Free Movies With Disney Movie Rewards

Did you know that you can put that stack of

Disney DVDs or Blu-Rays to work for you? Until recently, I ignored the Disney Movie Rewards flyers that are clipped inside of each movie case. I wrongly assumed that the only rewards I'd be getting would be cheap toys, stickers, or the like. I have no need of these items in my life (do any of us, really?) so I skipped entering the often-long codes online. When I joined the Disney Movie Club and had nearly 20 movies arrive on my doorstep, the rewards flyers were staring me in the face. I collected all of my flyers and created a DMR account. After poking around on their site for a bit- I discovered a few more ways to earn Rewards points and even enter exclusive sweepstakes for Disney World and Disneyland vacations.

In order to earn Rewards points, you have to enter your Magic Codes from one of three purchase types:

Most movies are worth 100-150 points, but there are often bonus points available for certain titles. The DMR Facebook page also has a bi-monthly Disney quiz game that you can play to earn extra points. Explore the, "My Account," area and earn more points by answering survey questions. 

Once I've accumulated a few hundred points, I check out the Rewards area and head straight to the DVD & Blu-Ray section. You can exchange a minimum of 550 points for a DVD and that includes free shipping and handling! Currently, you can exchange as many as 2500 Rewards points for a Monsters University Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack. The best part about exchanging your points for a DVD or Blu-Ray is that these movies also come with a Rewards code that you can then enter to add back into your Rewards points bank! 

If you're looking for a more vacation-centric way to spend your Rewards points, you can exchange 1100 points for a $10 Disney Gift Card! 

Has anyone out there saved up several thousand points? What Rewards are you saving for?

What We're Wearing at the Parks - Part I

I absolutely adore matching family shirts for Walt Disney World vacations.
The only problem is that I don't find it to be super cost-effective. There are a number of reasons for this:

• I like to personalize each tee in my designs, which results in a higher cost
• I often use trademarked characters, which print shops can't print
• Lower cost solutions (freezer-paper stenciling and iron-on transfers) have their limits

I really wanted to wear personalized tees every day we are in the parks. After pricing them out at CustomInk (a company I love!) I realized I just couldn't spend $150 on one day's worth of tees (and forget four day's worth of tees at those rates!). I know you're thinking, "Of course you couldn't do that, crazy woman!" but I was ready to do just that when an alternative idea came to mind. 

My compromise turned out to be this:

Purchase two-days' worth of shirts from the Disney Store and make the remaining two shirts at home. I will customize the Disney Store shirts with iron-ons (more on that in another post!) and will print iron-on transfers at home (these transfers are awesome!) to fully-create shirts for the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. 

These are our shirt options for Epcot (top of post) and Animal Kingdom (below):

They aren't particularly themed for either of these park choices, but they will do! I got a great deal on the chalkboard/mouseketeer tees by using a 25% off coupon code that included free shipping while purchasing these shirts during their Buy 2 or More Tees, Each for $10. The chalkboard tees of Mickey & Minnie only received the 25% off as they weren't included in the sale prices (they are Official Park shirts). The AWESOME thing about buying ear hats BEFORE your trip is that the Disney Store not only allows you to stack your discounts on them, but they always have a running percentage-off deal on specific quantities of Official Park items. Shopping at the Disney Store is going to save us a ton on clothing and souvenirs. More in a later post! 

Ear hats are marked at $13.95 - I paid $9.41 each! 

What have you worn to the parks? What got you the most noticed by Cast Members?

Disney Movie Club - Review Part II

As promised in Part I of my Disney Movie Club review, Part II will show you how I saved money, mistakes to avoid, plus tips & tricks for getting the most movies for your money! Please note that the numbers I'm throwing out to you are for the DVD club option and not the Blu-Ray option. More details on that in Part I!

When I joined DMC, my offer code was pretty great:

• Five Movies for $1 (total, not each!)
• Free Shipping
• Free Olaf Blanket with Free Shipping
• Sixth Movie for $11.95 with Free Shipping (plus it counts as my first obligated purchase!)
• Seventh Movie for $8.95 with Free Shipping

My terms stated I had to purchase four full-price DVDs within 24 months of joining. 
You really have to shop around online to get get the best deals with DMC. If you go straight to their website, you will probably only be offered the 4-for-$1 deal. In my quick search for DMC deals, I found the offer code that will get you the same offer I received.

Enter promo code 27135 and you will receive the same pricing I did 

plus you will get a free Mickey Mouse blanket!             

Here is where strategy comes into play- make sure your initial five movies are the most expensive movies for you to purchase elsewhere even if they aren't the first priorities on your list. I use Amazon Prime for price-comparison when making my selections because we use Amazon Prime frequently in our home.

After completing your initial purchase, and hopefully getting seven movies for around $22, it is best to purchase your obligatory DVDs at this point. Remember that for them to count towards your total, they must cost you $19.95 or more. Use the below image to select the proper settings within your account before placing this order.

Note: If you don't select,"No Discount," only the most expensive movie in your cart will count towards your obligation. The others will be discounted 40%, and while that is a nice savings, it can be even better. Read on!

Now, the last step: play the waiting game! After 30 days of active membership and fulfilling your obligation, DMC will upgrade your account to VIP status.

In VIP status, you will be offered:

• Buy 1 Movie at Regular Price, Get the Rest 60% off
• Free VIP pin

Here are tables that break down and compare costs of Amazon Prime vs. DMC:

TOTAL SAVINGS USING DMC VS. AMAZON PRIME: $150.49! 

At this point, you may decide to terminate your membership. You have to do this over the phone- there are no online options available. You may also decide that this is such a great club, you want to keep your membership active! Just remember to respond to your monthly offers so as not to receive an auto-shipped movie and charge every month.

Stay-tuned for a post on how using Disney Movie Club and Disney Movie Rewards has gotten me free movies! What are your top-five picks for your initial order?

Disney Movie Club - Review Part I

Googling the phrase, "Disney Movie Club reviews," can be quite the harrowing experience. As a lover of all things Disney, it pains me to say that the DMC doesn't get the most favorable online opinions. I am happy (and relieved) to report that I'm confident the negative reviews that DMC receives are because members are failing to read the fine-print and failing to comply with their member agreement. While Cast Members are employing aggressive sales tactics, I haven't come across a rude CM (and I've spoken with four at DMC in the last month).

The Member Agreement Summarized:

An initial purchase is made using a discount code. Additional full-price purchases are required to fulfill contractual obligations. After these criteria are met, DMC members enter VIP status and receive steep discounts on further purchases. 

In 24 months, a DMC Member must purchase 3-5* full-price movies.  

DMC states that a full-price movie costs:

• $19.95 or more plus S&H (DVD Club) or
• $29.95 or more plus S&H(Blu-Ray Club)

The member chooses if they want to join under the DVD club or the Blu-Ray club with their initial purchase though both formats are available in either club. Note that a Blu-Ray club member will pay inflated prices for DVDs. A Blu-Ray club member will be required to purchase their full-price selections at $29.95 or more, even when purchasing a DVD. 

The fine-print states that a monthly offer will be extended to each member. This offer can be refused via email, via your online account, or by snail mail.

 If you do not decline your monthly offer, the movie will be shipped and your credit card will be charged without further notification.

Typically, these monthly offerings will run you $21.95+S&H, but may be greater in price.

_{*Number of required full-price purchases vary based upon code used during joining.}

Verdict: I would absolutely join DMC again. Stay-tuned for Part II of the DMC posts where I will break down my costs and purchasing strategy! 

What's your favorite recently-released Disney movie? I can't believe we haven't yet seen Big Hero 6 but I have the DVD + Blu-Ray combo on the way to us now!