Does It Really Save You Money To Order A Combo At Fast Food Restaurants?

For years, fast food restaurants have been asking one popular question when you order: "Do you want to make that a combo?" It's an easy way to get customers to spend more money without buying expensive, individual fast-food items, allowing the consumer to save money per item. But is that actually true?

It ultimately depends on factors like what you're ordering and where you're dining, especially since exact prices may vary based on location. At McDonald's, for example, the breakfast combo meal is much less expensive than ordering individual items. An Egg McMuffin meal with a hash brown and small Coca Cola costs just $5 in the app, while ordering each item individually would cost $8.37. At Chick-fil-A, an original chicken sandwich — Chowhound's personal favorite in its sandwich ranking — costs $5.99, while a chicken sandwich meal costs $10.65. The meal comes with a medium fries and a medium drink; if you purchased an order of fries and a drink separately, it would all come to $11.69, so you are saving some money with the combo. While most combo meals do cost less than ordering each item on its own, there are a few loopholes that will get you a cheaper meal than what the combo would offer — you just have to know what to do.

The key to getting an even better deal on a combo is to avoid overpriced fast food items and instead focus on value menu items and limited time deals. For example, in September 2025, the McDonald's app is running a "Buy one, Add one for $1" promotion on its value menu. So, you can get a six-piece McNuggets for $3.49, plus a small order of fries for $1. Pair that with a medium drink for $1.69, and the total is only $6.18. Comparatively, if you purchased the six-piece McNuggets medium combo meal, you'd spend $7.79 for the nuggets, medium fries, and a medium drink. The former combo is almost the exact same amount of food — save for a few fries — for $1.61 less.

While some restaurants don't have a value menu, if you subscribe to emails and join the rewards programs, you can likely buy dishes around various coupons and specials that you're offered, similarly to the McDonald's promotion. These savvy ordering hacks allow you to get similar combo meal items for less money than the combo meal itself.