Being rich doesn't always mean acting rich. Just ask the two men who've taken turns wearing the crown of richest person alive. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett could afford just about any lunch they wanted—but when they grabbed McDonald's in Hong Kong, one of them reached into his pocket and pulled out coupons.

Spoiler: it wasn't Bill Gates.

Gates told the story himself in a letter he wrote to Buffett in 2017. "Remember the laugh we had when we traveled together to Hong Kong and decided to get lunch at McDonald's?" Gates wrote. "You offered to pay, dug into your pocket, and pulled out…coupons!"

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That's right. The Oracle of Omaha, sitting in a foreign country, still found a way to bargain down the price of a Big Mac.

But here's where it gets even better—Gates holds one of the few ultra-exclusive McDonald's "Gold Cards" that lets him eat free at any McDonald's in the world. Buffett has one too, but his only works in Omaha.

These McGold Cards are basically unicorns in the world of corporate perks. Most people don't even know they exist. They're not for sale, they're handed out like golden tickets—to celebrities, select execs, or contest winners. 

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In 2007, Buffett showed off his McGold Card to CNBC, saying, "There's just a few of them. Bill Gates has one. His is good throughout the world, I guess. Mine is only good in Omaha—but I never leave Omaha, so mine is just as good as his."

So technically, the billionaire with the global fast-food free pass let the other billionaire handle the bill—with a coupon.

Still, this isn't about being stingy. These are two of the most generous humans in history. Between the Gates Foundation and Buffett's lifetime pledge to give away 99% of his wealth, they've already donated over $100 billion to global health, education, and anti-poverty efforts. So no, frugality doesn't equal greed—it's more like habit. Deeply ingrained, highly selective habit.

Buffett famously starts his day with a McDonald's breakfast, choosing between a $3.17 bacon sandwich or the budget $2.61 sausage patty based on—wait for it—how the stock market is doing. If the Dow is down, he goes cheap. That's how disciplined this man is.

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Gates, meanwhile, is also notoriously frugal and once flew coach long after he could've bought the airline. He just likes saving money. Even if it means letting a guy with region-locked coupons cover the bill.

Maybe the takeaway here isn't that billionaires are tight. It's that they didn't suddenly stop looking for value once they got rich. They just never stopped asking: Can I get this cheaper?

And honestly? If Warren Buffett is still using coupons and Bill Gates is humble-flexing a fast-food VIP card, the rest of us might want to rethink what "rich" really looks like.

Because sometimes wealth smells a lot like french fries.

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