A McDonald's Gold cardholder can access free meals for life. However, the benefits may be customised to limit usage access to local venues, like Warren Buffett's, or offer global access, like Bill Gates' card, depending on the person's lifestyle and preferences.
Gates can visit any McDonald's worldwide and enjoy a free meal for life. In a 2007 CNBC interview, Buffett said that while his card was good in Omaha, Gates' card worked everywhere.
"There's just a few of them. Bill Gates has one. His is good throughout the world, I guess," he had said.
Gates recently revealed his fondness for cheeseburgers, describing them as his "favourite food." With a net worth of over $120 billion, he or his long-time billionaire friend Buffett could pay for any meal. So, why offer them free food? The Gold card's underlying purpose is likely to show appreciation for these successful individuals.
In 2022, the fast food giant addressed the hype around this card by offering a few contest winners the McGold Card with lifetime access to free meals.
During the 2007 interview, Buffett showed what was in his wallet. "Here we have my McDonald's card, which lets me eat free at any McDonald's in Omaha for the rest of my life. So that's why the Buffett family has Christmas dinner at McDonald's. It explains a lot of things," he said.
Buffett's frugal way of living despite his fortune while investing wisely over decades shows that luxury can be enjoying a simple cheeseburger. He once travelled with Gates to Hong Kong and paid at McDonald's with coupons because his Gold card doesn't work out of Omaha, illustrating his thrifty nature.
In a 2017 annual letter posted on Gates Notes, Bill recalled that amusing moment: "Remember the laugh we had when we travelled together to Hong Kong and decided to get lunch at McDonald's? You offered to pay, dug into your pocket and pulled out coupons."
The HBO documentary "Becoming Warren Buffett," filmed in 2017, offered a glimpse into Buffett's daily life. He would spend between $2.61 and $3.17 on breakfast daily, usually at a nearby McDonald's drive-thru. How much Buffett would spend on breakfast was based on how rich he felt that day.
Furthermore, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway continues to live in his over 6,000-square-foot house in Omaha, which he purchased for $31,500 in 1958.
In a 2010 shareholder letter, Buffett had described buying the house as the "third best investment" he has ever made. Although Buffett felt he would have made more money if he rented and used the money for the house to buy stocks, he values the 60 years of memories in that house much more.
Gates also retained his old-fashioned choices, especially regarding his attire. A Politico report published in 2014 stated that Gates was still wearing a $10 wristwatch despite being the wealthiest man in the world that year. He also prefers a simple outfit, often the signature V-neck sweater with a collared shirt, exemplifying his frugal lifestyle.
One of the hallmarks of Gates' frugality is his philanthropic achievements through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Over the years, he has donated billions to noble and charitable causes worldwide.
In a late 2022 blog post, Gates wrote that while wealth makes his life comfortable, money doesn't fulfil it. An individual can achieve fulfilment only through family, friends, and a job that matters. "I am grateful to have all three," he wrote.
With no plans to retire anytime soon, Gates will continue to work on his decades-old projects, including funding research for diseases like Alzheimer's via his foundation.
"I'm still going full speed on the project I began more than two decades ago, which is to give the vast majority of my resources back to society. Although I don't care where I rank on the list of the world's richest people, I do know that as I succeed in giving, I will drop down and eventually off the list altogether," he had noted.
