Online DVD Rental vs the High Street
CommentsIS online DVD rental really better value than buying or renting on the high street?
We've crunched the numbers to find the answers whether you're an occasional renter or a dyed-in-the-wool film rental fanatic.
Online DVD rental vs high street rentals
By online DVD rental we mean buying from any of the UK's DVD rental by post companies.
Very light renter: less than 1 DVD a month
If you don't mind planning ahead a little bit online DVD rental can be cheaper than the high street even if you're a very light renter. PAYG services ask you to buy some credits and then redeem them when there's something you want to watch.
For pure convenience, though, the high street still wins out.
| Rent from... | Cost per rental |
|---|---|
| High street rental store |
£3.99 |
| Lovefilm PAYG | £1.99 |
| EasyCinema | £1.99 |
Light user: 1-2 DVDs a month
As soon as you become a regular DVD renter, online DVD rental starts to really pay off. The final online DVD rental deal listed from Blockbuster includes an in-store rental which means less planning ahead too.
| Rent from... | Cost per rental | Cost per month | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High street rental store |
£3.99 | £7.98 | |
| Lovefilm 2 DVDs a month |
£1.99 | £3.99 | |
| Blockbuster 3 DVDs a month (1 in-store) |
£2.16 | £6.49 |
Heavy user: 6 DVDs a month
| Rent from... | Cost per rental | Cost per month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High street rental store |
£3.99 | £23.94 | ||
| Lovefilm Unlimited DVDs (1 out at a time) |
£1.66 | £9.99 | ||
| Blockbuster Unlimited DVDs (1 out at a time) |
£1.66 | £9.99 | ||
| Cinema Paradiso Unlimited DVDs (1 out at a time) | £1.58 | £9.49 |
Note that for better value (and, in particular, to watch movies on consecutive nights) there are various deals available with more than one disc out at a time.
Online DVD rental vs buying
Buy a DVD for around £8 in the shops and watch it twice and you're effectively paying £4 a watch.
With online DVD rental you're paying half that or less and you don't have to suffer the shame of having a copy of The Rock either.
Online DVD rental vs buying blu ray
When it comes to buying blu ray the savings are even bigger. Online DVD rental deals don't distinguish between DVDs and blu rays so it's even better value.
For more on this see our blu ray rental guide.
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