Disney Movie Insiders: Free Money While Watching Movies
I’m the type who gets just as much a kick out of saving $5 as I do from saving $50 or $500, especially if it’s a quick $5. Disney has given away easy money for years via the Disney Movie Rewards program, which was rebranded last Fall as Disney Movie Insiders. While the new website seems unfinished and subpar to its predecessor, there are still easy rewards to gain from this program. Let’s step through how to get some free Disney money.
Earning Points
Theaters
First, you can earn points for seeing Disney movies in theaters. A regular ticket earns 100 points, and certain premium tickets (3D movies, for example) earn 150 points each. Importantly, you earn points for each ticket purchased, and there is no delineation between child/discounted tickets and adult tickets. As an example transaction, a family of four with two children buying non-premium tickets earns 400 points.
While points can be earned at any theater, it is much easier to earn at certain theaters by linking loyalty accounts. You can link your Regal, Atom Tickets, and Fandango accounts to your Disney Movie Insiders account so that these points post automatically. If you see a Disney movie at another theater chain or decide not to link any of the above loyalty accounts, you must submit your movie ticket stubs for points to be applied to your account. While I’ve done this and it works, there are a few more steps and it takes a bit more time.
Discs
Another option for earning points is through Disney movie discs (standard DVD, blu-ray, etc). Here’s how those earnings break down:
- Standard DVD: 75/100 points
- Blu-Ray: 150 points
- 4K or 3D Blu-Ray: 200 points
You can easily apply these points to your Disney Movie Insiders account with the enclosed certificate in any new movie. The certificate code serves two purposes: unlocking your movie’s digital copy and obtaining Disney Movie Insiders points. Note: Disc packages that include Disney Movie Rewards logos and codes are still redeemable on the Disney Movie Insiders site. Another PSA: More movies participate than you may initially think. Star Wars, Marvel, Muppets, and Pixar movies all participate in this program, in addition to traditional Disney movies.
Finally, the site plugs the Disney Movie Club, similar to Columbia House or BMG from back in the day. You can get five movies for $1 but agree to buy five more movies (starting at $19.95) within the next two years. The Disney Movie Insiders tie-in is that each disc includes a code for more points. I have passed on this offer, but it remains an option for those who may want to build their Disney library in a different way.
Bonus Points Promotions
In addition to the standard earning from seeing Disney movies in theaters or via purchasing discs, there are periodic bonus point earning opportunities. For instance, last year Regal ran the Summer of Disney promotion for seeing Aladdin, Toy Story 4, and The Lion King. If you see any one of those movies, you would earn 250 bonus Regal Crown Club credits (meh). See two movies, and you would earn another 500 bonus Regal credits and a free small popcorn (ok, more interesting). If you see all three, you would earn yet another 1,000 bonus Regal credits and 1,000 Disney Movie Rewards points (nice). Regal is currently running a similar promotion called Season of Magic.
Using the previous family of four example, you could theoretically create four different Regal and Disney Movie Insiders accounts to quadruple these bonuses. However, one may assess this as too much extra effort for the relatively small rewards. For us, my wife and I have separate accounts, as we consider doubling this bonus worthwhile but not too time-intensive.
Redeeming Points
Disney Movie Insiders has a smaller variety of products to redeem points for than Disney Movie Rewards. Nonetheless, solid redemption options exist, including Disney e-gift cards. Currently, the site is offering cards in the following denominations:
- $10 Frozen e-gift card for 1,100 points
- $50 Iron man e-gift card for 4,400 points
- $100 Olaf e-gift card for 8,500 points
I recommend checking the site periodically to view current rates, as e-gift card rates periodically change. For instance, I obtained a $25 e-gift card for 2,200 points last Fall. Previously, gift cards obtained via Disney Movie Rewards were more or less fixed. I’ve also noticed that product variety is dynamic, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t find something to redeem for in any one site visit.
While I prefer Disney e-gift card redemptions for Disney trips, the website offers other gift cards. Members can currently redeem for Fandango and Regal gift cards, shopDisney.com credit, and IMAX ticket upgrades. Disney Movie Insiders clearly has less merchandise options for redemptions than Disney Movie Rewards. I previously redeemed points for movie discs, but there are no such options on the Disney Movie Insiders site. High redemption options include a Walt Disney Studios Platinum Private VIP tour (up to 4 people) for 25,200 points and a similar Gold tour (up to 8 people) for 12,500 points.
Disney Movie Insiders – Final Thoughts
While not what it used to be, I still consider Disney Movie Insiders to be a small win which consistently provides easy rewards. Some of you may not have any use for Disney Movie Insiders. Others may have 50 or so Disney movies sitting on your shelf including unredeemed codes. Has Disney Movie Insiders (or its predecessor) been a worthy play for you? How so?
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