How many movies do you want at a time?

Most all of the major online DVD rental services offer several different packages, all at different price levels. What is the difference in these packages? Normally, the difference is the amount of movies that you can have checked out at one time. Most plans range from one to three DVD rentals at a time. The more DVDs you want to be able to rent at once, the higher the cost. However, an online DVD rental service is still much more economical than renting from a regular brick-and-mortar video store. Even online services such as Blockbuster offer better rates for their online service than their actual video stores.

Another possible factor in determining the price of a package is whether you get unlimited rentals each month. The majority of the major plans allow unlimited rentals every month, however, some of the lower plans put a maximum number on how many DVDs can be mailed to you each month. For example, NetFlix offers an $11.99 plan that allows two DVDs to be rented at a time, however, there is a four DVD maximum per month.

video games too?

One important question to ask yourself before you sign up for an online DVD rental service is whether or not you are interested in renting video games for popular systems such as the Sony Playstation 2, XBOX 360 and Nintendo Gamecube. If the answer is yes, make sure to select an online service that allows you to rent both DVDs and video games. At this time, Intelliflix is the most popular service that offers both types of media for rent. The other two most popular online DVD rental services, Netflix and Blockbuster Online, do not offer video game rentals. However, Blockbuster Online does offer a separate service exclusively for renting video games online .

movie choices

Another important factor to consider when selecting an online DVD rental service is the number of DVDs that are offered. Online DVD rental services offer anywhere from 1,500 to over 60,000 movies. Most of the larger services have a library in the 50,000 to 60,000 range. It is important to research the availability of the movies that they offer. Although a service may boast a large selection of movies, if they only have a couple of copies of popular movies, you may have to wait for long periods of time to receive the movies you want. Generally speaking, with any of the featured online movie companies featured, you won't do much waiting for most movies, including recent releases.   

what not tips  

If you decide to choose an online rental service that is not listed in our top three, make sure to research into the following before committing to a membership:

• Be sure to read the service's shipping policies. You should look at factors including whether shipping is prepaid or an additional cost and how long shipping normally takes.
• Make sure there are no hidden fees or additional costs that go along with the monthly membership (beyond taxes).  
• Find out whether you can cancel your membership at any time, or if you have to make a six month or yearly commitment. If you decide to choose an online rental service that is not listed in our top three, make sure to do your research before committing to a membership.

compare TOP PICKS                                            (skip to side notes)
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Level of Competition:   5  [?]
WhatNot Latitude:        2   [?]

	Intelliflix	Netflix	Blockbuster Online
	Best Value -Although it is much less advertised than Netflix or Blockbuster Online, Intelliflix offers the best online DVD rental plans	Most Popular - Netflix is the most well-known and popular online DVD rental service available.	Best Hybrid Service - If you are not quite ready to give up the video store experience, Blockbuster Online is the service for you. Blockbuster Online offers a combination of unlimited monthly online DVD rentals and limited in-store movie rentals.
bottom line	In addition to DVD rental plans, Intelliflix also offers reasonably priced plans that include DVDs, video games and adult DVDs. These are the most diverse plans available from any online rental service.	Although Netflix is more expensive than Intelliflix, it it still a very reasonably priced online DVD rental service that offers extremely fast shipping.	In addition to the online DVD rentals, Blockbuster Online provides you with up to four ecoupons each month for free in-store movie rentals.
available movie titles	60,000 +	60,000 +	55,000 +
unlimited rentals	yes - but number of movies out at same time depends on plan below	yes - but number of movies out at same time depends on plan below	yes - but number of movies out at same time depends on plan below
prepaid postage	yes	yes	yes
delivery time	1 - 3 days	1 day	1 - 3 days
cancellation	anytime	anytime	anytime
free trial	no	2 weeks	2 weeks
late fees	no	no	no
plans & pricing	Pay Per Rental-Includes DVDs, video games and mature movies. Rent up to four at a time for $4.26 to $5.32 per rental with no monthly fee Standard Plan-Rent up to three DVDs at a time for $16.95 per month Premium Monthly Plan-Includes DVDs, video games and mature movies. Rent up to three at a time for $24.95 per month Bronze Annual SuperPass-Rent up to two DVDs at a time for $99 per year (averages out to $8.25 per month) Silver Annual SuperPass-Rent up to three DVDs at a time for $143 per year (averages out to $11.92 per month) Gold Annual SuperPass-Includes DVDs, video games and mature movies. Rent up to two at a time for $143 per year (averages out to $11.92 per month) Platinum Annual SuperPass-Includes DVDs, video games and mature movies. Rent up to three at a time for $177 per year (averages out to $14.75 per month)	1 DVD at a time-$9.99 per month 2 DVDs at a time-$11.99 per month (limit of four DVD rentals per month) 2 DVDs at a time-$14.99 per month 3 DVDs at a time-$17.99 per month	1 DVD at a time-$9.99 per month 2 DVDs at a time-$14.99 per month 3 DVDs at a time-$17.99 per month 5 DVDs at a time-$29.99 per month 8 DVDs at a time-$47.99 per month