If you’re a fan of Disney movies, did you know that you can buy Disney movies directly from Disney for as little as $1 to start?  And yes, you get to keep them for good.

Yes, I know it sounds too good to be true, and while I do admit the opening line seems as if, but this is how Disney portrays it when you land on their website.

Piquing my interest and being a Disney fan myself, I thought I would check the official Disney Movie Club out to see what the fuss was about and if it was actually worth joining.

Disney Movie Club Review – Money Saver or Rip Off?

What is the Disney Movie Club?

Simply put, every four weeks, the Disney Movie Club (DMC for short) will send you the most “anticipated” Disney movie, along with an optional exclusive lithograph as a subscriber.

If you want the movie, the company sends it out; however, if you want to skip it, they let you do so as well via your dashboard.

They will ONLY charge your credit card when you accept the DVD and/or make a purchase on their website.

The website doesn’t go into much detail, but every time you receive a DVD, it appears you will get charged about $19.95 for a basic DVD or $29.95 for every Blu-Ray.  Plan on spending this monthly if you don’t cancel and stay active.

Much like other subscription services, the club will continue to send you the most anticipated Disney movie until you cancel, which you can do so at any time on your dashboard.

It’s actually pretty easy, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Now, here’s what seems to be the best part…

4 Movies For $1 (too good to be true?)

If you’re a first-time Disney Movie Club customer, they almost ALWAYS offer four DVDs for $1 just for signing up; however, you need to agree to the enrollment agreement, which, if you read the fine print closely, you will need to purchase a minimum number of titles at regular Club prices, all of which start at $19.95 for DVDs or $29.95 for Blu-Rays, plus any shipping and handling charges as mentioned.

While I was writing this review, for example, I needed to commit to five more movies at a regular price if I wanted the introductory four DVDs at $1 within the next two years.  And do keep in mind that you need to purchase these movies directly from the club, not elsewhere.

And if you think you can sign up for the four movies for $1 and bail on the program, it doesn’t work that way, unfortunately.  If you were to do so, your credit card will be charged the value of the four DVDs.

Here’s the fine print, if you’re wondering:

So doing the math, if I purchased five DVDs at the minimum of $19.95, I would need to invest $99.75.  But, if we factor in the four additional DVDs for $1, I’m getting nine DVDs for $100 for about $11 each on average.

If you wanted Blu-Rays, you would need to invest $149.75 ($29.95 x 5).

Remember, this the bare minimum because the website only stated that the DVDs started at $19.95 and Blu-Ray options start at $29.99, a $10 difference per DVD.  This doesn’t include shipping, either.

So being a full active member, plan on investing at least $100.

When I tried to sign up to see these exact prices, I couldn’t because, as noted in the fine print above, the Disney Movie Club will send you a select title every month, all of which can vary in price.

This was the frustrating part for me because it would have been nice to see the prices before I committed to a membership, but I did find a spreadsheet which did show many of the titles the club offers.

What are the featured titles?

As a member, the Club will send you an email and a physical catalog, showing you which title they are going to send you as well as what they are going to charge the credit card on file.

Now, if you don’t want this title, you just need to log in online into your account and tell them not to send it.  Usually, you will have two weeks to respond once you receive your mailer.

Remember, you don’t have to commit to the monthly mailings, but again, to take advantage of the $1 DVD offer, you need to buy a certain amount of DVDs within two years to be certain that your credit card isn’t charged for the original four.

If you want it, do nothing and the Club will send out the title directly to your door.   If not, again, cancel via your dashboard, but just make sure you do so before the deadline passes to avoid the charge.

If you want to see the full catalog as well as the featured titles of the past, again, refer to this free Google Docs spreadsheet for idea as to the DVDs you could receive.

So, is it worth it?

If you did the math and committed to the two years or made the minimum purchase, then you would average about $11 a regular DVD, which isn’t too bad.  That would be a grand total of nine DVDs delivered to your door.

Now, here’s the thing.

With the Disney Movie Club, you’re going to get more than just a DVD shipped to your door.

The Club also offers a wide selection of more than 40+ Blu-Rays that are exclusive to the Club only, making it a wonderful choice for that Disney fanatic who’s looking for something unique.

Not only that, the selection is pretty good.

You can choose almost any DVD, including those unique choices, from a range from genres, including Marvel, Star Wars, live action, television series, movies and so much more.  There are even 4K and 3D titles if you’re into that sort of thing.

Basically, if you can think of a Disney title to buy, they are going to have it and so much more.

PLUS, you can gain access to a new Disney movie well before the public is able to, which can be a great perk as well.

And that’s not all.

If you refer a friend, Disney will throw in two Blu-Rays for free and there’s no limit to the number of friends you can recommend.

All in all, in the end, it’s really up to you to decide if it’s worth it.

If you want unique Disney DVDs, the special merchandise and a featured title delivered to your door for about $19-$29 a month, then it may be okay for the hardcore Disney fan.

However, if you don’t care about the unique titles and simply want to purchase Disney DVDs as you choose, then you would be much better off buying on Amazon or eBay or watching for a sale.

Why commit to a monthly bill if you don’t want the DVDs to pile up?  But even so, you can always reject the shipment every month if you so choose.

So, is it worth it?

Hardly unless you want to buy all of your DVDs at once and take advantage of the $1 deal.  This could be your best savings and that’s about it.

How to Sign Up

To sign up for the Disney Movie Club, it’s extremely easy to do and you can do so in three ways, all of which I will talk about here.

No matter what way you join, you will receive the same savings and benefits.

Online

1. Visit DisneyMovieClub.Go.com
2. Have a promo code?  Do this first!  (later on, I will show you how to get one)
3. Choose the four movies that you want for $1 (remember, you need to be aware of the fine print I mentioned above)
4. After you choose your four movies, choose your format, either BLU-RAY or DVDs
5. Checkout and create an account, enter your shipping information, input your credit card and confirm your subscription

Mail

To join by mail, you can do so as well.  If you prefer, print your shopping cart and mail it with the total amount due to the following address:

DMC
PO Box 738
Neenah, WI
54957-0738

Phone

You can also join by calling 1-888-257-9100, but make sure you have a credit card and your promotional code ready before calling as you will need it to complete your order.

Things to Know

Checking Your Order Status

Now, if you do decide to sign up, the club does note that you should expect your first introductory order to arrive in three to four weeks, with the processing time taking up to 10 days.

At any time, you can track the shipment details in your confirmation or email or you can call the number mentioned above, 1-888-257-9100.

All in all, expect your first $1 order to arrive at your doorstep within the month.

How to Cancel Disney Movie Club

As indicated in the Club’s FAQ, you can cancel your account at any time, but remember, you are responsible for the introductory DVDs if you haven’t fully committed to buying the minimum amount.

To cancel, call 1-800-362-4587, select option 1, then option 3 and talk to a representative to let them know you want to cancel.   Do this as soon as possible to avoid your next monthly billing.

If you do decide to cancel, be sure to look for a confirmation email and save it until you know for certain that the Club canceled your account.  You can also ask a representative for a confirmation number as well.

VIP Status

Once you become a member and meet your DVD commitment, the Club will then view you as a “VIP.”

So what does all of this mean?

VIP members, as per the website, will have access to exclusive Disney Movie Club pins and merchandise, most of which often correspond with the newest Disney movies.  If you want to see what they look like, you can often find sellers on eBay listing some for sale.

For example, according to the MickeyBlog.com, they said that when Moana came out on DVD, they released it with a bag with Moana and Maui on it.  As for the Lion King, they offer s a Timon and Pumba pin to their members.

In some cases, this merchandise is free with a DVD purchase, but in most cases, it will cost less than $10.

Aside from the merchandise and pins, the Disney Movie Club also offers its “VIP” members exclusive discounts, often allowing you to save as much as 60% off additional movies.

When I researched this, it appeared that you could save about 50% off all other additional movies when you purchase one at full price, but during some holidays, the discount could be as high as 60%.

Disney Movie Club Promo Code

When you sign up, you may have noticed the “do you have a promo code?” link and you’re probably curious as to how you can find a promotional code.

Well, like most retailers online, it’s going to randomly vary.

In the past, for example, you could get a free blanket with a subscription, while another promotional code could get you an additional DVD, known as the “5 for 1,” when taking advantage of the $1 deal.

As I can’t offer a promo code right now, I could only recommend one or two things.

For one, search Google, but just make sure you’re looking at the most recent results to make sure they are fresh.

Next, consider some of the most popular coupon websites online that tend to update codes daily, including RetailMeNot, Offers.com or DontPayFull.com.

Checking these can sometimes yield a good code, but don’t be discouraged if you can’t find one.   Again, it’s going to be very random.

Sign up for Disney Movie Rewards

If you’re not already a member, I highly encourage you to sign up for the free DisneyMovieRewards.com website to earn points.

It’s free to join, and if you’re going to join the Club, you might as well earn points for your purchases.

In doing so, you can earn points for every movie you buy from the club, earning you some easy points which you can then redeem for some great rewards such as DVDs, movie tickets, collectives, apparel, Disney experiences and so much more.

Save on Shipping

As my last tip, try to purchase as many DVDs at once to avoid paying hefty shipping fees since, unfortunately, the Movie Club doesn’t ship out DVDs for free.

To get full value, most members recommend purchasing all of your DVDs at once, including the $1 DVDs to save on shipping and get the most out of your membership.

Again, free shipping is pretty rare, so be prepared for this additional fee.

Final Thoughts

In the end, here’s what I think…

If you wanted about nine Disney DVDs at once and don’t mind spending about $150~, then the Disney Movie Club is the way to do it, but in doing so, make sure you’re vigilant in the DVDs you do choose.   Buy them all and then cancel.  This is an okay value.

While you do have two years to choose your titles, it may be wise to just purchase all of your DVDs at once and then cancel after you receive your collection to avoid getting a surprise DVD each month to fulfill your commitment.

Waiting out the two years to meet your minimum is okay, but you just don’t know which DVDs you’re going to get every month and it may not be worth it since you may not want it and you may find it frustrating to continue to cancel.  I read a lot of horror stories of people who received DVDs that just were not worth it.

However, do keep in mind that it can be hard to meet your commitment in the beginning as some DVDs are not eligible for your commitment.

In conclusion, there’s really no right or wrong answer here.

If you want nine DVDs right away for about $150 directly from Disney, it could be okay if you cancel right away.

If you’re a huge fan of Disney and like the idea of unique items and heavy discounts, then again, it could be worth it just for personal collection value.

But, if you’re looking for monthly value, then it’s a BIG no as you’re much better off bargain hunting on other retailer websites to save, especially if you buy used.  Let’s not forget Disney+ as you can have the entire Disney vault at your fingertips for a few dollars a month.

So really, I can’t offer a definitive answer as we are all unique with our choices.

Did you sign up for the Disney Movie Club?

If so, let me know about it and be sure to share some thoughts I didn’t include!