Is the Cineplex’s CineClub Worth it?
Cineplex’s rewards program, Scene+, has gone through a major revamp the past couple of years. One of its latest additions is the CineClub paid membership designed for movie lovers, but there is more to it. Today, we will break down the features and benefits of the program to see how to maximize its value, and whether it is worth it.
CineClub highlights
Let’s start with mentioning the key features and benefits of CineClub. After listing them, we will go ahead with breaking them down the items one by one.
- Choice of membership options:
- $9.99 monthly membership fee (plus applicable taxes)
- $119.88 annual membership fee (plus applicable taxes)
- Receive 1,000 Scene+ bonus points for choosing the annual membership
- Receive 1 free movie ticket (Monthly Movie ticket) every month (ticket never expires) for any regular admission movie
- Pay $9.99 for each extra ticket to go with the free ticket (up to 2 per show)
- Earn Scene+ points when redeeming Monthly Member ticket and on all CineClub-Priced ticket purchases
- Receive 20% off concessions, Outtakes, Playdium, The Rec Room and VIP lounge purchases
- Receive 10% off all purchases and rentals on the Cineplex Store
- No online booking fees
Points redemption
First of all, let’s establish the value of Scene+ points. They are redeemable at a 100 points to $1 ratio. So it is very easy to calculate the value of Scene points. Every 1,000 points is worth $10. Furthermore, Scene+ points are highly flexible now because they can even be used to pay for other things such as dining, groceries or travel. So there is no need to recycle the points back to only the items mentioned above.
The rewards options is important to highlight because the membership can cover the theatres and the points can be used for other purposes, thus increasing the overall value of Scene+ points.
Membership fee
The CineClub has 2 membership options. A monthly one, that has no commitment, which can be cancelled anytime. For $9.99, members can easily do a trial period with the program and there is very little difference from the annual membership. That is because the $119.88 annual membership fee is exactly the equivalent to $9.99 x 12 months. So dollar wise, one can argue that there is even a disadvantage to sign up for the annual membership because members need to pay the entire annual fee up front, and lose out on some opportunity cost.
The only extra value for the annual membership is the bonus 1,000 Scene+ points, which works out to $10 in value (mentioned above). So $10 divided by $119.88 equals a 8.34% return. In which case, that would be a personal choice on whether a 8.34% return is valuable enough for paying the annual fee up front.
Right off the bat, I would have liked to see a little more value for having an annual membership, because I would be more inclined to pay the monthly fee instead to give more flexibility (will be discussed further below too).
Monthly Movie ticket
The fine print for the Monthly Movie ticket actually gives more value than first glance. This free ticket does not expire, which means that members are not forced to watch one movie every month. Furthermore, the voucher can be carried forward indefinitely as it does not expire even if members cancel their membership.
This means that the $9.99 monthly fee, at the very base, is equal to one movie ticket for $9.99 plus taxes, which can be redeem for any regular admission with no blackout times or dates. This is a break even in my books, even if members do not take advantage of any other features and benefits of the program.
Furthermore, members can bring up to 2 additional guests into the theatres for the same $9.99 admission price, which can also count as savings if the member was going to pay for a ticket at a higher price anyway during the expensive times.
10%-20% off purchases
The cash discounts is the hidden gem with the membership. Receiving 20% off purchases on concessions, Outtakes, Playdium, The Rec Room and VIP lounge can really add up. Assuming the person was making purchases at these places anyway, even without the membership, then this is straight up cash savings. It is a different story if the person was purposely going to these places only because of the membership, then the cash savings are not as direct.
The 10% movie rental and Cineplex store discount is really a case by case basis if a person would have spent on these items anyway. So this is a bonus to me, but it still counts.
No online booking fee
Cineplex charges an online booking fee if someone decides to purchase their ticket ahead of time online. Since all seats are reserved in advance, booking ahead of time allows people to choose their seats sooner, much like paying to reserve a seat on a flight ahead of time.
The way to get around this fee is to go to the movie theatres in advance to purchase the ticket, as well as choose the seat in advance. This might only work for people who live near the theatre as it might not be worth the gas or transportation cost, along with the travel time spent.
That being said, this fee waiver can definitely come in handy and the savings can really add up.
Who should sign up for a membership?
Personally, I do not plan to pay for this membership fee at the moment, as I do not go to the movies often enough to justify it. Furthermore, when I do go to the movies, I have enough points to spend that I do not have to pay out of pocket as in. That being said, I have been putting in more attention on loading up on more Scene+ points to give me more reward options!
Conversely, I do see a lot of value to be had with CineClub. If you are someone who is always looking for date, entertainement or outing ideas, and you are willing to frequently stick with Cineplex branded places, like the theatres, Outtakes, Playdium, The Rec Room and VIP lounge, then it would be very easy to extra way more than $9.99 in value every month. This is in additional to all the Scene+ points that are being earned along the way which can be used for a wide variety of rewards.
Are you someone who already has a CineClub membership? If so, please let us know your experience in the comment section below!