Why Rob Lowe Has a McDonald's Gold Card

Here's a marketing play that you don't hear about every day: McDonald's selectively gives out Gold Cards that entitle the carrier to either a year or a lifetime of free McDonald's food. Last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, actor Rob Lowe stopped by to show off his new McDonald's Gold Card which expires on October 16, 2016. Once considered an urban myth, McDonald's has been giving out Gold Cards for years now. Apparently Warren Buffett and Bill Gates also have these gilded gift cards. So how did Lowe get his? "My buddy's dad invented the Egg McMuffin... which, to me is like the greatest human achievement. And get this, he invented Ronald McDonald. He's the guy who said to Ray Kroc, 'You should have, like, a pedophile-looking creepy clown.'" Watch Kimmel explain how McDonald's employees will react when Lowe walks in for his free Egg McMuffin in the full clip, above. Is the McDonald's Gold Card superior to the Chipotle Burrito Card? That depends on whether you prefer burgers to burritos.