What Is Fandango and How Does It Work?

After the demise of MoviePass in 2018, moviegoers are understandably cynical about movie ticketing services. However, Fandango offers a solid alternative. What is Fandango and how does it work? And what features are available beyond movie ticketing? Keep reading to find out more.

What Is Fandango?

Fandango is a movie ticketing company that also owns a streaming service. The company was founded in 2000 and is currently owned by NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

The company’s competitors are MovieTickets.com and AtomTickets.com. All three provide similar movie ticket services.

How Much Does Fandango Cost?

You do not need to have a subscription to use Fandango. Anyone can log in and use the site to buy movie tickets.

You will be charged a “convenience” fee for each ticket you purchase. The precise amount is dependent on a number of factors, but it will be between $0.75 and $2.50.

Officially, Fandango says the fee is for “showtimes, movie listings, and theater information,” though there are lots of movie showtime apps for Android that do the same thing.

Where Is Fandango Available?

After starting life as a US company servicing the American market, Fandango expanded in 2016 with the purchase of a Peruvian movie ticketing service called Cinepapaya.

Today, Fandango is available in the US and most of Latin America.

What Are the Benefits of Using Fandango?

Using Fandango to purchase your movie tickets has a few distinct benefits.

Early-Bird Tickets

You can use Fandango to pre-book tickets for upcoming theatrical releases. Given how popular some opening weekends can be, it’s a way to make sure you don’t miss out.

This is especially useful if you live a long way from the nearest theater. You don’t need to collect your early-bird tickets (or any other pre-bought tickets) in person.

Choose Your Seat

It’s not available in all movie theaters, but in selected locations, you can choose your preferred seat on a plan.

On occasions when the feature isn’t available, it isn’t Fandango’s fault. Some theaters don’t have the capacity to offer specific seats.

Jump the Queue

Queue jumping is perhaps the most useful benefit of using Fandango to buy tickets. When you purchase a ticket, you can print it at home and take it with you.

Some theaters will even allow you to use your smartphone as proof of purchase. If you don’t print your tickets and smartphone scanning isn’t available, present your credit card at the ticket office.

What Is Fandango VIP?

Fandango VIP is a member’s club. The service is entirely free to use and has some cool perks. So it’s definitely worth spending the time to enter your details.

Most importantly, being a member allows you to accumulate points. Every time you buy a movie ticket, you will earn 125 points. If you collect 500 points, you can trade them in for a $5 voucher. You can use the voucher to buy more tickets or use them on FandangoNOW.

The VIP account also allows you to request a refund. You can get a full refund—minus the convenience fee—right up until the posted show time.

Members will also receive occasional discounts on FandangoNOW movie rentals and purchases.

FandangoNOW

In addition to the ticketing service, Fandango also operates the FandangoNOW streaming service.

What Is FandangoNOW?

FandangoNOW is a streaming service that does not require a monthly subscription fee. There are also no sign-up fees and no commitments to spend a minimum amount of money.

The service was born in 2016 when Fandango acquired movie streaming service M-GO and rebranded it.

What Content Is Available on FandangoNOW?

There are more than 80,000 movies and TV shows in the FandangoNOW catalog. They range from old classics to modern releases.

To give you an idea of the type of content you can expect to find, currently available shows include 2019 Oscar winners Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody, along with Deadpool, 12 Years a Slave, The Big Bang Theory, and Westworld.

Rent or Buy on FandangoNOW

All the movies on FandangoNOW are available to rent or buy. The TV shows are only available for purchase.

The amount you need to pay to rent or buy a video varies depending on how recent it is and how popular it is. The price can also differ for different resolutions; standard-definition is sometimes cheaper than high-definition or ultra-high definition (4K).

At the time of writing, it costs $5.99 to rent Bohemian Rhapsody and $9.99 to buy it.

The majority of rentals are valid for 30 days until you lose access. There is a caveat, however; once you start watching a rental, you need to complete it within 48 hours, or you lose access.

Fandango VIP Rewards

If you are a Fandango VIP subscriber, you can use the same credentials to log into FandangoNOW. Doing so lets you take your amassed points with you, allowing you to use them on movie rentals in addition to trading them for a movie theater ticket.

Which Devices Are Compatible With FandangoNOW?

FandangoNOW is available on Android, iOS, Roku, and Android TV. There are also native apps available for many popular smart TV brands, including Sony, Hisense, LG, and Samsung.

If you access FandangoNOW through an Android or iOS device, you can download videos that you’ve rented or bought for offline viewing.

Where Is FandangoNOW Available?

FandangoNOW is only available in the United States. However, offline shows will work anywhere in the world.

So, if you’re planning a foreign vacation and you think you might want some viewing material while you’re outside the country, make sure you download titles before departure.

Other Ways to Watch Movies and TV Shows

Ultimately, Fandango is unique for the way it pairs the physical movie experience with online streaming. The accumulation of points means the crossover between the two experiences is more closely intertwined than with other services.

However, Fandango is just one of many services that let you watch movies and TV shows from the comfort of your own home. If you would like to learn more, check out our articles on the best sites to watch TV on your computer and how to rent movies cheaper than on Amazon.

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