Useful MoviePass Tips
MoviePass, pretty much anything you can watch on the big screen is a pretty sweet deal for $ 9.95 a month. But what if I told you that the deal could be even nicer? We’re talking about free popcorn, guaranteed tickets for new releases, and easy avoidance of the most common issues. All you need is the right tricks.
Buy tickets for popular films early that day
For most screenings, MoviePass requires you to be physically in the theater to buy a ticket (it checks your location via GPS via the app). Show this super popular movie in prime time hoping to buy a ticket right now, but that’s not the best idea. If you want to use MoviePass for this sort of thing, go to the theater on the morning of the show and buy a ticket.
Try “fandango exchange”
If you can’t come to the theater early in the afternoon to block your ticket, Peter Allen Clarke of Mashable suggests you try the “fandango swap” (my stupid name, not his). For movies with reserved seats, buy your ticket in advance on the Fandango app. Once you reach the cinema, cancel your ticket in the app (this must be done before the movie starts) and then quickly try to buy this now open seat using MoviePass. Clarke admits that this is a huge risk as so many things can go wrong, but if you’re insanely busy and desperate to see a superhero premiere, this might be your only option.
Do a manual check if your show is missing
MoviePass uses data feeds to schedule sessions, which means something can go wrong if something happens to feeds. If you come to the theater and do not see the show times shown in the app, you can manually check them using the support chat feature in the MoviePass app:
- Open the MoviePass app
- Tap the hamburger menu in the upper left corner.
- Click Help & Feedback.
- Click Contact Support.
Just tell them what’s going on and they will quickly register you and allow you to buy your ticket.
Double check your session schedule elsewhere
Since we’re talking about data streams and how they can go wrong, it’s a good idea to always check the session schedule outside of the MoviePass app. What you see in the MoviePass app may not always be accurate, so check if the listings on the cinema website match before you head out the door.
Sign up for Theater Chain Bonus Programs
Does the theater you visit often have some kind of customer reward program? Register now! MoviePass works completely with them. Reward programs like Regal Rewards can bring you free popcorn, discounts, and even free movie tickets. It might seem like you’re not paying for every movie you watch, or like you’re using some kind of sketchy coupon, but MoviePass pays the full price for those tickets, so you can earn some rewards with them as well. One Reddit user broke the math for Regal Rewards :
You get 100 points for every dollar spent, so I get roughly 1,500 points (tickets cost about $ 15 where I live) every time I watch a movie, but you also get bonus points based on how many movies you watch in a year. … If you watch 6 movies a year (which I shot in less than a month with MP), you get an additional 250 points for each visit. 10 films will give you Ruby status and 500 bonus points. 20 visits earn you 1000 bonus points. At this point, I earn 2,500 points per visit, which means I can get free popcorn / soda on every third visit, or a free ticket (for your companion without MoviePass) every 6 visits.
That’s a huge bonus to an already great movie deal!
Forgot your MoviePass? Try to buy an e-ticket
If you forgot your MoviePass card, try buying an e-ticket through the MoviePass app. Not all cinemas support e-ticketing – MJR, Studio Movie Grill, B&B and Goodrich Quality Theaters are certain, but it’s worth checking out. If this does not work, please contact support via the app (same instructions as above in the “Manual check” section). They may advise you to buy a ticket out of pocket and refund you later. Just remember to take a photo of the movie stub and receipt to send to them later. Important : Do not expect a refund, unless the MoviePass employee instructed you to buy a ticket out of their pocket . Always contact them first.
MoviePass rejected? Contact customer service
If your MoviePass card is rejected by a theater employee, rejected at a kiosk, or some other error occurred while processing a payment, please contact customer service through the app. They will find a way to invite you – if you are in a supporting theater – even if it requires reimbursement after you pay for the ticket out of your pocket.
Enjoy re-watching by tagging different movies
Previously, MoviePass did not allow some users to watch the same movie over and over again. Since then, their terms of service have changed to allow multiple views of the same movie, but in case you ever run into an obstacle, it’s worth knowing a way around it.YouTube channel The Reel Talk invites you to simply check out another movie with similar running times and ticket prices, and then buy a ticket for the movie you are trying to watch again.
Don’t shy away from AMC cinemas entirely
MoviePass recently made a splash by blocking their service at AMC’s 10 busiest cinemas across the country. However, MoviePass still works great in other AMC locations, so don’t try to avoid AMC cinemas unless you’re usually in one of these cinemas:
- AMC Century City 15 in Los Angeles (California)
- AMC Mercado 20 in Santa Clara (California)
- AMC Mission Valley 20 in San Diego (California)
- AMC Disney Springs 24 in Orlando (FL)
- AMC Veterans 24 in Tampa, FL
- AMC Loews Boston Common 19 in Boston, MA
- AMC River East 21 in Chicago (IL)
- AMC Tysons Corner 16 in McLean, Virginia
- AMC Loews Alderwood Mall 16 in Lynwood (Washington)
- AMC Empire 25 in New York (NY)
I recently checked this myself and was able to see Coco very well. Again, it was MoviePass who made their service not run in these locations, not AMC. This situation does not mean that AMC is going to completely block MoviePass and they cannot help but violate the terms with MasterCard.
Pay at kiosks to get out of trouble
However, some cinemas will judge you if you use MoviePass to visit their cinemas more often and for some reason they have more money for snacks. If possible, use an automated kiosk instead of a personal checkout to work around any issues.
MoviePass Hacks You Shouldn’t Use
There are several other hidden uses for MoviePass, but these are contrary to the terms of service that you agreed to. Things like:
- Buying Multiple Budget / Morning Cinema Tickets on the Same Day : The cinema may only charge $ 6 for a ticket on Tuesday afternoon (which means you can buy two tickets at the same time), but this is against the rules, even if it is theft.
- Buying food or snacks with MoviePass : Some people managed to go to the cinema and buy $ 15 worth of snacks and then walk away (like medium-sized popcorn), but you will be charged if they catch you doing it! Just enjoy the fact that you can watch a movie cheaply and buy snacks from the store. These sales are what keep theaters in business.
- Scalping tickets to the movies, bought with the help of MoviePass: not scalp tickets, regardless of whether you are using MoviePass to buy tickets or not, so just … just do not do it. Come on.
If you are caught doing any of these activities, you may be charged a fee, but MoviePass may immediately terminate your account and prevent you from registering again. MoviePass is awesome power, don’t overuse it.