Going out to the movies is fun, but the cost of a movie ticket can be steep! See how you can get cheap movie tickets and save money at your local movie theaters.

How to Save Money on Movie Theater Tickets

Going out to see a movie with your family is a great way to spend some time together. But the cost of movie tickets can be steep and therefore you might only see a movie in the theatre once or twice a year.  Here are some ways that you can get cheap movie tickets and save money on going to your local movie theatre.

How to Buy Cheap Movie Tickets at the Theater Box Office

It is still possible to save money on your movie ticket purchase right at the Theatre box office (and avoid the online service fees). First, always check for discount days: for instance the may have discounts for seniors or students on specific days of the week.  Also, check for seasonal promotions around holidays or school breaks for additional savings. I always love the Summer Movie Programs– great indoor, frugal fun in the summer.  Attending a matinee may also mean a lower ticket price.  You may also want to ask, where is there a Discount Movie Theater near me? These cinemas usually don’t have the new releases, but being patient for movies to hit the discount movie theatres means savings for you!

Another way to stack up the savings at the box office is to use gift cards when purchasing your tickets.  You can get these gift cards on the cheap by earning them through rebate apps (like Ibotta) or bought from discount gift card sites like Raise.  You can also get gift cards at the grocery.  Buy movie theatre gift cards at Kroger or Giant Eagle and earn fuel points. Or buy Costco movie tickets in bulk for savings.

Get Cheap Movie Tickets Online

If you want to skip the box office line and have your movie tickets in hand when you get to the cinema, then take advantage of buying them online.  You can use a site like Fandango to buy movie tickets online.  Just a heads up, as I mentioned above, there will be a convince fee ($1-3 er ticket).  But if you can get a discounted Fandango gift card, it could cancel out these fees.  Check daily deal sites like Groupon or LivingSocial for discounted Fandango gif cards.  You can also use the ways mentioned above to purchase or earn Fandango gift cards.

Another way to buy your tickets online (so to speak), is by joining a movie pass program. MoviePass is a program that allows members the ability to see “unlimited” (with some conditions) movies each month for a subscription fee.  MoviePass can be used at multiple cinema chains.  But individual theatre chains are also coming up with their own cinema pass programs too, for instance, AMC movie pass called Stubs A-List is an extension of their loyalty program.

Move Theatre Loyalty Programs

Speaking of movie theater loyalty programs…  AMC Stubs, Marcus Magical Movie Rewards, and Regal Crown Club are just a few of the loyalty programs offered at movie theaters. Generally, these programs offer waived service fees for buying tickets online, point systems to earn rewards and concession perks.  ( Here’s a tip on the “free popcorn refill” from AMC- just ask for your refill in an extra box at the time of purchase.  Then you don’t have to leave the theatre to fill up!)

Even Fandango has a loyalty program.  Earn points on purchases to receive Fandango site discounts and you can link your specific Movie Theatre reward cards and earn their points via your Fandango purchases too.

 

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A post shared by Mary from Mission to Save (@amissiontosave) on Feb 8, 2019 at 6:17pm PST

Attend a Free Movie Screening

How about not paying for the movie at all?! You can get free movie tickets by attending an advanced screening of movies yet to be released. Not only will it be free but you can feel extra special for getting to see the movie before it hits movie theatres officially. You can join Gofobo to be notified on screenings near you.  Also, many local television stations offer screening ticket giveaways (I know my Good Day Columbus friends are always giving away ticket). And if you are in the central Ohio area, be sure to join Mission Savers Facebook group for my announcements of movie screenings in Columbus.

On the Mission to Save facebook page, I polled my readers to see how often people go to the movie theatre.  The majority of you said only a couple times a year (if that!). I hope some of these tips will allow you to hit the theatres more often. “Let’s Go To The Movies!” 

Interested in my reviews on some of the latest films to hit theatres, find my movie reviews here.