Diners used the “eat out to help out” scheme more than 10.5 million times in its first week, the Treasury has said.
Under the scheme, which is intended to boost the struggling hospitality sector, the government pays for 50% of a meal eaten at a cafe, restaurant or pub on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
The discount, which is due to run through August, is capped at £10.
Treasury estimates put the average claim at close to £5, making the cost of the policy around £50m so far.
HMRC said that, as of 9 August, it had received 10,540,394 claims under the scheme.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak described the figures as “amazing”, adding those using the scheme were helping support the hospitality sector.