8 Ways To Save On Cinema Tickets

Whilst a cinema trip is a popular pastime for many, there’s no doubt about it, cinema tickets aren’t cheap. In fact, the average cinema ticket now costs over £7 (it was £4.40 in the year 2000).

So, what can you do about it? As it turns out, lots of things. Here are 8 ways to save on your cinema tickets, plus ways to combine the savings, to save even more.

Contents

• Meerkat Movies
• Student Discount
• Club Lloyds
• Vue Super Mondays
• Vue £5 Tickets
• Unlimited or Limitless
• Cashback Websites
• Credit Cards

Meerkat Movies

Meerkat Movies gets you 2 for 1 cinema tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You’ll get a new code to use each week. To quality, all you have to do is purchase insurance through Compare The Market. Download the Meerkat App to get the code (you’ll also get access to Meerkat Meals, which can save you 50% on dining).

If you’re buying insurance anyway, it’s a great added benefit which you’ll get for 12 months. Alternatively, you can get access to meerkat movies for just over £1 using this neat little trick.

You Could Save: £12 Per Cinema Trip

Student Discount

A Student ID gives you access to some great savings, one of which being a student cinema ticket. A less obvious saving is that you can combine it with Meerkat Movies. If your cinema trip consists of an adult and a student, for example, you can buy one student ticket and you can get a meerkat ticket as well.

This means you’re paying for the cheaper student ticket and you’re getting the more expensive ticket for free.

By Itself, You Could Save: 20% (Student)

Combined With Meerkat Movies, You Could Save: 55% (Student + Meerkat)

Club Lloyds

A bank-specific saving, when you sign up to a Club Lloyds bank account, you get to choose one lifestyle benefit. One of these benefits is ‘6 free cinema tickets’. You can choose from 6 free Cineworld or 6 free Vue tickets.

Since Cineworld is slightly more upmarket than Vue, you’ll probably receive more value if you take the 6 free Cineworld tickets.

There is a catch. The account normally comes with a £3 monthly fee. However, this is waived if you deposit £1500 or more into the account every month. There’s no rule about this money having to come from employment income so technically you could just transfer your own money in and out of the account until you hit the £1500 minimum.

If You Pay The £3 Monthly Fee, You Could Save: £35 Over The Year (Free Tickets - Bank Account Fees)

If the £3 Monthly Fee Is Waived, You Could Save: £71+ Over The Year (Free Tickets And No Bank Fees)

Vue Super Mondays

A cinema-specific saving this time. Vue offer discounted tickets (available to everyone, not just students) on Mondays, through their Super Mondays promotion. The saving depends on the location but Super Monday ticket prices range between £3.99 and £5.49 (they normally cost between £5 and £14).

In a few cases, Vue Super Mondays beat the Meerkat Movies offer too.

You Could Save: £1 - £8.51 Per Ticket

Vue £5 Tickets

Vue just keeps on giving. At 40 select Vue cinemas, they’ve fixed the ticket price at £4.99, all day, every day. Which cinemas, you ask? Here’s a handy list:

Aberdeen, Barrow, Bedford, Birmingham Star City, Bristol Cribbs Causeway, Bristol Longwell Green, Bury, Carlisle, Cheshire Oaks, Cleveleys, Darlington, Eastleigh, Farnborough, Gateshead, Halifax, Hamilton, Hartlepool, Hull, Inverness, Lancaster, Leamington Spa, Leeds Kirkstall, Leeds Light, Leicester, Livingston, Manchester Printworks, Northampton, Norwich, Oxford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Reading, Romford, Scunthorpe, Southport, Stirling, Swansea, Thurrock, Torbay and York.

Unlike the Super Mondays offer, you can combine this with Meerkat Movies to get 2 tickets for £4.99.

Combined with Meerkat Movies, You Could Save: £4.99+ Per Trip

Unlimited or Limitless

Cineworld Unlimited and Odeon Limitless are monthly/annual subscriptions which grant you a range of benefits. It’s likely that you’ll only see a saving here if you’re an avid film goer (at least twice per month).

Cineworld Unlimited: Costs £18.40 per month (outside London West End) and £20.90 per month (including London West End). There’s no discount for paying 12 months up front. You’ll get 10% off food and drink, plus advance screenings. After year 1, you’ll become a premium member which grants you access to 3D movies at no additional cost and a 25% discount on food and drink.

Odeon Limitless: Costs £17.99 per month (outside London) and £19.99 in London. You can pay 12 months up front and save 5%. You’ll get 10% off of food and drink, plus you’ll be invited to exclusive preview screenings. Trips to Odeon Luxe cinemas come at no extra charge (except for Islington Luxe & Dine).

If You See 2 Films Per Month, You Could Save: £66 (not including food/drink discounts)

Cashback Websites

Check cashback websites, like Quidco (referral link: £10 bonus) and TopCashback (referral link: £5 Bonus) before you book your cinema tickets. Sometimes, you can earn a percentage or a fixed amount in cashback when you book online through their link. Currently, you can get a fixed amount back when you purchase Cineworld Unlimited or Odeon Limitless.

Credit Cards

Check your credit cards or debit cards for cashback, boosted points-earning offers and special invites. American Express (referral link: 6,000 MR Points) for example, offer discounted tickets and hold cardmember events throughout the year.

This has included free, advance movie screenings in the past so keep your eye out for them.

So, How Much Could You Save On The Cinema?

If you’re really efficient and take advantage of just some of these offers, here’s what you could be looking to save on your cinema tickets. I’ll look at a few scenarios.

Scenario 1: Adult Couple (8 Cineworld Visits Per Year)

Both have a Club Lloyds account and they hit the criteria to waive the £3 monthly fee. They get 6 free Cineworld tickets per year, each, normally costing £11.95. They visit the cinema on 2 other occasions during the year (totalling 8 annual visits), taking advantage of Meerkat Movies.

• Original Cost: £191.20

• Cost After Savings: £23.90

Scenario 2: Pair Of Students On A Budget (8 Vue Visits Per Year)

Both take advantage of the £4.99 fixed price Vue offer and they only go to the cinema on Tuesdays or Wednesdays (Meerkat Movies). Their Club Lloyds accounts each give them 6 free Vue tickets too.

• Original Cost: £79.84

• Cost After Savings: £9.98

Scenario 3: Solo Film Buff (Odeon Limitless + Amex Screenings Over 1 Year)

This film buff is an avid cinema goer who normally sees 2-3 films per month. They’re an Odeon Limitless and Amex card holder. They’ve paid their annual Odeon Limitless bill up front, giving them a 5% discount, plus they get £10 off the total cost using Quidco. On top of their savings, they enjoy advance preview screenings thanks to their Odeon and Amex cards.

• Original Cost: £270-£405 (2-3 Films Per Month)

• Cost After Savings: £195 (Doesn’t Include Food/Drink Savings)