Free & Cheap Rentals at Blockbuster Express Kiosks

Want to watch a movie for free this week? I do. And I have a few options, thanks to Blockbuster Express:

• Blockbuster Express recently announced a new pricing structure: New Releases are $2 for the first night & come with an in-stock guarantee. Hot Movies (the titles it has before Redbox & Netflix) are $3 for the first night & come with the in-stock guarantee.
• As part of the in-stock guarantee, you can text an active keyword to 39777 to get a one-time use code good for up to $3 off a movie rental; it’s intended to give you a credit to use if the movie isn’t in stock, but you don’t need to be at the kiosk to get the deal. Active keywords as of April 24 include BERRY, AUSTIN, MARSDEN, TOM, SPY, BRAND, DARK, STREEP, ALVIN, CIRCLE, BARBIE, HORSE, LION, SANDRA, ROONEY, KERMIT, JONAH, JODIE, TINTIN, GEORGE, MICHELLE, THERON, MILLA, HENRY, ADAM, HOUGH,& LARRY, and you can text each keyword once per phone number. You can check for current keywords by browsing movies on Blockbuster Express & hovering over the image of a New Release or searching the New Releases at the kiosk; if the movie qualifies for the in-stock guarantee, you’ll find instructions to text a keyword to 39777 to get a code good for your next rental. The code applies to the lowest-price rental in your cart, so make two transactions to ensure your $2 or $3 rental is free for the first night.
• For a limited time, if you ‘Like’ Blockbuster Express on Facebook, you’ll get a code for $1 off a movie rental.
• Thanks to an offer in its e-newsletter, you can use code “MOVIEMARATHON” for $1 off two rentals; expires April 29, 2012.
• And an FYI–NCR, the company that operates Blockbuster Express kiosks, is in the process of selling its kiosks to Redbox. The transition should be completed by around 3rd Quarter 2012. My advice: Watch as many Hot Movie titles on the cheap as you can between now & then.

–Jennifer Maciejewski, Atlanta on the Cheap & RVA (Richmond) on the Cheap