Burger King Royal Perks: Can the Crown Compete?
There are burger wars, chicken wars… and then there are Loyalty Program wars. Burger King launched Royal Perks (cute name) in 2021 to compete with MyMcDonald’s, Chick-fil-A One, and Wendy’s Rewards. All three are solid programs, with Chick-fil-A still having the Points Insider “Very Rewarding” verdict unlike the others. Can Burger King dethrone them? Let’s find out.
Photocredit: Shutterstock
How it works:
👑 Burger King’s currency is Crowns, and the earning structure will feel familiar if you’ve dabbled in other fast-food programs:
10 Crowns per $1 spent
Redeem Crowns in 6 tiered increments: 250, 400, 550, 750, 1000, 1400
2x Crowns for your entire birthday month (yes, month …take note, Starbucks)
Special bonus promos and quirky digital games for extra points
Crowns expire 6 months after earning (sadly, they copied McDonald’s on this one and that’s not the rule you want to emulate)
In-App Fun (and easy) Games to Earn Extra Points
Offers are clearly displayed and 1 discount can stack with a Reward.
How you Redeem:
✅ The good news:
Rewards start at just 250 Crowns — roughly $25 in spend (likely 1–2 visits)
Nearly 70 items on the reward list(!), which is the vast majority of the menu (McD’s has a fraction of that, Wendy’s only 27)
You can choose when to convert your Crowns into rewards (as long as they haven’t expired)
The BK app is excellent: intuitive, uncluttered, and easy to manage
❌The not-so-good:
Only 1 reward per transaction. For a brand built on “Have it Your Way,” this particular is…not.
No meals in the reward catalog, just individual items.
What’s the Value:
(Note: by “return value” we mean how much are you save relative to how much you had to spend to earn it. For example, if you spent $100 to earn enough points to redeem $10, that’s a 10% return value).
BK’s return value runs 5%–11%, mostly in the 6–8% range.
That’s on par with Chick-fil-A, but CFA lets you stack rewards.
It’s below McDonald’s peak of 23%, but McD’s menu is much more limited for redemptions.
Thanks to bonus promos, game challenges, and 2x Crowns during your birthday month, your return value can easily climb higher.
(Disclaimer: Menu prices can vary among different Burger King restaurants. The prices we used are estimated based on what we are seeing in our home city of Boston and available internet information. So the return value is approx.
| Item | Spend to Earn Points |
Price | Return Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 Point Items | |||
| Hash Browns Small | $25 | $1.99 | 8% |
| Cheeseburger | $25 | $2.39 | 10% |
| Soft Serve Cone | $25 | $1.49 | 6% |
| Soft Serve Cup | $25 | $1.99 | 8% |
| Hot Brewed Coffee Small | $25 | $1.79 | 7% |
| Iced Coffee Vanilla Small | $25 | $2.29 | 9% |
| Frozen Cherry Small | $25 | $1.49 | 6% |
| Frozen Coke Small | $25 | $1.49 | 6% |
| Chicken Jr. | $25 | $2.49 | 10% |
| Chicken Nuggets 4pc | $25 | $1.79 | 7% |
| French Fries Value | $25 | $2.29 | 9% |
| French Toast Sticks 3pc | $25 | $2.49 | 10% |
| Hamburger | $25 | $2.19 | 9% |
| Onion Rings Value | $25 | $2.39 | 10% |
| Soft Drink Value | $25 | $1.99 | 8% |
| 400 Point Items | |||
| Bacon Cheeseburger | $40 | $3.09 | 8% |
| Double Cheeseburger | $40 | $3.39 | 8% |
| French Fries Small | $40 | $2.49 | 6% |
| Onion Rings Small | $40 | $2.49 | 6% |
| French Toast Sticks 5 Pc | $40 | $3.19 | 8% |
| Hash Browns Medium | $40 | $3.19 | 8% |
| Chicken Nuggets 8pc | $40 | $2.49 | 6% |
| Hershey’s Sundae Pie | $40 | $2.49 | 6% |
| Hot Brewed Coffee Medium | $40 | $1.69 | 4% |
| Hot Brewed Coffee Large | $40 | $1.99 | 5% |
| Iced Coffee Vanilla Medium | $40 | $2.59 | 6% |
| Orange Juice | $40 | $2.59 | 6% |
| Whopper Jr. | $40 | $3.29 | 8% |
| Milk | $40 | $2.49 | 6% |
| Chicken Fries 4 Pc | $40 | $4.29 | 11% |
| Soft Drink Small | $40 | $2.79 | 7% |
| 550 Point Items | |||
| Hash Browns Large | $55 | $4.69 | 9% |
| Iced Coffee Vanilla Large | $55 | $2.79 | 5% |
| French Fries Large | $55 | $3.59 | 7% |
| French Fries Medium | $55 | $3.49 | 6% |
| Onion Rings Large | $55 | $3.89 | 7% |
| Onion Rings Medium | $55 | $3.59 | 7% |
| Biscuit Egg and Cheese | $55 | $3.89 | 7% |
| Double Bacon Cheeseburger | $55 | $3.89 | 7% |
| Croissan’wich Egg Cheese | $55 | $4.29 | 8% |
| Soft Drink Medium | $55 | $3.59 | 7% |
| Soft Drink Large | $55 | $3.59 | 7% |
| 750 Point Items | |||
| Whopper | $75 | $7.19 | 10% |
| Chicken Fries 8 Pc | $75 | $4.29 | 6% |
| Biscuit Sausage, Egg and Cheese | $75 | $5.19 | 7% |
| Croissan’wich Bacon, Egg and Cheese | $75 | $5.19 | 7% |
| Croissan’wich Ham, Egg and Cheese | $75 | $5.19 | 7% |
| Croissan’wich Sausage, Egg and Cheese | $75 | $5.19 | 7% |
| Shake Vanilla Medium | $75 | $4.19 | 6% |
| Shake Chocolate Medium | $75 | $4.19 | 6% |
| Shake Made with Oreo Medium | $75 | $4.39 | 6% |
| 1000 Point Items | |||
| Royal Crispy Chicken | $100 | $6.89 | 7% |
| Fiery Royal Crispy Chicken | $100 | $7.39 | 7% |
| Impossible™ Whopper | $100 | $8.19 | 8% |
| Big Fish Sandwich | $100 | $6.59 | 7% |
| Original Chicken Sandwich | $100 | $6.19 | 6% |
| Fully Loaded Croissan’wich Bacon Ham Saus | $100 | $5.19 | 5% |
| Croissan’wich Sausage Egg Cheese Double | $100 | $5.89 | 6% |
| Egg‑Normous Bacon, Egg and Cheese | $100 | $6.19 | 6% |
| Chicken Fries 12 Pc | $100 | $5.29 | 5% |
| 1400 Point Items | |||
| Bacon King | $140 | $9.49 | 7% |
| Double Whopper with Cheese | $140 | $8.29 | 6% |
| Double Whopper | $140 | $8.29 | 6% |
🕵️♂️ THE Fine Print
No earning via third-party delivery (Uber Eats, DoorDash, etc.)
Max 3 earning transactions per day, at least 1 hour apart
Rewards don’t cover modifications (extra bacon, cheese, etc.) and you’ll have to pay extra.
summary &👩🏻⚖️verdict:
✅ Good return value on Crowns
✅ Excellent app experience
✅ Birthday month bonus of 2x points is generous
✅ Frequent bonus-earning opportunities
❌ No reward stacking
❌ Crowns expire after just 6 months
Royal Perks is one of the better fast-food loyalty programs out there. If BK ever allows reward stacking and ditches the short expiration window, we’d gladly crown it the best. Until then, we can’t quite give it our top rating, but it’s oh-so-close to it.
Leave us a comment! Do you agree or disagree? Any further tips about BK Royal Perks?
