Burger King's $5 Value Meal Will Officially Last Longer Than McDonald's

The $5 Your Way Meal from Burger King was initially rolled out to last through the summer, but now they've announced an extension on the value meal. McDonald's recently announced its own extension of its equivalent $5 value meal, so Burger King's extension promises to last longer, into October.

Fast-food chains are struggling to retain or re-attract customers to drive-thru lines, prompting a "value meal war" between the competing giants of quick-dining restaurants. Many chains have reinvented their value meals to combat the price hikes that drove consumers away and hope to lure back customers without fundamentally changing their base pricing.

Families and individuals have both been pulling back on dining out, finding it too expensive to go out to eat more . Will value meals fundamentally change that? See how the different value meals compare to each other.

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1. Popeyes' Big Box

Courtesy of Popeyes

Savings: 18%

Popeyes is better at chicken than they are at savings, and a recent comparison of fast-food value meals ranked them as the worst deal. They package $8.50 worth of food into a $6.99 value meal, so if you're looking for fried chicken you may as well just order what you really want rather than focusing on minuscule savings with the meal deal.

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2. Arby's Shake Up Your Burger Meal

Courtesy of Arby's

Savings: 30%

Arby's ranked second worst for savings on their value meal, offering $14.37 worth of food for $9.99. The benefit to this deal is the food is regular-sized and the drink is a shake. Trying to upgrade other value meals to a milkshake can throw the savings out the window.

3. Starbucks Pairings Menu

Courtesy of Starbucks

Savings: 35%

Starbucks might be pulling in at only the third worst deal, but looking at what the deal includes will have you channeling your mother and saying things like "Oh no, we have coffee and tea at home, thank you very much!" One coffee or tea and one breakfast sandwich for $6 just doesn't seem like a good deal. It's not even a fancy coffee!

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4. KFC Taste of KFC 2 Piece Deal

Courtesy of Kentucky Fried Chicken

Savings: 39%

Coming in with the fourth worst meal deal, Kentucky Fried Chicken is offering a value meal that caters only to those who want two pieces of dark meat - which is fairly specific considering the adaptability of some other meal deals.

5. Burger King $5 Your Way Meal

Courtesy of Burger King

Savings: 42%

Burger King offers the main competition to the McDonald's value meal that has been extended for longer availability, but they don't offer quite as much savings as the classic Golden Arches. $5 will get you a burger (Whopper Jr., Chicken Jr., or a bacon cheeseburger), four-piece chicken nuggets, small fries, and a drink. The promotion has been extended through October, so it will last longer than McDonald's equivalent offering.

6. Pizza Hut My Hut Box

Courtesy of Pizza Hut

Savings: 43%

If you're craving a personal pan pizza and a side of fries, you will save money with the value meal. Pizza Hut surprisingly ranks as fourth best for meal deal value.

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7. McDonald’s $5 Meal Deal

Courtesy of McDonald's

Savings: 50%

McD's ranks in the top tier of savings on meal deals by offering a McChicken or McDouble, a four-piece chicken nuggets, small fries, and a small drink for $5. Purchasing the items individually totals $9.96, so it's no wonder this deal brought customers back to the Golden Arches. The limited-time promotion has already been extended once, to last through August, but they may extend again to compete with Burger King's announcement that their own $5 meal will extend into October.

8. Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag

Courtesy of Wendy's

Savings: 53%

Wendy's $5 option beats out McDonald's and Burger King by including a small Frosty along with the burger, nuggets, fries, and a soft drink. McDonald's might be able to compete with that offer if only they could keep the ice cream machine working.

9. Taco Bell Luxe Cravings Box

Courtesy of Taco Bell

Savings: 55%

Surprisingly, Taco Bell reigns as king of fast-food savings, offering $15.65 worth of food for $7.00 with their Luxe Cravings Box. They don't skimp on food portions, either, including a Chalupa Supreme, a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, a Double Stacked Taco, Chips and Nacho Cheese Sauce, and medium drink.

That is the most food and savings, knocking even good ol' McD's from the top spot for meal deals.

Bottom line

Fast-food chains have been struggling to maintain customer loyalty in the face of becoming slow and expensive, but offering value meal deals is bringing some back to the drive-thru line. The fast-food industry has been feeling customers pulling away in the first half of the year and reports weaker-than-expected sales.

The return of the $5 meal is credited with pulling patrons back to fast dining options and may be continued even longer if restaurants see a bump in sales.

It's not just fast food that is losing customers; many are opting to eat at home and stay in to combat rising grocery costs. When dining out becomes a luxury cost, it's reasonable for people to save that expense for something that feels luxurious — the opposite of fast food.

The only way to truly bring customers back to the drive-thru lines is by making it affordable again.

Money tips that can work for everyone

No matter what your bank account balance is, there's always an opportunity to optimize and improve your finances. Here's a quick checklist of things you can look at today.

Focus on paying off your debt . Debt can hold you back from making progress with your overall financial well-being. Aside from cutting expenses, there are tools that can help you pay off debt faster like balance transfer credit cards and debt counseling.

Earning extra income can give you breathing room. If finances are tight, earning some extra money to supplement your income can make a huge difference. A new job is one option to consider, but if you're not ready to make a big change or already retired, a part-time side job could be a better choice.

Cut your expenses. It sounds painful and so not fun, but it doesn't have to be. Take a look at your biggest expenses because that's where you'll probably find the biggest savings. For example, auto insurance rates have been soaring so shopping around for a new insurance company can be the fastest way to cut your bill. Also, look for ways to cut your grocery bill (despite rising inflation).