When it comes to returning Redbox movies…we are complete failures. Here’s why we stopped using it, and what we are using instead – VidAngel. It’s a game changer for anyone who loves movies (or who wants to watch filtered films…or not!) Think RedBox meets Blockbuster meets Internet Streaming.
RedBox is great…until you forget to return the movie.
Then, that movie you rented for about a $1 turns into $8, and you start to think you should have just gone to the movie theater instead.
Or maybe that just happens to us!
Either way, Forrest loves to watch movies. We aren’t fans of buying movies – unless we really, really love them. So, we rent them quite often. And unfortunately, we have spent more money than we probably should have on “extra” nights and gas to drive to the store or gas station.
When I heard about VidAngel a few months ago, I knew I had to tell Forrest about it. It seemed like the greatest solution to our forgetfulness of RedBox movies, as well as our desire to watch cleaner things in our home. We’ve been using it for a few months, and we’ve decided it’s about time we share it all with you! It has completely replaced RedBox in our lives, and I don’t think we’ll be turning back anytime soon.
What is VidAngel?
Basically, it’s an amazing way to watch movies from the comfort of your home, return them with the click of a button, and enjoy them for just about $1 per movie. Oh, and best of all, you can create custom filters for the movies you are watching. So, if you are like us and don’t like to be surprised with profane language, intense violence, or nudity, it’s a game changer.
It has a huge selection of new releases and older films, and there is something for everyone. For instance, we watched Inside Out recently with Jack and his cousins, Forrest and I watched Pitch Perfect 2, and Forrest watches all the movies he has been dying to watch but seem totally unappealing to me – like Avengers.
How Does VidAngel Work?
There is an initial $20 payment for your first movie – but don’t leave yet. If you return it within 24 hours, you will get $19 back in credit (or $18 if you purchased an HD movie), which can be applied to your next movie purchase. This makes the movie end up being between $1 and $2. When you purchase your next movie, $19 in credit will be applied, and you just need to pay another buck or two…and when you return it? You guessed it – you get $19 (or $18) back in credit again.
You may be wondering – why do I have to purchase the movies? Well, it’s essential in order for the company to be able to provide filters for these movies. Other movie filtering companies failed because they were illegally altering films. However, by law, if you own a movie, you can really do whatever you want to it. So, VidAngel allows you to purchase their movies, gives you the ability to filter them, and then you can sell them back.
You can also set up your account to auto-sell back the movies, so you don’t accidentally end up owning one forever that you don’t want.
There currently is not a free trial available – however, if you ever decide that you no longer want to use VidAngel, you can contact customer service, and they will refund any money that you have on your account.
VidAngel Movie Filters
We love that you can create a custom filter for your personal preferences and standards. You just go into your filter settings, and there are different sections – alcohol and drug use, language, sex/nudity/immodesty, violence/blood/gore, and other. Those sections are divided into subsections and you can select right down to the word or action whether or not you want to see it. Here is a screenshot of the filter settings under language:
Before you even purchase a movie, it tells you how many different filtering options are available – and exactly what they are for! I feel like the filtering is done pretty well – for language, there’s just a pause in the dialogue and then for scenes that are cut out, it just seamlessly jumps to the next scene.
VidAngel has tons of new releases and older films. This is definitely another advantage over RedBox, which has a limited selection of films available. It feels kind of like Blockbuster (you know, back when those were on every corner.) You could always find the movies you were looking for – new and old – and it’s a similar feel with VidAngel. Forrest has been having fun going back and watching movies from a few years back that he had not seen, specifically because he knew there was questionable content. They also believe it’s important to let people make their decisions regarding their movie choices, which is why they have all new releases – not just family friendly ones.
So, what are you waiting for?! Head on over to VidAngel and watch your first movie now! Even if you don’t want to watch something right now, sign up so you can hear about their new movies and special deals.
We are a part of VidAngel’s affiliate program, but we had been using VidAngel for several months before that. We reached out to them after we determined that we LOVED it!
Adrian says
1. What happens if you don’t return it in 24 hours?
2. The $20 balance that gets reduced to 19 or 18, when I come back can I just add a couple bucks to bring it back up to $20? When I hear “credit” I think, I don’t want credit, I want money.
Relatively high entry cost to watch a movie, to try out a new service. Anyway I can try a “sample”?
Are they supported on Amazon Fire or any other platforms other than a computer?
I like the idea but last time I checked out their website I wasn’t sure if I “rented” the movie through them or went through another provider and then they filtered it.
Katie says
Hey Adrian –
If you don’t return it within 24 hours, you own the movie forever. So, you have to remember to do that 🙂 It’s simple to return though, and it gives you the option right after you are done watching the movie.
For the credit, yes, when you come back, you just pay $1. So after you watch the first movie, it credits your account $19, so the next movie you watch, you just pay $1, bringing your account up to $20…and when you return it, your account is credited $19 again. I would have preferred getting $19 back in cash as well, but I guess they have to make money (or something somehow.)
I have talked to the company about the possibility of doing a trial period for people, because I agree, $20 is a high entry cost, especially if you aren’t convinced you are going to want to keep watching movies. We have a lot of extra credits on our account, so I’ll have Forrest email you so you can try it out.
And currently Amazon Fire TV isn’t support, but it’s in the works. Right now you can watch a movie on your desktop/laptop (or if you have a chrome cast, you can stream it from your computer to your TV using that), the Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or any phone or tablet that runs on iOS or Android.
Neal Harmon says
Hi Katie,
Some recent developments. Amazon Fire TV is in BETA:
https://www.vidangel.com/support
And our sell back decreases by $1 per day. You don’t have to own it after 24 hours.
Thanks,
Neal
Katie says
Thanks for the update, Neal! I love the new sell back model. Very advantageous!
Katie says
I just spoke with VidAngel, and they ssid if you try it and don’t like it, yiu can contact customer support, abd they will put the money back on your credit card. They are trying to come up with a better way to do it, but at least this way, you don’t get stuck with something you won’t use!
Leslie says
I’m glad I’m not the only person who forgets about returning red box movies, for days! I’ll have to check this out, thanks for sharing!
Katie says
It is so hard to remember sometimes! Definitely check it out =)