If you’re like me, you enjoy the simplicity and convenience of paying for goods and services by simply placing your finger of your smartphone’s scanner. Thankfully, in the past several months, services like Apple Pay and Android Pay have expanded beyond payments made in this manner at brick and mortar stores and have begun integrating with apps and mobile websites. The latest example of this is Android Pay joining standard credit cards and PayPal as a form of payment in movie ticket seller Fandango’s app.
As 9 to 5 Google notes, Fandango is celebrating its new partnership with Google by offering users $3 off any movie ticket purchase when you use Android Pay and a special coupon code. The promotion is set to run for a month, with a new code revealed each week. The current code — ‘AndroidPay1’ — is set to expire on July 5th, but you can visit the Android promotions page for the next code. Also note that this discount is per transaction and, sadly, not per ticket.
For the record, while this promotion is surely awesome, it may not actually be your best bet for buying movie tickets. First of all, Fandango charges a per-ticket surcharge — usually $1.50 — so, if you’re buying more than one ticket at a time (hint), it’s kind of a wash. On top of that, certain discounted tickets like student pricing may not be available online depending on the specific theatre’s policies. As a result, you may actually be better off just heading straight to your cinema’s box office.
Another thing to keep in mind — this coming from a former movie theatre manager — is that, unless your theatre of choice offers reserved seating, you’ll still want to arrive early for popular films. Trust me, nothing is worse than buying tickets online only to end up sitting in the front row anyway.
Despite these potential drawbacks, this is actually a pretty cool deal. Furthermore, as an iPhone user myself, I have to admit I’m the slightest bit jealous. But, if you’re an Android user and looking to catch some of the big summer blockbusters like Spider-Man: Homecoming, War for the Planet of the Apes, or Dunkirk, save yourself a couple of bucks by taking advantage of this Fandago/Android Pay promotion while it lasts.