Our ears always perk up when we hear the word "free," and movies are yet another freebie all of us love to snag without paying a dime (in addition to books [1] and magazines [2]!). Check out the many ways you can watch them for free:
- RedBox hack: Have a RedBox rental near you? Use these rental codes from Inside Redbox [3] for one night of free rental. Just remember to return the DVD before 9 p.m. the next day and you won't have to pay for the movie.
- Library: We can't go on enough about all the freebies [4] you can get from the library, one of which are the DVDs you can borrow for free. You can even borrow a couple at a time, although there usually is a limit. Libraries also generally organize free movie nights for patrons to attend.
- Movie nights in the city: Check to see what kind of events are going on in your city — there are usually plenty of free movie nights being held. Some places to check out include parks and museums.
- Swap meets: Find swap meets in your city and you may be able to swap items for DVDs you're hoping to watch.
- "Borrow" a friend or family member's Netflix log-in: You can watch movies and shows on the same Netflix account on up to two devices, so if someone you know doesn't mind sharing their account, you'll be able to stream movies from Netflix for free!
- Amazon Prime: If you already have Amazon Prime, there is a wide selection of movies you can stream online for free. But keep in mind that not all movies are free. You can easily filter through the free movies by first going to the Amazon instant video page [5], clicking on the movies category, then sorting the movies by price from low to high. The ones that show up first are the movies you can stream without paying a cent.
- Hulu: You'll find hundreds of free movies on Hulu, although they will be in standard-definition resolution. You'll have to pay a bit more to watch the HD versions.
- Craigslist free section: There is a free-stuff section on Craigslist for every city, so check it out every once in a while to see if anyone is giving away DVDs.
- SwapADVD: You can swap DVDs with someone else online for free on SwapADVD.com [6]. There are apparently 262,186 movies to choose from. All you need to do is list the DVD you have, then mail it out to a club member who requests it. The DVDs you request will be sent to you for free. You won't have to worry about late fees and hidden charges.
- Crackle: Like Hulu, Crackle [7] is another great place to watch movies online. You'll have to watch commercials and the movies are in standard definition, but you'll have quite a big selection to choose from. Another negative is that movies are only available for a period of time.
- Free movie screenings: You can actually watch movie screenings for free before the movies are even released to the public. All you need to do is check out sites like Gofobo [8] and Film Metro [9]. Wise Bread has more detailed instructions on how to watch free screenings [10].