[REVIEW] Cineplex Scene Gold Program

It has been almost a year since Cineplex launched its Gold program so I am overdue for a post.

The main reason why I held off writing about this is that it is currently only offered to Edmonton, Alberta residents. I was hoping that it would have expanded to more places in Canada by now, so that this post would be more relevant.

Anyway, seeing as the program has survived almost a year, I think it’s worth taking a deeper look at what it has to offer, in case it does expand to the rest of the country.

Highlights

Let’s start with the highlights of this program first:

• $6.99 monthly membership fee
• Earn 100 monthly bonus points for being a member
• Earn 50% more points on Cineplex, Rec Room and all partner purchases
• Receive premium upgrades on movie tickets (once a week)
• Receive priority concession line
• Receive upsize popcorn & drinks (limit of once per day)
• Receive 50% off Wednesday movie ticket redemption
• Receive exclusive movie screenings (by invitation)

Bonus Points

Right off the bat, I think the biggest value in the $6.99 monthly fee is that 100 points bonus and the 50% more earnings. Those bonus points can add up fast if you spend a lot at Cineplex and its partners.

This can get real lucrative if you are paying for an entire birthday party at Rec Rooms. This is a good way to reward big spenders.

Non-Monetary Value Benefits

Priority concession line, exclusive movie screenings are nice to have. But do not offer any monetary value, but it is nice to have for those who can take advantage of this.

Personally, I wait until 3-4 weeks into a release before watching a movie that I want to see, because I rather sit in a less crowded theatre.

Curious to see how a priority concession line would like, it would really depend on how many Gold members are in the theatre at that given time anyway.

Upgrades

Upsize popcorn and drinks, as well as upgraded movie tickets definitely have some value, if you value these things. Personally, I’m good with old school screenings, but I won’t say no to an upgrade!

Also, I love popcorn, so that’s a big plus for me!

Redemptions

It would have been nice to see more redemption discounts. Personally I find the Wednesday 50% deal quite amazing, but I would have settled for 10% across the board discount if I had to give up the Wednesday. Either way, I’m glad that they put redemption reduction into the program in some way.

Overall

I think that there is a way to get more value than the $6.99 per month, but it is not that easy.

Therefore, I am still iffy on charging members $6.99 to get elite benefits. I would have preferred that they just create a elite status through annual spending requirements for regular Scene members.

Either way, you can expect more changes to the program as this is only really a test pilot in Edmonton.

What are your thoughts about the Scene Gold program? Please let us know in the comment section below.