4 Legit Ways to Get the Fandango Convenience Fee Waived

When my oldest daughter purchased tickets through Fandango for her and her friends, I was shocked at the price!

First, there was the price of the premier screening ticket: $11.50 (they HAD to see Infinity War on opening night). The typical ticket price for our favorite theater is only $8.50 per ticket, but premiers are priced differently.

Then, there was the additional price of the Fandango “convenience” fee. Apparently, it costs money for the convenience of online ordering because it’s easier than standing in line at the theater.

At $1.50 a ticket, the convenience fee brought the total ticket price order up by $12 since she’d purchased eight tickets. While that may not seem like a lot, it adds up when you see several premiers a year.

Luckily, there are legit ways to get the Fandango convenience fee waived. By doing so you’ll save at least a little bit of cash on your movie excursions.

What is Fandango?

Fandango is an online ordering hub that helps you get movie tickets in advance and online. Fandango works with multiple theater companies around the country. I’m the first to admit there are some great benefits to Fandango.

First, there’s the early bird access to tickets. It’s not always convenient to run to the theater to pick up movie tickets. In our case, we live out in the country, 45 minutes away from the theater.

Getting tickets in person and in advance would cost a lot in gas and in time. Fandango helps us order tickets early to ensure we get seats. Since seats to new releases sell out pretty quickly, I like that Fandango allows us to get tickets without driving to the theater.

But the Fandango fee can still be an issue, especially for those on a budget and for penny-pinchers like me.

How Much Does Fandango Charge?

As I mentioned earlier, the typical convenience fee for buying a ticket via Fandango is $1.79. However, these prices may vary by area.

If you’re seeing an IMAX movie, you’re looking at as much as $2.29 per ticket for the convenience fee. That can add up to a lot of money when you’re buying multiple tickets or seeing lots of movies.

If you’re interested in avoiding the fee, read on for options.

How to Get the Fandango Convenience Fee Waived

Luckily, there are some ways you can get the Fandango convenience fee waived. Check out these options for lower movie ticket prices.

1. Check Out Online Coupon Sites

If you do an Internet search on how to get the Fandango convenience fee waived, you’ll get a populated list. That list will include coupon sites that offer promo codes for getting the convenience fee waived.

Note that not all coupon sites or discount offers are legit. You’ll want to stick with tried and trusted discount sites to get Fandango convenience fee discounts.

Here is some information about some of the more reputable coupons sites that may offer Fandango discounts.

Retail Me Not

Retail Me Not is one of the more popular coupon sites that occasionally offers Fandango and other movie deals. Your best bet is to get on Retail Me Not’s mailing list (it’s free).

Then, sign up to get notifications about offers for Fandango coupons. As of this writing they had four different discount codes for Fandango purchases.

Coupon Chief

Coupon Chief is another reputable couponing site that offers discount codes for Fandango. Just as with Retail Me Not, it’s free to sign up to get notifications about Coupon Chief deals.

When I checked on the Coupon Chief site for this article, they had three different ticket discount offers for Fandango.

Slick Deals

The long-running Slick Deals site also has Fandango discount coupons on occasion. As of this writing they had several offers for ticket discounts through Fandango as well.

And it’s free to sign up for Slick Deals emails, so you get advance notifications of Fandango discounts.

There are dozens of other coupon sites out there as well that might offer Fandango coupon discounts. Check out your favorite coupon sites for more information. And beware of illegitimate coupon sites that say they have coupon codes but really don’t.

2. Join Fandango VIP

Fandango has a rewards program called FanRewards. It’s free to join, and offers several benefits to members, including:

• Points earned for every Fandango purchase
• Access to advanced screenings
• Access to exclusive movie gear
• Discounted streaming movies so you can stream at home

With the points you earn as a Fandango VIP member, you can get discounts on movie ticket purchases. These discounts could equal savings equal to or greater than the convenience fee Fandango charges.

Bonus: Fandango VIP also works with certain movie theater rewards programs. If this is the case for your favorite theaters, this could mean bonus reward points. Some rewards programs Fandango partners with include AMC, Regal Theaters, and Cinemark.

3. Purchase Your Tickets Directly Through the Theater Website

Another way to waive the Fandango convenience fee is to purchase your tickets directly through your theater website. While some theater companies only allow you to buy online tickets through Fandango, others have their own sites.

Check with your favorite theater to see if you can buy online tickets directly through their site. Note: some theaters with online ticket purchasing sites charge convenience fees too.

Those convenience fees might be more expensive or less expensive than Fandango’s, so make a note of that. Also, consider joining your theater’s rewards club if they have one. If you’re one of your theater’s rewards members, you may be able to get direct online purchase fees waived.

4. Buy Your Tickets the Old-Fashioned Way

As a last resort, you could always avoid the Fandango convenience fee by getting your tickets in person. If the theater is close by, this could be your path to getting tickets without paying a convenience fee.

I realize that getting tickets in person will take some planning. You may have to plan to stop in when you’re near the theater for other errands or on your way home from somewhere.

But the end result will be that you don’t have to pay a convenience fee. For that reason, it might be worth making the trip.

Other Ways to Save Money on Movie Excursions

Even if you can’t get the convenience fee waived when you purchase tickets online, you can save money other ways. Here are some suggestions for saving money on movie outings.

Go on Discount Days

Many movie theaters have discounted ticket days. At our favorite theater, you can see any movie for just $5 if you go on a Tuesday.

The downside to this deal (in my humble opinion) is that the theaters can be super crowded. Seems like a lot of people – at least in my area – like a movie deal.

Another downside to taking advantage of discount days is that you’ve got to get your tickets early. The discounted shows often sell out super fast, meaning you may have to buy tickets well in advance.

But the money savings often makes up for some of the downsides, especially when you’re bringing the whole family.

Keep Snack Purchases to a Minimum

In our family, we have a “rule” that movie excursions must include popcorn, candy, and soda. Okay, it’s not a “rule,” but it’s certainly a want.

But when we want to spend on a movie excursion, we simply go with an understanding. We make a rule that there won’t be any food purchases on that particular trip.

We might even eat a meal before we go to make sure no one gets hungry while at the theater. Most movie theater snack prices are expensive, so this is a great way to save some serious cash.

Use Your Rewards Points

As I mentioned earlier, joining your theater’s rewards program can be a great way to save money at the movies. With the points you earn from movie theater purchases, you can qualify for free stuff or discounts.

Some rewards programs give discounts on snacks, free snacks or sodas, or discounted ticket offers. Check out your favorite theater’s rewards program for more information.

Summary

In conclusion, there’s almost always a way to get convenience fees waived when you buy through Fandango. And there are many other options for saving money on movie theater outings.