Blockbuster Online is running a new PayPal promotion where new members can get a $25 rebate for signing up for any Blockbuster movie subscription trial and keeping (and paying) it for at least on month. Any plan qualifies. Their cheapest plan is only $3.99 per month, which allows you one video out at a time via mail only, with a maximum total of two per month. So you could see it as “lots of free movies” or “$21 + two free movies”. Just in time for some movie watching over the holidays!
- When signing up, be sure to click on “See all available plans” to see all your options. Make sure you click the right radio button for the plan you want.
- Click “Checkout with PayPal” and log in to PayPal. Agree to Blockbuster monthly subscription plan. Confirm date that you’ll be charged and fill out your Blockbuster profile.
- Remember date and wait to be charged for one month, and then you can cancel. $25 bonus should arrive 6-8 weeks after 12/22 (promotion end date).
Here are selected portions of the fine print:
Eligibility: You must be a new BLOCKBUSTER Online subscriber in order to take advantage of the free trial to BLOCKBUSTER Online and this Offer. Eligible Purchase: To receive the $25 Cash Back Offer, simply stay on as a paying BLOCKBUSTER Online subscriber, using PayPal as your payment method, for one (1) monthly billing cycle. Any BLOCKBUSTER Online plan qualifies for the $25 Cash Back Offer, so long as you remain a paid subscriber for one monthly billing cycle. Offer Period: The $25 Cash Back Offer starts on November 19, 2008 at 12:01 am Central Time and ends on December 22, 2008 at 11:59 pm Central Time. Cash Back Payment: The cash back payment will be deposited into your PayPal account within 6-8 weeks after the promotion ends.
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typo on promo end date should read 12/22
whoops! fixed thanks.
At first I only saw the $9.99 option but then I realized it was for the plan with the in store swap feature so I did end up finding the $3.99 plan. Thanks for this tip!
This may or may not be a good deal. It’s worth pointing out that Blockbuster is right on the verge of bankruptcy. For example, in the latest quarter Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) had free cash flow, which is operating profit (in this case, a loss) plus capital expenditures, of -$177million. With only $95 million in cash on its balance sheet, Blockbuster could easily end up in bankruptcy at the end of this quarter. Good luck getting your $25 cash back in that case, although the loss on investment would probably be at most the $3.99 plus your time.
so one complete billing cycle, does that mean you go through two charges of 3.99?
How difficult is it to close the account? I’m thinking about doing this but only if I can easily cancel online – I’d rather not have to call and have some high pressure CSR try to talk me into staying.
You can just cancel the account on your account page online so it’s pretty easy to do.
I got a server error when I tried to sign up. Way to go, Blockbuster!
It says that if you cancel the first month, you won’t get the $25 bonus. Does that include the 2 weeks free trial, or is it within the first billing date month? My first billing date is Dec 24, does that mean I have to wait for the second billing to take place to qualify for the $25? I guess $8 for $25 isn’t that bad either. I got the server error too, but when I went back to BB, I was logged in and everything appears to be working fine. Already have 2 movies in queue and one of them in processing to be shipped. Thanks for the lead.
Remember that your first month with Blockbuster is free. But you need to remain subscribed for one monthly billing cycle, so you probably need to remain a subscriber for 2 months (I’ve got a feeling they don’t call your first month a billing cycle since it’s free…) Also, what Shane says may be correct… if you cancel your subscription any time before your second payment they can argue that you didn’t remain subscribed for a full monthly billing cycle.
I used to have an account with blockbuster, and found unsubscribing to be painless. (drats, I’m not a new customer now, and can’t participate in this promo!) You can cancel your account online with a couple clicks. Just make sure that you’ve returned all the DVDs.
I also got an error when trying to apply, and when I went back later, it told me I was ineligible because I already had a Paypal account–that I just set up this morning on their website!!
Thanks for the information but, I also wonder if you cancel the first month will I get the $25 bonus.
Error 500–Internal Server Error. Tried it 3 times. Hopefully Blockbuster will fix this soon, because that’s embarrassing.
When I signed up on 12/8 there was a two week free trial, not a month trial (so how can the first month be free?). My first billing date will be 12/24 which will start the first “monthly plan” for $3.99 So it looks like you pre-pay a month in advance.
I love Netflix so much more. I’m just saying. Vast selection, no limits on number of rentals per month, no complicated terms (unless given as a gift – read the fine print on that one), and instant online viewing capabilities for many movies. My plan is $10/mo. and I’m aiming for beating the Redbox $1 value by getting at least 11 movies in a month.
netflix doesnt have this offer….none of us are gonna keep blockbuster.
Agree with shane, I didn’t plan on holding on to it past the promotion period when I signed up.
Now that I have signed up, I have confirmed that I won’t be hanging around past the promotion period. I don’t really like Blockbuster’s set up at all.
What’s a big deal staying with BB for two months, anyways you are paying $3.99 only for both? Then Cancel it on the verge of the third months ? Am I getting something wrong ?
For over a month now I’ve had an Error 500 when trying to view my Blockbuster Online Queue. I’ve emailed them three times but they just keep telling me they are working on it. I’m getting sick of blockbuster.
just got charged the 3.99 + tax today . . . i have canceled now keeping fingers crossed for 25$ rebate
Wish I had found and read this report before I signed up last week:
http://iripoff.com/3680/blockbuster.html
Oh well, $3.99 for two movies ain’t all that bad.
Ouch, just read the link Scott posted. Guess we will not be seeing that rebate any time soon. I’m just glad I signed up for the $3.99 deal
I too am in this $25.00 rebate nightmare. Mine started on 12/22 when we purchased a HDTV, Blue Ray, TiVo HD & the Blockbuster Trial. It was only 2 weeks (Not a free month as the offer spoke) I too have called and was told to call PayPal. What? They are not the one running the promotion. It is no wonder they are having money trouble. I am not going to keep the service past the 2nd billing to make sure I get the rebate. I will be going to Netflix where I can get my movies downloaded to my HD TiVo. I have had a lot of problems with Blue ray DVD’s I have received from blockbuster not playing, but the player support says “they are working on it”.
I saved the actual email offer originally sent by Blockbuster, it clearly states they will deposit the $25 immediately after the first billing. That was back over four months ago. I emailed their customer service and received an email back saying the $25 would be deposited 6-8 weeks after the promo end date. In their words, “however, at this time the promotion is still ongoing and there is an indefinite end date to this promotion.” Yes, even if you have it in writing, it’s not always true.
I basically was having the same run around about the bonus as listed on I ripoff on Scott’s post. atleast 10 emails back and forth with blockbuster to no avail. I filed a fraudulent charge via paypal and I believe it was done electonically I recieved a credit back to my paypal account the next day for $4.23 for both months of service. Please anybody who is being ripped off do the same. I cant stand when companies go back on their offer. this is one of the worst I have seen in years, especially from such a large company so blatantly doing it, with disregard to theur cutomers. I am interested if anyone has actually recieved their bonus ????
I’m glad I checked back on this posting. I was planning to ask if anyone had received their credit yet but after seeing Scott’s link I immediately canceled by Blockbuster account. On my way I out I checked “Fraud” as my reason for leaving and then I posted Scott’s link to the comment box.
When i called customer service i reached a rep. that promised me 2 downloadable coupons for in store use. The coupons are ligit but still looking for the 25.00 bucks i was promised. I joined 12/22/08 and after 8 weeks i have been charged two times for the 3.99 plan.
I have not received my $25 either. The terms currently read (did it always?):
“The cash back payment will be deposited into your PayPal account within 6-8 weeks after the promotion ends. All payouts will be completed by April 30th, 2009. ”
I guess the promotion is still going on in their messed up world, so I guess I’ll wait until 4/30.
I haven’t received mine either. I cancelled my account and am patiently waiting too.
I’ve begun a correspondance with Blockbuster, and already they’re telling me the program ended in September and I missed it. ha.
There is a ton of fine print and apparently there are lots more restrictions found at https://www.blockbuster.com/paypal25rebateterms
Restrictions:PayPal and Blockbuster reserve the right to cancel, suspend or modify part or this entire Offer at any time without notice, for any reason in its sole discretion.
also there appears to be a “current” offer period different from when I signed up from the original blog post
Offer Period:The $25 Cash Back Offer starts on February 14, 2009 at 12:01 am Central Time and ends on March 3rd, 2009 at 11:59 pm Central Time.
I just received my $25 via PayPal.
I actually read the terms of the offer, and so I canceled the service right after my first bill. Total out of pocket was, what, $4? Not bad for a few minutes work.
just received 25 from bb!; great deal
i got my $25 too. thanks paypal and blockbuster. great deal $4.30 got to watch 3 blu-rays and made some money. just be patient and follow directions
I canceled this past Monday and sent a not-so-happy email to Investor Relations at Blockbuster saying that they should honor all PayPal bonuses, as no one had seemed to receive the bonus as of yet.
Apparently this either worked, or it was odd timing, since I also received my $25 via PayPal today.
Hope everyone else receives their bonus they are entitled to!
I also received my $25 via paypal today. I signed up on Dec 08 and paid for three months and thought this was a lost cause. At least I got some free movies and made a few bucks!
I also got my money today! I was afraid it would never come. I even decided to keep the 2 movies for $4/mo. It’s not a bad deal.
I went as far as to open a complaint with the BBB.BBB responded right away and let me know that Blockbuster had 30 days to resolve before they could do anything.That was about a week ago.Blockbuster deposited money today.
Received my cash today also.
mine came today too.
We recently deposited $25 into your PayPal account. This deposit was made because you signed up for a BLOCKBUSTER Online® account using PayPal™. Access to special deals and promotions is just one of the many benefits of being a BLOCKBUSTER Online subscriber. Please note: if your PayPal account is inactive for more than 30 days, the $25 will be removed from your account. Thanks for signing up for BLOCKBUSTER Online with PayPal! Your Friends at BLOCKBUSTER®
I probably sent a total of 10 emails to customer service
Got my $25 too.
Got my 25 too and if you look back at the post’s I also got my $8.26 back from paypal
I got my bonus too–but x2! (apparently a reward for all the complaining I did). They must have finally caved after all the heat they were getting on this.
signed on in DEC. 08 never received mine
Kind of late but never got my $25. BB customer service was pretty bad and they actually took $ out of paypal twice for one month of service. It took many phone calls to resolve that issue so I didn’t make a big stink of not getting $25. I was just glad to get an e-mail confirmation that my BB account was canceled.