Another monthly subscription!? Between Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc., taking a slice of my monthly budget, I always question whether I need another monthly subscription service. At the very least, I want to make sure that I actually use the service in question and that it is worth the extra expense.

I have had Movie Pass for a couple of months now, and I used it sparingly without issue. However, on my March Bucket List I included that I wanted to go to the movies once a week to see if I could get as much use out of the subscription service as my schedule allowed. Now that I have completed that item on my bucket list (see my March Wrap Up here!) I want to share my experiences for those of you who have been considering joining!

The Good…

One of the biggest draws to joining Movie Pass is that you can watch the latest movies in theaters for just $9.95 a month! At that price, the subscription pays for itself if you just watch one movie a month in theaters (especially with the climb in movie prices the past few years). You can see a movie every day (only one ticket can be purchased a day) which is great if you have the free time to use it frequently. Much like a gym membership, the more you use it, the more value you get. If you decide to skip the gym for a month, you’ve flushed some money down the drain.

The mechanism of the subscription is straight-forward and easy to use. The Movie Pass looks and functions like a credit card. However, before use to purchase a ticket, the card must be activated using the Movie Pass app. Within the app, you select the theater, movie, and show time, and then the ticket is ready to be purchased with the card. When I first went to use the card, I was nervous that something would go wrong at the kiosk (it couldn’t be that easy!?) but it truly was that simple!

The Bad…

There are some aspects of using the service that could be considered a disadvantage. One of the biggest may be that the card can only be used to purchase tickets for 2D or “standard” movies (sorry to all the 3D and DOLBY/IMAX lovers out there).

Another disadvantage is that there is little to no advance ticket ordering available. This could be an issue if you (and the rest of the world) are really excited to see a movie opening weekend, and you arrive to find that the movie is sold out. When my brother and I went to see the Black Panther the first time, we had to leave and go to a different theater to get tickets a suitable time (it wasn’t even opening weekend!). It wasn’t the end of the world, but a tad inconvenient.

Which brings me to my next point; in order to activate the card, you must be within 100 yards of the theater. Again, not the end of the world, but it is an extra step to take (the worst if you leave your phone!).

Is it worth subscribing to another service?

Absolutely! The advantages significantly outweigh the disadvantages in this stage of my life. I enjoy movie watching in a theater as both a way to decompress and to enjoy the movie with other viewers (though don’t get me started on a movie theater etiquette rant). It’s an easy, (and with the Movie Pass) inexpensive way to kill some time. Plus, 3D movies aren’t really my jam and if I really want to plan ahead to secure tickets to see a movie opening day (HELLO INFINITY WAR) then I just pay full price.

There you have it! I hope that anyone who has been on the fence about subscribing to Movie Pass can make a more informed decision. Not sponsored, just my honest opinion about adding yet another subscription service :).

♥ Cierra