Although we love the ease of streaming services — being able to come home after a long day in the office and switching on some soothing reality TV or gripping drama is blissful — we agree with director Martin Scorsese’s rant that subscription services are devaluing the art of cinema. After all, blockbusters like Dune 2 and Zone of Interest are destined to be enjoyed on the big screen.
So, with all of this in mind, we’ve been determined to find ways of making the cinema cheap again. From monthly passes and two-for-one discounts to savings through the likes of Vodafone and Three, these are the best ways to get cheap cinema tickets.
Plus, as finding cheap tickets is something of the RadioTimes.com team's speciality — just take a look at our how to get cheap train tickets, how to get cheap theatre tickets, how to get cheap football tickets, and how to get cheap concert tickets guides — you can be reassured that we've scored the deepest corners of the internet to bring you the best deals.
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Jump to:
- How to get cheap cinema tickets
- Best cheap cinema tickets and deals at a glance
- Best cheap cinema tickets and deals for May 2024
How to get cheap cinema tickets
Before booking to go to the cinema, it's important to check if you can get discounted tickets because, more often than not, you'll be able to knock a few quid off your bill.
If you have a phone or broadband contract, chances are they will offer a rewards scheme to get discounted tickets for concerts, theme parks, the cinema, and more. Vodafone, Three UK, O2, and Virgin Media are amongst the providers who offer cheap cinema tickets.
It's important to shop around; buying from the cinema's website or on the door won't be the best way to bag cheap tickets. Sites like Fever and Tastecard are brilliant for discounted cinema tickets, and if you're looking to turn a cinema trip into something a bit more special, Buyagift, Virgin Experience Days, Red Letter Days, and The Ticket Factory have plenty of great experiences.
Unfortunately, unlike with things such as train tickets, buying cinema tickets in advance won't lower the price. Plus, most cinemas release tickets only a week in advance anyway. But do not fear our cinema-loving readers, we've got plenty of ways to help you claim cheap cinema tickets.
What day is 2-for-1 cinema tickets?
This varies depending on where you claimed the offer from, but 2-for-1 cinema days are usually weekdays.
With Meerkat Movies, you can grab 2-for-1 ODEON cinema tickets every Tuesday or Wednesday for a whole year when you buy a qualifying product from Comparethemarket.com.
What day is the cheapest to go to the cinema?
Typically, weekdays are the cheapest to go to the cinema as places, such as Meerkat Movies, offer the 2-for-1 cinema ticket promotion during the week. However, we have some brilliant deals below, from Tesco Clubcard, Fever, Vodafone, and more, that get you discounted cinema tickets on weekends.
For other budget-friendly days out, take a look at how to get cheap Alton Towers tickets, how to get cheap LEGOLAND tickets, and how to get cheap Chessington tickets.
Plus, find plays in our best West End shows list from just £13.
Best cheap cinema tickets and deals at a glance:
- See two films for the price of one
- Discounted cinema tickets at Fever
- Get four cinema tickets for £8.95 at Groupon
- Two for £8 Odeon tickets at Vodafone
- Two for £10 Odeon tickets for Prime members
- Get cinema experience vouchers at Buyagift
- Top cinema experiences at Virgin Experience Days
- Save on the latest films with Tastecard
- Save 35% when you become a cinema member at ODEON
- Save when you become a cinema member at Cineworld
- Two tickets for £7 for Vodafone customers
- Turn Clubcard vouchers into Cineworld tickets
- One discounted film every day with Fever
- Two for £6 cinema tickets with Three UK
- Cheap cinema tickets for kids at Cineworld
- Cheap cinema tickets for kids at ODEON
- Cheap cinema tickets for kids at Empire
- Get group discounts for ODEON cinemas at Wowcher
- Free cinema tickets with Priority
- Two free Vue cinema tickets for Sky Cinema customers
Best cheap cinema tickets and deals for May 2024
See two films for the price of one
What's the deal: What if we told you that you could see two of the most popular films out at the moment for the price of one? Well, we have a deal that lets you do exactly that, with the ODEON myLIMITLESS card.
Why we chose it: A ticket to Challengers at ODEON Acton costs £12.95, while going to see The Fall Guy at the same cinema will set you back £9.95 However, if you have the myLIMITLESS card, you can see both movies (as well as an unlimited amount over the month) for £14.99.
Become a myLIMITLESS member from £14.99 per month at ODEON
Discounted cinema tickets at Fever
What’s the deal: Participating cinemas in London are offering discounted tickets via Fever. See the latest films from just £3.99 at Vue, and from £6.99 at ODEON. Plus, there’s the option to join waiting lists for soon-to-be-released movies, too.
Why we chose it: A we've just mentioned, if we wanted to see Challengers at the ODEON in Acton, a ticket would cost from £12.95, however, if we bought a ticket for a Vue cinema at Fever, a seat would cost us £5.99; that's a saving of almost £7.
Buy cinema tickets from £5.99 at Fever
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Get four cinema tickets for £8.95 with Groupon
What’s the deal: Groupon has some fantastic deals to help you bag a cinema ticket for less, including four tickets for £8.95 at Vue cinema, the perfect deal for a movie night with friends.
Why we chose it: With Vue cinema tickets usually costing anywhere from £9.99, that means that this deal can save you a huge £31.
Get four cinema tickets for £8.95 at Groupon
Two for £8 Odeon tickets at Vodafone
What's the deal: Mobile network Vodafone has partnered with Odeon to bring its customers two Odeon cinema tickets for just £8 and two Odeon Luxe cinema tickets for £13 with VeryMe Rewards.
Why we chose it: If you're already a Vodafone customer, this deal is a no-brainer. If you're planning on switching phone contracts, Vodafone is also a brilliant option; the UK mobile network offers its own loyalty programme — VeryMe Rewards — which not only offers cheap cinema tickets, but also the chance to snag handy discounts on supermarket essentials, as well as weekly Friday treats such as free coffees, two-for-one meals, and so much more.
Two for £10 Odeon tickets for Prime members
What's the deal: Amazon Prime members can get two Odeon cinema tickets for £10 on Monday through to Thursday, or two Odeon Luxe cinema tickets for £15.
Why we chose it: Amazon has said that research shows a dinner out (49%) and a night at the cinema (36%) are the UK and Ireland's favourite winter date nights, so the retailer has endeavoured to put great dates back on the agenda with this fantastic offer. In total, the deal offers a saving of more than 45% on an Odeon cinema ticket.
For more great Amazon Prime offers, be sure to check out our guide which we update monthly.
Cinema experiences with Buyagift
What’s the deal: If you fancy making a day or an evening out of your cinema trip, Buyagift has just the experience packages for you. Some of our favourites include cinema tickets with dinner, a hidden vintage cinema with co*cktails, and tickets to Bristol Film Festival with wine tasting.
Why we chose it: Despite some of the vouchers not saving you a huge amount of money, there are some real gems on the Buyagift website. Plus, the experiences can be claimed at various locations across the UK.
- Buy the Hidden Vintage Cinema Experience with co*cktails for Two at TT Liquor experience for £29
- Buy the Two Tickets to Bristol Film Festival with a Wine Tasting at Averys Wine Cellar for £50
- Buy the Cinema Tickets with Dinner Experience Box for £69.99
If you're a fan of seeing a film in style, check out our guide to the best London luxury cinema experiences.
Plus, here are the best UK family days out to take your little ones on this month.
Cinema experiences with Virgin Experience Days
What’s the deal: Like with Buyagift, Virgin Experience Days offers cinema experiences which make watching a movie a whole lot more special. Plus, the site offers bundles on Cineworld tickets, which include snacks and drinks, saving you a couple of pennies.
Why we chose it: If you're buying someone a cinema experience, perhaps for a birthday or an anniversary, a gift card from Virgin Experience Days is a thoughtful idea.
- Buy Hidden Vintage Cinema Experience with co*cktail for Two for £42
- Buy Cineworld Cinema Tickets with Drinks and Snacks for Two for £43
- Buy co*cktail Cinema Evening for Two at the Courthouse Hotel for
£56£50 (save £6 or 11%)
Save on the latest films with Tastecard
What’s the deal: First of all, what is Tastecard? Tastecard is a one-stop shop for discount codes for your favourite restaurants, cinemas and shops. Tastecard has partnered with high street and independent cinemas to bring you up to 40 per cent off cinema tickets.
Why we chose it: The money you save on cinema tickets can be spent on snacks instead. Smart idea? We certainly think so. Plus, your Tastecard membership not only includes offers on cinema tickets, but also deals like saving 50 per cent off food at thousands of UK restaurants like Zizzi and Prezzo.
Join Tastecard from £3.99 per month
Save when you become a cinema member
What’s the deal: Many cinemas offer memberships where you can pay a monthly fee and see as many films as your heart desires, for example, myLIMITLESS from ODEON offers unlimited films, savings on food and drink, and exclusive screenings from £14.99 a month. Similarly, experience as many movies as you like with Cineworld Unlimited from £10.99 a month.
Why we chose it: A lot of the time, you’d only have to visit the cinema twice a month to get your money’s worth. Plus, you get 10 per cent off food and drink, and if you haven't already guessed, a discounted snack is a priority for the RadioTimes.com team.
- Become a myLIMITLESS member from £14.99 a month at ODEON
- Get Cineworld Unlimited from £10.99 a month at Cineworld
Based in the midlands and north of England? Take a look at the best Birmingham shows and best Manchester theatre shows for top day out inspiration.
Two Vue tickets for £8 for Vodafone customers
What’s the deal: Vodafone customers can redeem this Vue offer — two tickets for £8 — once a week. The offer will appear on the My Vodafone app every Monday. There is a tiny bit of small print, however: you’ll need to have a monthly or small business contract, or if you’re a pay-as-you-go customer, you’ll need to have topped up at least £10 in the last 60 days.
Why we chose it: The offer covers any 2D movie, and can be redeemed on the weekend, which is a huge rarity as that’s the most popular time to go.
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Turn Clubcard vouchers into cinema tickets
What’s the deal: Is there anything Tesco Clubcards can’t do? If it’s not saving us money on our meal deal, it’s getting us cheap tickets to Thorpe Park or cheap tickets to LEGOLAND. Now, you can get three times the value on your Clubcard vouchers — for example, 50p becomes £1 — when exchanged for a Cineworld code.
Why we chose it: ‘Every little helps’, as Tesco would say! Any amount of money off a cinema ticket is a win in our eyes.
One film every day with Fever
What’s the deal: Check out the participating Vue cinemas in Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Liverpool, Birmingham or Manchester, decide the film and time, then buy your Fever E-code to use on the listing and save yourself some pennies. There's some fantastic films out at the moment that you can use the code on, such as Monkey Man and Civil War.
Why we chose it: From just £3.99, you can watch a film at participating Vue cinemas in UK and Irish cities such as Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Liverpool, and more.
- Buy Vue Cinema Manchester tickets from £3.99 at Fever
- Buy Vue Cinema Birmingham tickets for £3.99 at Fever
- Buy Vue Cinema Bristol tickets for £3.99 at Fever
- Buy Vue Cinema Liverpool tickets for £3.99 at Fever
- Buy Vue Cinema London tickets from £5.99 at Fever
- Buy Vue Cinema Glasgow tickets from £3.99 at Fever
- Buy Vue Cinema Edinburgh tickets from £3.99 at Fever
- Buy Vue Cinema Dublin tickets from €4.75 at Fever
- Buy Vue Cinema Leeds tickets for £5.49 at Fever
- Buy Vue Cinema Leicester tickets for £3.99 at Fever
See the latest releases from £3 with Three UK
What’s the deal: Another great deal you can bag by simply having a phone contract, and this time, it’s from Three UK. Three+ members can get Cineworld cinema tickets for just £3 to watch some of the best films out at the moment, such as Monkey Man, Seize Them! and Mothers' Instinct.
Why we chose it: There's no better time to escape from the cold and watch a great movie. Plus, the RadioTimes.com team likes to recommend deals that don't require any extra heavy lifting from you, for example, if you're a Three customer already, this offer bags you something a little bit extra.
Take a look at some of the other fun experiences we offer, like the best film and TV studio tours and the best Star Wars experiences.
Plus, did you know a brand-new F1 Drive experience has landed in Tottenham?
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Cheap cinema tickets for kids
What’s the deal: An offer you can use during the school holidays and beyond: a selection of UK cinemas offer discounted tickets for children aged 14 and under, and their accompanying adult. Tickets start from just £2.50 at Cineworld and £2.75 ODEON.
Why we chose it: Keeping kids entertained, particularly during the holidays, can be expensive. That’s why any deal that keeps the cost of family days out down will be shared with you with the utmost priority!
For more discounts the whole family can make use of, be sure to take a look at our how to get cheap Disneyland Paris tickets and how to get cheap Chessington World of Adventures tickets.
Group discounts with Wowcher
What’s the deal: With Wowcher, you can get regular group discounts for over 80 ODEON cinemas, including screens in London, Liverpool and Cardiff. You can get discount codes for deals such as two for five cinema tickets.
Why we chose it: Cinema is an experience you should share with the people around you, so with these voucher codes you can turn a small cinema trip into a big group day out.
Get group discounts for ODEON cinemas at Wowcher
To watch films in your own home, look no further than the Disney Plus Standard plan which will get you the streaming service for just £4.99 per month.
Two cinema tickets for £9 with Priority
What’s the deal: What’s better than discounted cinema tickets? O2 phone and Virgin Media broadband customers will love this deal: Priority offers two Vue cinema tickets for just £9, allowing you to enjoy all the latest releases at a heavily discounted price.
Why we chose it: With tickets for Vue cinemas normally costing £9.90, this deal will save you £10.80.
- Discover rewards with O2 Priority
- Not an O2 phone customer? Take a look at the phones
- Looking to switch to Virgin Media broadband? Check out the packages
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Two free Vue cinema tickets for Sky Cinema customers
What's the deal: Sky Cinema customers can claim two free Vue cinema tickets each month, and they're valid to use at any Vue cinema in the UK and Ireland from Sunday through to Thursday.
Why we chose it: If you're already a Sky Cinema customer, we're going to take a guess and say you love movies, so why not watch films from the comfort of your own home and at the cinema, too?
As much as we'd love to, it's practically impossible to go to the cinema every day, so be sure to check out our Disney Plus offers and Virgin Media offers.
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Head to our Going Out section for the latest releases, including our mammoth guide on what to do in London this weekend.
