3 ms·

when you buy a ticket online, you are actually buying an option on the ticket, because you can go in and refund it at any time before the movie starts. the “con

when you buy a ticket online, you are actually buying an option on the ticket, because you can go in and refund it at any time before the movie starts. the “convenience fee” is the option premium. it would be fairer if this were opt-in. Some e commerce sites now allow you to pay a few extra dollars to have free returns, something similar would work for movies.

conductr 2y ago
No, this is complicating things. A physical ticket can also be refunded prior to show time. It's not an option at all, it's just a fee. They are charging you to 1) pick your seat 2) not have to show up early 3) peace of mind knowing your spot is reserved - all of those things are conveniences in the purest sense of the word. In many cases, the fee is more closely related to a platform fee going to fandango or similar service.
- n144q 2y ago
  I think the "convenience fee" of online purchases is about the fact that if you want to buy a ticket days before showtime, you don't have to get a physical ticket at the box office in person. Not necessarily that I agree with it though -- in many parts of the world you have no such fees when you buy a movie ticket online.
  - conductr 2y ago
    I'd categorize that under my "2) not have to show up early 3) peace of mind knowing your spot is reserved" points. I don't necessarily agree with them either. It seems mutually beneficial to the venue to allow me to buy tickets digitally. It made sense maybe 20-25 years ago when the move online was a significant update to the then status quo. Now, it's just a revenue stream they don't want to give up that consumers see as the status quo, so why remove it? (from their perspective)
- currymj 2y ago
  i guess it's technically true that you can go to the movie theater, buy a ticket, and then get back in line to refund the ticket and leave, but this seems like an odd thing to do. whereas buying a ticket in advance online, and then later refunding it (but losing the convenience fee), is common. "peace of mind knowing your spot is reserved" is what i mean by an option on the seat. now maybe i'm in fact wrong and all convenience fees are exactly passing through the credit card/fandango fees etc., but in practice it sure looks like an option.
disambiguation 2y ago
Maybe some places operate that way, but I worked on payment systems for a few years and since then I figure most convenience fees come from credit card processing rates being passed on to the customer - at least that's how ours worked. https://www.creditdonkey.com/interchange-rates.html https://www.creditdonkey.com/interchange-rates.html

conductr 2y ago

No, this is complicating things. A physical ticket can also be refunded prior to show time. It's not an option at all, it's just a fee. They are charging you to 1) pick your seat 2) not have to show up early 3) peace of mind knowing your spot is reserved - all of those things are conveniences in the purest sense of the word. In many cases, the fee is more closely related to a platform fee going to fandango or similar service.

n144q 2y ago
I think the "convenience fee" of online purchases is about the fact that if you want to buy a ticket days before showtime, you don't have to get a physical ticket at the box office in person. Not necessarily that I agree with it though -- in many parts of the world you have no such fees when you buy a movie ticket online.
- conductr 2y ago
  I'd categorize that under my "2) not have to show up early 3) peace of mind knowing your spot is reserved" points. I don't necessarily agree with them either. It seems mutually beneficial to the venue to allow me to buy tickets digitally. It made sense maybe 20-25 years ago when the move online was a significant update to the then status quo. Now, it's just a revenue stream they don't want to give up that consumers see as the status quo, so why remove it? (from their perspective)
currymj 2y ago
i guess it's technically true that you can go to the movie theater, buy a ticket, and then get back in line to refund the ticket and leave, but this seems like an odd thing to do. whereas buying a ticket in advance online, and then later refunding it (but losing the convenience fee), is common. "peace of mind knowing your spot is reserved" is what i mean by an option on the seat. now maybe i'm in fact wrong and all convenience fees are exactly passing through the credit card/fandango fees etc., but in practice it sure looks like an option.

disambiguation 2y ago

Maybe some places operate that way, but I worked on payment systems for a few years and since then I figure most convenience fees come from credit card processing rates being passed on to the customer - at least that's how ours worked. https://www.creditdonkey.com/interchange-rates.html https://www.creditdonkey.com/interchange-rates.html