See Unlimited Movies in Theaters for $10 a Month!

My husband and I love watching movies and we especially love seeing them in theaters but it can get very expensive.  I wrote a post a while ago about cheap ways to see movies but I have learned about a new and better way: MoviePass.

MoviePass is a subscription service that allows you to go see a movie in a theater once a day for only $9.95 a month!  While the national average for a movie ticket is $8.61, here in California they are commonly $12-$14 for a regular movie.  That means you save money even just by only going once a month.  But for those that live in areas where it is cheaper than the monthly cost, you will certainly make it up by just going twice a month.  It is a huge savings for people that love to see movies all the time in theaters.

Now here are the restrictions:

1. MoviePass is not accepted at all theaters.  That being said, it is accepted at many large chains and even some local run theaters.  The biggest chain that does not accept it is AMC.  But check their website to see what theaters in your area do accept it.  I still have choice of all of my favorites in my area.
2. You have to be within 100 yards of the theater before you can order your ticket.
3. MoviePass can only be used to buy a standard ticket, i.e. no 3D or Imax.  There is a trick to upgrade your ticket and just pay the difference that MoviePass doesn't tell you about.  See below.

How Does It Work?

Once you sign up for MoviePass, they send you a card.  This card is used to "pay" for the ticket when you have to purchase it at the kiosk at the movie theater.  When your account is activated, you need to download the MoviePass app.  When you want to get a ticket, go to the theatre and "check in" to your movie on the app.  You can either purchase the ticket through the app if it is available at that theater or you go to the ticket kiosk and order a ticket like normal and when they ask for payment, you hand them the MoviePass card which works like a debit or credit card.  It's as simple as that!

Tricks to Upgrade or Reserve Ahead of Time

MoviePass is only for day of standard tickets but there are ways around that.  The first thing to note is that it doesn't really matter what movie you check in to on the MoviePass app.  When you check in, it just gives the okay on your card for one purchase of a standard ticket rate within the half hour time slot.  There is no way for it to specify a certain showing.  That means if you want to make sure you get tickets to a premiere that might sell out, go to the theatre ahead of time and just check in to any movie but when you go to the kiosk, ask for whatever showing you want and use your MoviePass card.  It does mean that you can't see a movie on that day of purchase, but you could conceivably see multiple movies in one day this way.

If you really want to see something in 3D or Imax, you can do a similar trick to "upgrade" and only pay the difference in price from a standard ticket to the other ticket.  Check in to any movie and order a standard ticket.  Then at the theater kiosk, ask to exchange your ticket for the upgraded version and pay the difference.

While these tricks are kind of inconvenient, it is a small price to pay for what money you'll be saving in my opinion!

Sign up for MoviePass today here!