'Confusing' message on McDonald's Monopoly winning tickets leaves diners baffled

Fast food giant McDonald's has come under fire from customers playing its popular Monopoly game because of the message on the winning tickets.

The promotion, which was postponed for a month due to coronavirus, began again last month - however the long-anticipated tickets have left some feeling confused.

Some disgruntled and hungry punters hoping to win a lucrative prize (or more McDonald's grub) claim to have opened tickets that have expired.

Taking to Twitter to express their confusion, customers wanted to know what on earth had happened with their entries.

One user said: " @McDonaldsUK why is it that a sticker I just got on 1/9/21 expires on the 4/5/21?"

Eager customers picked up their Monopoly tickets but were confused by the dates (Getty)

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Another said: "My codes don’t scan on the mcds app though, it’s really confusing."

More users appeared to have trouble scanning their codes on the McDonald's app.

However, it appears there's an explanation as to why some people have received unusual dates in the Monopoly game.

According to the Daily Star, the seemingly expired tickets are still absolutely valid - but they were printed before the competition was postponed.

Therefore, tickets that show a "play before" date of 4 May will actually be valid until 5 October.

According to McDonald's, the following rescheduled dates apply:

• Collect to win non-food prizes: Old date June 4, 2021, new date November 11, 2021
• Collect to win food prizes: Old date May 18, 2021, new date October 19, 2021
• Instant win non-food prize or discount: Old date June 4, 2021, new date November 5, 2021
• Instant win food or Just Eat vouchers: Old date May 18, 2021, new date October 19, 2021
• Instant win discount voucher (excluding Just Eat) old date, August 31, 2021 or earlier, new date January 31, 2022
• Online game: Old date May, 5, 2021, new date October 15, 2021

As well as potentially bagging some free McDonald's treats, players can also win fabulous prizes such as a trip to Ibiza or £100,000 in cash.

A McDonald's spokeswoman said: "Packaging and Game Pieces printed prior to rescheduling couldn’t be securely reprinted in time, so new dates apply – consumers must see the website or ask in restaurants to find details of all rescheduled enter-from/until dates and claim or redeem prizes-by dates."