For the third time in as many months I have been accused of disloyalty. I’d feel insulted if it wasn’t true.

I received an email from McDonald’s telling me that the reward points I had accumulated in their app are about to expire and I need to use them or lose them. I expect I will lose them.

A couple of years ago McDonald’s revamped their reward system so that the points earned had an expiry date. The idea is to encourage people to use their points. In theory anyway. The actual goal is to encourage people to spend more.

I don’t have enough points accumulated to redeem them for a reward, therefore I need to spend money to be rewarded. But I don’t want to spend money for something I don’t want or need. Which may be why this is the third time I’ve received the warning. I lost points the first two times, and at the rate I have been going, soon I will have no points left. I guess I’m not a loyal customer.

Part of the problem is that I can remember when a hamburger was 22 cents and a cheeseburger 25. Fast food was economical. It isn’t anymore – and either the quality has declined or my taste buds have matured. A fast food meal isn’t my ideal the way it was when I was a teenager. And quite frankly, I don’t think $2.49 for a hamburger is a great deal, not when you add fries ($2.49 for the small size) and a drink (1.89 for a small one), especially when you add 13% tax. That’s $7.75, for a very basic meal. I can get a basic pizza for that price and will have leftovers.

The cost of everything is up, but it seems the cost of fast food has risen disproportionately. Which may be why the only McDonald’s visit I’ve made in the past three months or so was in the US when we were on vacation. That purchase doesn’t count for points in the Canadian app.

With its expiring rewards points McDonald’s was taking a page from my airline loyalty plan. Some years I fly several times, other years maybe even not at all. They deduct points when I don’t fly. I’ve never made it to any sort of status – but I have had my baggage go astray almost every time I have flown in recent years.

What they don’t seem to understand is that point deductions decrease my loyalty. Whether it’s a flight or fast food, I’m going to consider the alternatives, especially when you take away points I have “earned.” If I have no hope of reaching a reward level (and with the airlines and their changes to how points are awarded that seems to be the case), then why should I be loyal to your brand? I’ll fly the budget airline and grab my burger at the closest place.

In May, I had almost enough McDonald’s reward points to earn a free fries. By the end of September I’ll be down to almost zero. I lost points in July and August and will probably allow the ones I have now to expire on principle.

What about you? Does the thought of losing an earned reward spur you to spend more money – money that you would not have spent otherwise? Feel free to leave a comment.