10 ways to get cheap movie tickets

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Want a trip to the movies to see the latest blockbusters without busting your budget?

At big cinema chains like Hoyts, you can pay $25 per adult and $19 for each child to catch the latest movie. A family of four won't get much change from $100, and that's before you've shelled out for popcorn and a couple of choc tops.

Fortunately, there are ways to enjoy the big screen without leaving a Jurassic-size hole in your bank account.

10 ways to get cheap movie tickets

1. Join a cinema rewards program

Event Cinema's Cinebuzz Rewards lets members earn points to score free tickets and discounts. Each original session earns 100 points, and you need at least 600 points to score a free ticket.

Hoyts Rewards is free to join, and offers 10% off movie tickets. Or pay $15 to join Hoyts Rewards VIP and save 25% on tickets.

Village Cinema's Vrewards lets you earn 10 points for every $1 spent. You'll need 2,500 points to redeem a standard ticket.

2. Tap into Telstra spending

Telstra customers can join Telstra's reward program - Telstra Plus. Earn 10 points for every $1 of eligible spend, which includes paying your monthly Telstra bill or recharging a Telstra prepaid service.

Use your points to pick up discounted movie tickets, paying $12.50 per adult and $11.50 for kids.

3. Fly into films using frequent flyer points

Qantas Frequent Flyer points can be used to pay for Hoyts movie tickets.

You'll need to redeem a minimum of 4,000 points, which cuts $20 off the cost of tickets or candy bar purchases. You will need to link your Frequent Flyers to a Hoyts Rewards account.

4. Drive savings of up to 40% with motoring membership

NRMA members can save up to 40% at Event cinemas. RACQ members are able to use eVouchers at Event Cinemas and BCC Cinemas, and pay as little as $12.50 for an adult or $10 for kids.

If you're an RACV member, save up to 30% on pre-purchased tickets for Hoyts, Village Cinemas and Palace Cinemas.

5. Let your health fund do the heavy lifting

Members of Bupa private health fund can score discounts of up to 25% at Event Cinemas and Hoyts.

Medibank Priority members (those who've been with Medibank for 10-years-plus) can pay just $14 for Thursday screenings at Palace Cinemas.

6. Use an app to find cheap tix

Check out Choovie - a website and app that shows the cheapest cinemas in your area for the movie you want to see.

We used it to find $9.90 adult tickets for Top Gun: Maverick.

7. See what your union offers

Members of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance can pay $18.50 for 2D movie sessions at Hoyts or $21.50 for 3D sessions. Community and Public Sector Union members are also eligible for discounted tickets.

8. Join a movie club

Check if your local cinema has a movie club. Palace Cinemas offers free membership to its movie club with discounted tickets to every session.

At Melbourne's Astor Theatre for example, Movie Club members can pay $17 for an adult ticket, a saving of $6 on the regular price of $23.

9. Go for cheap sessions

Get to know the cheap ticket days for your nearest cinema. At selected United Cinemas for example, adult tickets are priced at $13 on Tuesdays, down from the regular price of $19.50.

10. Head to a drive-in

There are just 16 drive-in cinemas left in Australia, and along with a retro experience you can take in Hollywood's finest for a fraction of the cost of a traditional cinema.

Pay $36.50 when you share a car with four people at Skyline in Blacktown (Sydney), and catch all the action of the big screen through your windscreen.

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A former Chartered Accountant, Nicola Field has been a regular contributor to Money for 20 years, and writes on personal finance issues for some of Australia's largest financial institutions. She is the author of Investing in Your Child's Future and Baby or Bust, and has collaborated with Paul Clitheroe on a variety of projects including radio scripts, newspaper columns, and several books.