Fandango Online Movie Tickets: Skip the Box Office Line
Written: Nov 24 '08
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Fandango is probably the most well-known of the online movie tickets sites. So well known, in fact, that in an informal survey of my friends, no one could remember the obviously-named MovieTickets.com when I asked which sites allowed you to buy movie tickets online. I've used the site several times, including this past weekend for the midnight showing of Twilight.
::: The Site :::
The Fandango site is about more than just buying movie tickets. Owned by Comcast, the site also manages to provide a lot of content, including interviews with movie stars, movie reviews, picture galleries, movie trailers, and tons of content relating to movies either coming soon or out in theaters. You may also be greeted by a survey when you show interest in purchasing tickets to a movie; Fandango compiles information using these informal surveys that get used by the press when estimating how well a movie may do opening weekend based on presale interest. Studios may also use the data to review how well their marketing campaigns are doing, especially when it comes to online marketing.
The movie ticket buying experience is almost as easy as buying your tickets right at the box office; you can search by movie title, by zip code, or, if you can remember that Will Smith has a movie out but not what it's called, even by actor. By entering your zip code, Fandango will show you what theaters are located closest to you, either showing all movies if you've started with the zip code, or only those showing the chosen movie if you started with the movie title. Red showtimes are the ones that have tickets available, and Fandango includes notations for showtimes that have closed captioning.
After selecting your movie time, Fandango allows you to purchase tickets, including selections for Senior and Child pricing, if available at the chosen theater. The site adds a $1.00 convenience charge per ticket, and accepts MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express, as well as Fandango gift cards. They also support many loyalty programs from theater chains like AMC, and allow you to save a profile with your loyalty club information.
::: Is It Worth It? :::
One of the first mistakes people make is relying on Fandango to show up late to a popular or sold-out movie. We did this with the Hannah Montana movie, assuming we could at least skip the line. While Fandango guarantees you a ticket, it doesn't give you choice of seating, and we ended up in the very front of the theater, not a pleasant option for a 3D movie. Lesson learned. With Fandango, you can get your tickets at the theater in two ways: via an automatic kiosk that will spit out your tickets after you insert the credit card you used for purchase and your information, or at the box office by providing the card and printed receipt that Fandango emailed after your purchase.
For the Twilight movie, I showed up at about 11:10 for the midnight showing, and was able to retrieve my tickets quickly. Of course, at 11:10, there were already about 100 people ahead of me, lined up inside the theater. It still pays to be early. However, at least you are guaranteed a seat if the movie sells out.
The other downside to Fandango happens only if you are unable to attend the showing you purchased tickets for; Fandango offers no refunds. Some movie theaters may allow an exchange, but you have to deal with the theater itself, and only after you've retrieved your purchased tickets. It's probably not a situation you'll find yourself in often, but I did have a friend whose daughter got ill and couldn't go to her purchased showing, and she ended up having to eat the price of her ticket. There are also some local theaters not affiliated with the site, so it may not be available for your chosen movie or theater.
Overall, however, Fandango is a convenient choice for skipping long box office lines and assuring yourself a seat for a popular opening weekend. I've used it every time I've attended an opening weekend for a hotly anticipated movie, and so far, I have yet to be disappointed. The convenience fee is reasonable, and skipping the box office with a guaranteed seat is worth the $1.00.
Recommended:
Yes
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pippadaisy
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Divorce seriously cuts into the amount of time for reviewing.
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