Buy movie tickets using apps before you get to the theater. It's opening day for Men In Black III and having enjoyed the first two of the series, I wanted to be sure I got tickets. It's also Memorial day weekend, the beginning of summer blockbuster season and I don't want to stand in line when I get to the theater. Luckily there are the Fandango and MovieTickets.com apps to buy tickets from your smartphone or tablet, or you can purchase from their websites.
A majority of theaters allow you to buy tickets through these services. Theaters will usually either sell tickets through Fandango or through Movie Tickets.com (I've yet to see them sell through both). Choose the app that lets you purchase tickets for your desired theater.
In both apps you can watch a trailer of the movie, see if its recommended or panned by reviewers and fans, read a synopsis, and see a list of cast and crew. Both add a $1.25 per ticket charge. It's worth it for me because I know it won't be sold out and I don't have to wait in a long line to purchase the tickets.
How to buy movie tickets before you get to the theater:
Download the Fandango or MovieTickets app for iphone or Fandango or MovieTickets app for Android.
Fandango
- When the message appears asking permission to use your location, tap "ok."
- If you are looking for a theater away from home for a future date, go to settings, turn off your current location and enter the zip code.
- Search by movie or by theater (if you are just in the mood to see a movie and aren't sure what's playing).
- Choose the movie and the showtimes will be displayed.
- Tap "buy." then tap on the show time for which you want to buy tickets.
- Choose the number of tickets then tap "next."
- You can use a credit/debit card or PayPal. You can use your credit or debit card the one time, or you can create an account and store it for one click movie tickets in the future. You will pay face value for the ticket plus the $1.25 per ticket fee.
If you are trying to coordinate movie times with friends or family, you can email or text the movie show times, and theater address.
If you have a Regal Cinema (or other paticipating theater chain) rewards card, you can enter it into the Fandango app to receive your award points to earn free popcorn, tickets and more.
Some theaters accept a "mobile ticket" that can be scanned on your iPhone by the ticket taker. At select theaters you can reserve seating on your iPhone so you can stroll right into the theater with no hassles.
Many theaters have a Fandango Kiosk close to where they sell tickets. Bring the credit card you used to buy the tickets. Insert that card and your tickets will pop out of the machine. Alternatively, you can enter the ticket purchase confirmation number that was emailed to you. However, if there is a problem, you will need to have the credit card or email handy to retrieve your tickets.
You may not be able to buy tickets if the starting time is less than 1/2 hour from when you try to buy tickets. In other words, in my experience, Fandango hasn't let me buy tickets while I was standing at the theater looking at the line.
You don't have to purchase tickets for movies showing today. You can buy tickets for a future date and let Fandango download the information to your calendar
MovieTickets
While the menus are a little different, the process is basically the same. You can change locations, search by movie or theater, search a map for "ticketable theaters," view trailers, information, and see the poster. You can email showtimes and theater information but it doesn't have a texting option. MovieTickets is not as sleek as Fandango, but it does its job.
There are other apps where you can see what's playing including apps for major movie theater chains like AMC and Regal. You'll note that these apps connect to Fandango to actually purchase the tickets.
By the way, I went back into the Fandango app to let people know that I think Men In Black III is a "gotta go" movie. I laughed for the first hour and cried too. Buy your tickets on your Android or iPhone and you won't have to stand in line.
