Maybe you never knew, or perhaps you just forgot because it’s been so long, but some physical movie releases have a little slip of paper inside that entitles you to a digital streaming version of that movie. No need to buy it twice, and you get the best of both worlds!
How Buying Physical and Getting Digital Free Works
It couldn’t be simpler. When you buy a movie on disc, you’ll get a code that will unlock a copy of the same movie on an online streaming service. The exact service will differ from one movie distributor to the next, but most of the ones I’ve seen are for VUDU aka “Fandango At Home.” Regardless, the voucher will tell you where to go in order to redeem your movie.
Where To Find Your Voucher
The exact location of the movie voucher also depends on how the disc was packaged. It’s usually inside the disc case itself as a loose paper in the stack of promotional material many movies have. Some people never even take that pack of papers out of the case, and others might throw it all away without checking first! So now’s a good time to walk over to your collection of physical movies, and check each case to see if you have a digital voucher for any of them. It can’t hurt!
Sometimes Used Discs Have Unused Vouchers
Because so many people seem to overlook these vouchers or don’t even realize they’re a thing at all, you might get lucky and find unused vouchers inside used discs. So if you’re checking out thrift shops, pawn shops, or garage sales, you could get something extra. Now, some of these vouchers do have expiration dates set a few years after the movie’s release on disc, but there’s no harm in trying out a code to see if it still works.
You Can Check Which Movies Have Vouchers Online
While it’s not advertised as heavily anymore, you can usually see whether a movie comes with a complementary digital copy by taking a look at its product description. Phrases like “Digital Copy Included,” “Blu-ray + Digital HD,” or “Digital HD with UltraViolet” are common indicators that you’re getting to double-dip with your purchase.
There Are a Lot of Cheap New Discs Out There
With the decline in popularity of physical media, there’s (ironically) never been a better time to get in on the physical movie collection hobby. Why? Because if you peruse online stores that sell movies on disc, you’ll notice a heap of cheap old stock that must go. If you check out Amazon’s section on complementary digital copies you’ll see plenty of great titles going for under ten bucks.
I really like to look out for movies like this, because it means that I can get a preserved physical copy of the movie, never wear it out, and still watch my collection with the convenience of online digital streaming, without worrying that my digital copy will disappear when the service ends, or the company goes out of business. That’s probably inevitable, but since I still have the disc, it’s likely to outlast me, much less the servers holding ghostly copies of our movies.
Beware of Region Locks
There’s one last wrinkle to the whole complementary digital copy deal that I think everyone should know. While it’s not going to affect most folks in the US, if you live outside the US like I do, then you’re likely to run into regional issues. For example, VUDU isn’t available in my region, so any movie I buy that comes with a VUDU code won’t work. At least, not unless you use a VPN to change your region. It is a little irritating that a voucher that comes with a disc for my region would have a voucher that isn’t, but I guess it’s not the end of the world. It’s just something you should be aware of if you’re not in the right territory.
