Why You Can Trust CNET Get 2 unrestricted movie tickets per month for $8.99
MoviePass competitor Sinemia provides fewer total trips to the theater, but also has fewer restrictions. Plus: The full roundup of Holiday Buyer's Guide exclusive deals!
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A prepaid debit card that gets you into the movies? Sinemia sure sounds familiar...
Hello, New York! (And hello, everywhere else!)
In case you haven't been paying attention, I'm here in NYC today for CNET's Holiday Buyer's Guide Live, which will air at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. (In fact, if all goes well, you'll see the show right on the CNET home page.)
If you're not able to tune in, no worries: All the deals will be shared in real-time right here. (Well, not here -- down below.) But do you really want to miss your chance to see me embarrass myself on live, er, internet?
In the meantime, because I've written about MoviePass at least twice (including yesterday), it seems only fair that I mention competitor Sinemia -- especially considering that they're running a deal right now.
For a limited time, you can get a 2-ticket Sinemia subscription for $8.99 per month. Reg. price: $24.99. You can also get a 3-ticket subscription for $13.99, which works out to $4.66 per movie. Update: Bleh! So this promo pricing apparently ended mid-day today. I'm checking with Sinemia to see if there's another deal forthcoming or perhaps they'll extend it for Cheapskate readers. Stay tuned!
A few key things separate Sinemia from MoviePass. First, it offers movie plans for two, including a particularly good $16.99/month plan that includes three theater trips for two people.
Second, Sinemia imposes almost no restrictions, meaning you can see 3D movies, IMAX movies, DBox movies -- you name it. It also works with just about every theater in the US The only reason it wouldn't is if the theater doesn't accept a debit card for payment.
Finally, the service lets you purchase your tickets in advance using your preferred method (such as Fandango or MovieTickets.com). You do need to activate the Sinemia debit card via the app, but you don't need to be near the theater to do so.
So, yeah, it seems a lot easier to use and a lot less restrictive. It also affords fewer trips to the movies each month. But, let's face it, how many times are you really going anyway? I suspect for most cinema buffs, it's 2-3 -- in which case this might be perfect. MoviePass sounds like incredible bang for the buck, but I wonder how many subscribers actually use it more than 2-3 times per month.
Anyway, I haven't tried Sinemia yet. If you have, by all means share your thoughts in the comments! And don't forget to check back later for the Holiday Buyer's Guide deals -- which are like a boatload of bonus deals...
All the deals from the Holiday Buyer's Guide
1More Triple Driver Headphones. CNET Says: "The Best Sounding Buds Under $100!" From 1More. Was $99.99, now $75 w/ code CNET25 See it!
Diskin DH3. The Enhanced Bluetooth Headphones With The Monster Sound. From Diskin. Was $50, now $25 w/ code CNETLOVE See it!
Yugster Wireless Bluetooth Beanie Hat (2-Pack) with Built-In Headphones From Yugster. Was $30, now $20 w/ code CNET10 See it!
Mighty Plays Your Spotify Music On-The-Go Without A Phone. Designed and Sold By Mighty. Was $86, now $73. See it!
LG UP870 4K 3D Blu-ray Player with Dolby Atmos from BuyDig. Was $109.95 Now $80 with code BLURAYRICK See it!
RAVPower 20100mAh AC Outlet, Universal Power Bank with USB Type C from SunvalleyTek. Was $99.99. Now $70 w/ code RICKCODE See it!
Vulcan Stereo Bluetooth speaker - Room Filling, Incredible Sound Meets Innovative, 4-Speaker Design. From Damson Audio. Was $90. Now $67.50 w/ Code 25OFFVULCAN See it!
PhoneSoap 3 Cleans and Sanitizes Your Phone While It Charges. Sold by PhoneSoap. Was $60, now $42 w/code CNET10 See it!
Ninja CF111 Coffee Bar Single-Serve Custom-Brewer with Built-In Frother from Daily Steals. Was $159.99. Now $70 w/ code DS5 See it!
Amcrest HD-Series 720P WiFi Home Security Camera with Two-Way Audio from FirstVision. Was $60, now $50 w/ code LUKCLRX9 See it!
Ecovacs Deebot M87 Alexa-Enabled Wet / Dry Robot Vac n' Cleaner from Meh.com. Was $400, now $179! See it!
Moto X4 (4th-Gen) 32GB Unlocked Alexa-Hands-Free Phone From Amazon. Was $339.99, now $280. See it!