McDonald’s Pokemon cards return in UK with new rules to stop scalpers

As fast food giants McDonald’s reintroduce Pokemon Cards into Happy Meals across the UK, some fans may be fearing a scalper crisis similar to that of the United States. However, they have put some restrictions in place to avoid that. 

2021 has had its fair share of problems, but for Pokemon fans everywhere the main issue has been scalpers.

The US has seen an insane rise in scalping as the card game approaches its 25th Anniversary. With supermarkets such as Target no longer stocking the cards, the situation has spiralled out of control pretty quickly.

All eyes turn now, though, to the UK. McDonald’s have announced that special Pokemon Cards will be found in Happy Meals, but it won’t be business as usual, with one eye on people looking to stockpile the items from the promo collection.

When are Pokemon Cards in McDonald’s Happy Meals?

The McDonald’s x Pokemon card promotion begins on May 19, with no set end date. That means you can try and score some cards, for a limited time in Happy Meals.

The fast food behemoth has clarified, though, that their stock is “extremely limited,” so bear this in mind.

What is the McDonald’s Pokemon Card Game promotion?

Just as in the States, McDonald’s UK have teamed up with Pokemon TCG to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the game.

• Read More: Target will now call the police on Pokemon card scalpers

One of 25 special cards will be found in Happy Meals across the country, themed around the title’s iconic starter Pokemon that we’ve grown to know and love.

Two variants of the cards will be available; the base card and the highly sought after foiled version. A full set can sell for insane prices, attracting scalpers to buy up as many of the kid’s meals as possible.

McDonald’s Pokemon card rules for Happy Meals

Not only is it a nightmare for the restaurant, it literally snatches toys from kid’s hands. Fortunately, though, the UK chain has come up with a host of rules to ensure things don’t go awry.

• Customers will be unable to purchase extra toys.
• Limits may be set on the number of Happy Meals customers can purchase.

What happened in the US?

While it may seem inconsequential to some, the Pokemon Card Game has become a livelihood for others.

• Read More: Enough is enough – Pokemon card scalpers NEED to be stopped

The rise of Pokemon Card unboxings on YouTube, has led to rising prices, inflating card values by insane amounts online.

Because of this, scalpers have been snagging as many of the Nintendo collectibles as possible with the intention of selling them on the make large sums of cash.

What are scalpers?

Scalpers have one intention: to buy as many Pokemon cards as possible and sell them on for fast profits online. In doing so, however, they can deprive actual collectors and fans of the chance to ‘catch ’em all.’

Relentless in the quest, they have emptied stores such as Target and the concern is that UK McDonald’s will be next in line, as they’re releasing the promo with limited card stocks.

All we can do is wait and see how this situation plays out, but it’ll be interesting to see if UK companies clamp down as much as their US colleagues have.