The McDonald's Breakfast Hack For A Cheaper Sausage Egg McMuffin

If McDonald's is your favorite place for breakfast but you're scaling back on your dining-out budget, there may be a smart way to save at the beloved fast-food chain. While it depends on the prices and practices at your local establishment, a crafty ordering hack could net you a sausage egg McMuffin for a lower price. It's pretty simple: Order a plain sausage McMuffin but ask for a serving of eggs on the side. If you don't mind assembling your sandwich, asking for a side order of eggs with the plain sandwich might save you some cash.

When ordering via the app at certain McDonald's locations, a sausage McMuffin sans egg costs just $2.49. On the other hand, a sausage and egg McMuffin will run you $1.50 more at $3.99. Of course, the cost of an extra side of eggs could make or break this hack, as it only makes sense if the total price is less than the standard sausage egg McMuffin. In this case, customers must navigate a few obstacles to score a less-expensive breakfast sandwich.

As with most fast-food hacks, your mileage will vary depending on the practices at your local McDonald's. For instance, a side of eggs is not listed on the McDonald's website, so some restaurants may not offer extra eggs as an option. Additionally, some locations may not honor the hack, which means you'll need to pay full price if you're hankering for a sausage egg McMuffin.

In the event a restaurant does allow customers to order eggs on the side, there's no indication of how much it will cost you. Some sources claim that an extra serving of eggs will cost $1, but other sources report prices as high as $1.59 for a side egg. (Neither amount has been verified by McDonald's.) As a result, you may need to test the waters when you order by comparing the costs for a sausage egg McMuffin and a sausage McMuffin with a side of eggs. 

You can also save some money on your bill by joining MyMcDonald's rewards, which provides 100 points for every $1 you spend. These points can then be used to snag free items when you earn enough, including a sausage McMuffin with egg.

In the event you don't want to build your sandwich yourself, or if your local McDonald's isn't cooperating with this sausage egg McMuffin hack, it's worth checking out the chain's other affordable breakfast options. The $1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu features lots of breakfast goodies, including a sausage burrito that offers a mix of scrambled eggs, sausage, and cheese. While dollar-menu pricing may vary at your nearest McDonald's, certain locations offer this option, which comes with a choice of hot or mild sauce to add a bit of spice to your morning, for a mere $1.89.

If you opt to make it a meal, you'll also wind up paying less than you would for a sausage egg McMuffin meal, which costs $5.89 on the app (though prices may be different where you live). With the dollar menu option, you get two sausage burritos plus hash browns and a coffee for just $5.39, which means you could wind up paying 50 cents less. It's another low-cost option to consider when you're in need of the heady combination of sausage and eggs to start your day.