Who offers the best DVD rental free trial?

By Anna König Staff Writer Monday, 12 May 2008

Best DVD Rental Free Trials Top Tips for Free Trials: Sign up for your free trial via ChooseDVDRental's Compare Free Trials page, as you may be offered anything from extra days to fabulous freebies Make sure you remember when your free trial expires, so you can cancel it without charge if you do not want to become a full paying customer Check when you have to return your discs by, and allow good time for postage. You don’t want to be charged if your discs arrive a few days late Remember it is usually only one trial per household, and if you have already signed up for a LoveFilm trial, you will not be able to do so again with a LoveFilm affiliate (eg. Tesco, EasyCinema, WHSMith etc.) Other DVD Rental News See our other recent related DVD rental and Games rental news stories: CinemaParadiso launches free DVD Rental loyalty scheme If you have enough friends, you could get your subscription to Cinemaparadiso DVD Rental absolutely free. You ongoing monthly discounts for every friend who signs up and remains a member, with a total of six friends earning you a totally free subscription.

WITH pretty much every DVD rental website on the planet offering a free trial to potential customers, the time has come to sort the gems from the dirt.

Whilst at first glance it would appear that these websites are being extremely generous in their offer of a free trial, there is a reason behind it; to get you so hooked on the service that you don’t want to, or don’t remember to, cancel it!

In order to sign up for a free trial (a period of time where you can rent films/games from the website free of charge) you will need to provide the company with your credit/debit card details.

The DVD rental companies will ask for your credit card details because:

• if you fail to cancel your free trial after it has finished you will automatically become a full paying member, and
• insurance in case you do not return any of the DVDs after your trial has expired!

How Long is the Trial?

When it comes to getting something for nothing, it’s always better when that something lasts for longer! The same is certainly true for free DVD rental trials.

With a whopping 30 free days of rentals, CD Wow DVD Rental, the Guradian newspaper's Sofa Cinema and WHSmiths Movies Direct come out on top.

30 days is very generous, as 2 weeks (or 14 days) tends to be the norm with Blockbuster DVD Rental, DVD Choice, LoveFilm, the hapless PostaDVD, Tesco DVD Rental and the Christian-focussed Visioneers DVD Club.

Cinema Paradiso structure their free trial in terms of the number of discs you can rent. Depending on the package, this can range from between 2 and 4 free rentals.

It is always worth subscribing for free trials via ChooseDVDRental (use the Free Trials comparison page), as sometimes you’ll be able to snap up extra days and even some fab freebies exclusive to ChooseDVDRentalco.uk's users!

So who offers the longest free trial?

It’s probably a draw between CD Wow, Sofa Cinema and WHSmiths’ 30 days, and Cinema Paradiso’s 4 free rentals.

When are the Discs Due Back?

Depending on the free trial you apply for, the date your free rentals are due back can differ.

Companies such as CD Wow, DVD rental giant Love Film, Sofa Cinema, Tesco, W. H. Smith and Visioneers DVD Club all insist that you return your discs BEFORE the end of your free trial.

If you forget to do this, or they get delayed in the post, you could find your credit card has been charged!

If that all sounds a bit scary, Blockbuster, DVD Choice, Cinema Paradiso, My Movie Stream and PostaDVD all DO allow you to return your discs 7 days after the trial has ended. This means that you can enjoy your free rentals for almost an extra week, without the worry of late fees.

Cinema Paradiso ask that discs are returned before the first payment date, and DVD Choice by the end of the month.

So who is most generous when it comes to the date the discs are due back?

The winners would be Blockbuster, My Movie Stream and PostaDVD, who all offer a fabulous 7 days for your returns!

Important Points to Note

It is worth considering that because a number of the leading DVD rental websites are actually affiliates of LoveFilm, you will only be eligible for a free trial from either LoveFilm or one of its affiliates (so long as you are at the same address).

CD Wow, Sofa Cinema and W. H. Smith (who are all part of the LoveFilm family) beat LoveFilm when it comes to length of free trial.

Tesco (a LoveFilm affiliate) offers the same 14 days of free rentals that LoveFilm does.

CD Wow, Sofa Cinema, W. H. Smith and Tesco (like their parent site LoveFilm) all insist that you return your DVDs before the end of your free trial.

The Final Conclusion!

When it comes to picking a free trial, there are some fantastic offers available. The question of which trial is the ‘best’ is extremely subjective, and depends on what qualities you most value.

If you live in the Scottish Highlands, or have an unreliable postal service, a company that is more lenient when it comes to returning your discs (such as Blockbuster, My Movie Stream or PostaDVD) may be more suited to you!

However if you are disciplined enough to get your discs back on time, and would be keen to take advantage of a 30 day trial, CD Wow, Sofa Cinema and W.H. Smiths would be the companies for you!

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