Movie ticket prices may keep rising and rising, but it’s getting easier than ever to find discounts so there’s no reason to ever pay full price for a ticket. Our favorite way to save: buy movie passes instead of movie tickets. Movie passes are sold at a discount, so you’ll pay $6-$8 per pass instead of $9-$11 for a ticket.
Each theater has different rules on their passes, but generally they are valid for any movie and have a lenient expiration date (if any). Some passes exclude the newest releases (usually movies in their first 2 weeks of a run) but might give you the option of upgrading the pass (for a $1-2 charge) so that you can use it on those as well. You’ll probably also have to pay an upgrade fee for 3D or IMAX shows too.
What are the best places to buy movie passes?
- Online: If your local cinema is part of a larger chain (AMC, Cineplex Odeon, Regal, etc.), they’ll list their movie pass deals directly on the corporate website.
- Your Local Cinema or Local Stores: The theater itself will likely sell them, but you can also check local stores (Costco is a great one to check).
- The Entertainment Book: These books are a wealth of coupons on all sorts of things–movies being just one. Buy a copy of your local book to get coupons or vouchers that will allow you to buy passes at a discount right at the box office or, in advance, by mail.
If you have the choice of two different types of passes–one that is valid for any showing including new releases, and another that is restricted (but a couple of dollars cheaper)–consider buying a few of each. Try to use the cheaper restricted passes for the biggest savings, but you’ll have the others as a backup plan.
We recommend buying enough passes so you’ll always have a few on hand when you’re ready to hit the movies, but don’t use them without first checking your alternatives. Other discounts–such as matinee prices, tie-in promotions for free tickets, movie rewards, etc.–may give you an even better deal. When that’s the case, save the passes for the next trip (and each trip after that!).
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A LOZO expert posted this tip. |