticeably better than cheaper pizza chains. The upgrade is worth the extra change. There are also several deals on the new More for $9.99 Menu that include pizzas, Stix, and 2-liters of soda.
Burger King: Free Fries
Unlike the golden arches, Burger King is continuing its free fries promotion in 2026. You can get one free any-size fry each week with a $3 purchase when you use the mobile app. There are also a couple of rotating two-for-$5 and three-for-$7 deals as well. And don’t forget to check the offers page on the restaurant’s website, which has deals like a $4 breakfast biscuit and hash browns meal, BOGO free original chicken sandwiches, and a $6 double cheeseburger and small fries meal.
Domino’s: $7 Mix ‘n Match Deal
Your best bet for cheap pizza at Domino’s is the long-running $7 Mix ‘n Match deal. Just order two or more items, and they’re all $7 each, including two-topping medium pizzas, bread, chicken, sandwiches, pastas, salads, and desserts.
Panda Express: $40 Family Meal
Family meals at Panda Express are a crowd-pleaser. For $40, order your choice of three large entrees and two large sides that will feed a small family. Who doesn’t like orange chicken and fried rice?
Pizza Hut: $7 Deal Lover’s Menu
For once, Pizza Hut’s deals recently got better. The new $7 Deal Lover’s Menu is the same mix-and-match-at-least-two-items deal that other pizza chains offer. Options include medium one-topping pizzas, Melts, boneless wings, cheese sticks, breadsticks, pastas, and desserts.
Wingstop: $18 Boneless Meal Deal
You can feed three or four people (or just two really hungry ones) at Wingstop right now for $18. The Boneless Meal Deal comes with 20 boneless wings tossed in up to four sauce or rub flavors, plus a large fries and two dips.
Trying to decide which flavors to order? We ranked the best Wingstop flavors to help you make the call.
Papa Johns: $7 Papa Pairings
Like Domino’s and Pizza Hut, Papa John’s has a buy-two-or-more deal. Items are $7 each as long as you buy at least two, and there are a lot of options, such as a medium one-topping pizza, Papadias, 10-piece Chicken Poppers, cheese sticks, garlic knots, and three desserts. That’s a lot of variety to satisfy everyone.
Del Taco: Taco Nights
The best deal at Del Taco is the long-running Taco Nights promotion. On Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., you can get three snack tacos for $2.49, and on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., you can get three grilled chicken tacos for $3.59. Sure, the prices have gone up recently thanks to inflation, but it’s still a heck of a deal.
Dairy Queen: $7 Cheeseburger Meal Deal
A classic cheeseburger combo is the best deal right now at DQ. For $7, you’ll get a cheeseburger, regular-size fries, a 21-ounce drink, and a small sundae. You can also grab the three-piece chicken strip meal deal for $7. Plus, there’s a mix-and-match two for $5 deal with options like a small sundae or cheeseburger.
Church’s Chicken: $20 10-Piece Family Meal
There’s decent prices on big buckets of fried chicken at Church’s right now. For $20, you can get 10 pieces of bone-in legs and thighs or 10 chicken tenders, plus two large sides and five biscuits. If you’re just feeding yourself, there’s a Texas Two-piece Fest for $3.49 that comes with two legs and thighs or tender, a biscuit, and the chain’s signature jalapeno.
Jack in the Box: Two for $5 Biscuit Sandwiches
There’s a bunch of great two-for deals at Jack in the Box this month. They include two sausage or bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwiches for $5, two sausage croissant sandwiches for $5.50, and two Jumbo Jack burgers for $5. Plus, you can always get two tacos for $1.49.
Taco John’s: $5 Meal Steal
There’s an affordable $5 combo meal at Taco John’s right now. It includes a crispy beef taco, bean burrito, junior Potato Olés, and a small drink. For $2 more, you can get an upgraded meal with two crispy beef tacos, a nacho crunch beef burrito, small Potato Olés, and a small drink. And if it’s a Tuesday, you can get beef tacos for $1.39 each.
Shake Shack: Free Chicken Shack
Shake Shack isn’t exactly known for being inexpensive, so when a good deal comes along, you have to grab it. Thankfully, the chain has decided to extend its free chicken sandwich deal into 2026, and we love it. Get a free Chicken Shack on Sundays by using the code CHICKENSUNDAY at checkout when you make a $10 purchase. This deal will be available through at least the end of June.
Sonic: $2 Junior Bacon Cheeseburger
Sonic recently got in on the meal deal bandwagon. There’s a small, ever-rotating menu of $2 items, and right now the best one is a junior bacon cheeseburger. There are also two Crispy Tender Wraps and soda floats for $2.
Jimmy John’s: $9 Meal Deal
Jimmy John’s is hopping on the meal deal bandwagon this month. The $8.99 Meal Deal comes with an 8-inch Turkey Tom or The Pepe sandwich, plus a bag of chips and a regular fountain drink, but you have to order online to get it.
More Fast-Food Deals From Cheapism
- 23 Fast-Food Family Meal Deals Available This Month — Tired of cooking? These fast-food family meals from Taco Bell, KFC, Popeyes, and more can feed the whole crew without breaking the bank.
- The Newest Fast-Food Menu Items Dropping This Month — Discover wild new menu additions and the return of some discontinued favorites.
- The Cheapest Fast-Food Items That Actually Fill You Up — If you’re going to get something that actually fills you up for less than $10, what should it be? These are our picks.
