Photo courtesy of Ivaylo Georgiev

Photo courtesy of Ivaylo Georgiev

These days renting a movie from a video store is a big waste of money.  For instance, if I were to rent DVDs here in Missoula, I could expect to pay about $3-$4 per rental.  Sure, I might get to keep each for 2-5 days, but for me having an extra day or two doesn’t justify those bloated prices.  For example, if you rent 2 movies every weekend at $4 per rental, you’ve spent $416 in a year on movie rentals!

However, don’t despair, because Harry Potter doesn’t have to break the bank.   Below I have listed some alternatives, you should consider instead.  As you will see not only are they all significantly cheaper services, but in many instances, they are also more convenient.

The alternatives

  1. Redbox:  This is my favorite alternative to the traditional video store experience.  No, I have not yet tried renting from Redbox (stay tuned for my full review), but they boast over 15,000 locations, and most importantly, they’re one of the cheapest.  As noted, Redbox operates kiosks in thousands locations across the country, many located in supermarkets. Each rental costs just $1/night, and you can even reserve copies from any kiosk through their website.  One small downside is that each kiosk only holds around 70-200 titles, but from my own experience, they tend to have most of the new releases.  For further information or for the location of your nearest kiosk, click on the link above.
  2. Netflix: With Neflix, there is no need to worry about location.  Netflix is an online rental service that sends movies straight to your door.  For a monthly fee, subscribers get access to around 100,000 titles. Options range from a $4.99/month  limited plan to a $16.99/month unlimited plan.  For the casual renter, Redbox may be a better value; however, if you watch >20 movies/month or live in the middle of nowhere, Netflix may be the way to go.
  3. DVD Play:  DVD Play is similar to Redbox in that it is kiosk-based and rentals are $1 per night.  Their weakness seems to be the lack of locations (they are partnered with Safeway) and the fact they only hold up to 100 titles.  However, they are indeed cost effective if you happen to have one nearby.
  4. Your local library: Some people will likely be amused that I put the library on this list.  However, you might be surprised by what you found if you ever cruised your library’s movie section.  They may not have all the latest releases, but many are well stocked with a variety of contemporary films.  Plus, if you have a library card, the rentals are free!

Just how much will you save?

All of the above-mentioned options are much cheaper in the long run than renting from a traditional video store.  To illustrate this, I have prepared price a comparison below featuring each possible scenario. 

The savings calculated in this example are based on an individual renting 10 movies/month for an entire year.  For the purpose of comparison, the assumed annual cost associated with a traditonal video store is calculated by multiplying $4/rental x 120 rentals for the year.  Altogether, the total cost of getting these movies from a video store comes out to $480.  Now let’s see how much you could save by choosing an alternative source:

  • Redbox: At $1 each, the total amount spent on movie rental would equal $12/month or $120/year.  That’s a total annual savings of $360!
  • Netflix: To watch 10 movies/month with Netflix, the cheapest plan you could get would be the $12.99 unlimited plan.  With that plan, annually you would be spending $155.88  or alternatively saving $324.12 over video store rentals. 
  • DVD Play: See the Redbox figures.
  • Library: Your yearly expenditures would be approximately $1 for a total savings of $479.  That may sound great, however, the library’s selection probably wouldn’t suffice as sole source of video rentals for most of us. 

Netflix vs. kiosk

 Since both the Redbox and DVD Play are basically the same price wise, the real decision in choosing where to rent  for less is whether or not get a plan with Netflix or rent from a kiosk.  Both are good options, so it’s best to choose what you value the most in a service:

  • Convenience:  If you live in a rural area, a kiosk might not be close enough to be considered practical.  Plus, you have to consider gas consumption which can add up running $1 rentals back and forth to a kiosk. 
  • Grace period: That Redbox dvd only costs $1 to rent; however, remember it has to be back the next day.  For every day over, you spend another $1.  With Netflix, however, you get to keep the movies for as long as you like.
  • Flexibility: If you are on the Netflix, plan you still pay no matter if you rent movies that month or not.
  • Frequency:  You have to watch a lot of movies through Netflix to beat the value of  kiosk rentals. 

Conclusion

If you watch movies regularly, picking any of the above will save you money.  As seen in the above example, that amount could be a couple hundred dollars, which is substantial.  In the end, this is a personal decision, so pick the one that works best for you and kiss Blockbuster goodbye!  Your wallet will thank you!