Understanding Orange Wednesday 2 for 1 Offer And a Sneaky Little Loophole

If you haven't heard of Orange Wednesdays, where've you been? Every Wednesday, any Orange customer can go to almost any cinema nationwide and get 2 for 1 on the cinema ticket entry plus 2for1 at Pizza Express (see Restaurant 2for1s). This includes Orange broadband and dial-up customers.

Yet this loophole can be used by anyone, not just Orange customers. For a one-off expenditure of £1, or even free, you can access the deal, saving you (and a friend) the cost of a cinema ticket each time.

How the loophole works

It's quite simple really. Just buy a £1 pay-as-you-go Sim from Orange, and then use this to grab the tickets.
A Sim is the small (roughly 2cm by 1cm) microchip card that you insert into a phone when it's first set up. It provides the identity of a phone for the mobile network, so it can recognise, bill and send calls to individual customers.
The Sim card is usually located behind the battery on the back of the phone. Therefore when you temporarily change the Sim card in your phone, you've technically got an Orange phone.

Bag a free sim card

Orange commonly offers free sim cards through a variety of ways. Currently the following routes work:

• Free Orange sim plus £5 credit.
  
  Orange is offering free sim cards, including £5 credit if you top up with £10 (if you don't top up you still get the card, just not the credit). Simply enter your details and you'll receive a sim card in the post.
  
  To activate the £5 credit, you just need to call up and register. Then you can use it for the free 2 for 1 cinema loophole described below. The credit won't expire, though the phone will become dormant if not used for six months. As soon as you make a call or top-up it will be reactivated.

You may need to unlock your handset

One tiny fly in the ointment is that when you put the Sim card in your phone it may not work. That's because some mobile networks lock handsets so only their sim cards can be used in the phone. If your sim card doesn't work, there's an easy, free and legal way to unlock it. For details see the unlockitfree website

How to get the 2for1 deal

The process of getting the 2 for 1 is quite simple. Once you get the Orange sim, pop it in your phone instead of your normal Sim, then text Film to 241 or call 241, it'll then send you a message (which costs 35p/text) which you show the box office to get the deal.

How long will the Sim last?

To keep the Sim activated you need to make a call at least once every six months. Yet this includes free calls to check your balance, just dial 453 from your phone and this will count as a call.
However do remember you have to pay to receive the 2 for 1 text from Orange (it's 35p). The PAYG initially has £1 credit on it and once it runs out you will need to top it up.
When the credit does run out the minimum top-up amount is £5. If you know you're going to use that amount of credit for cheap cinema tickets fine, if not just buy a new sim card as and when you need it.

Any possible problems?

Within Orange's terms and conditions it does state 'Text tickets are issued on a priority basis to active customers who spend over £5 per month with Orange. Orange may revise the terms of this promotion from time to time.'
This means it does have a get-out clause and while I've not yet heard of anyone falling foul of this there's always a chance. Then again the outlay is only £1. See Orange's full Terms and Conditions.

Get permanant £1.90 cinema tickets

There's a sneaky addition to this loophole, allowing you and a mate to get four films each a month for as little as £14.99, or £1.90 each per film.

Cineworld cinemas offer an Unlimited films pass for £14.99/month (or £17.99 inc London West End cinemas), letting you see as many films per month as you like. Better still, this works with the Orange Wednesday codes, so a pass holder can take a partner/mate for free.
Overall this means unlimited movies for you, plus your pal gets four free films a month, all for £14.99. There is a £1.50 supplement for 3D films.

London 2012 Olympics - How to Apply For Tickets

only use official ticket suppliers, you have been warned

From Tues 15 Mar until 11:59pm on 26 April 2011 the applications for over seven million Olympic 2012 tickets are open. If you’re planning to apply there’s a few things you should be aware of to avoid problems: 

Where to apply

In the UK the only way to buy tickets is through the official London 2012 site, via a paper application from any Lloyds TSB branch (or public library in Northern Ireland) or via one of the official hospitality providers (Thomas Cook, Prestige Ticketing Ltd and Jet Set Sports).

Tickets from anywhere else are not authorised and are likely to be fake so don’t shop there!

It’s expected scam websites will be set up to try and part you with your cash but if at all unsure use the London 2012 url checker to see if someone is a genuine ticket seller and report it to London 2012 if you think it's a fake.

Plus see the 25 Ways to Stop Scams for more scam beating tips.

The process is different if you’re buying from outside the UK, but you must go via your National Olympic Committee, or their authorised retailer (see Ticket Eligibility for more info).

When to apply

There is no advantage to submitting your application on the first or the last day, they are not allocated on a first come first served basis, so plan your application carefully.

It's expected the site will be busy in the first few days so don't be afraid to come back later rather than look for alternative sites that may not be genuine.

See the full schedule of events and prices before applying.

What do they cost

Ticket prices start at £20 and go up to several £100s for the main events and £2,000 for the opening ceremony.

There are also some special prices available for young people (those aged 16 and under, on 27 July 2012, will pay their age for a ticket) and seniors (those aged 60 and over, on 27 July 2012, will pay £16).

If you can’t afford tickets, there are some free events such as the marathon, race walk and road cycling.

What happens next

All your applications will be put into a ballot if the event is oversubscribed and chosen at random. This could mean you get all of the tickets you’ve applied for, in which case you need to pay for them all, or none.

How to pay

When it’s been decided which tickets you’ve been allocated payment will be taken between Tuesday 10 May 2011 and Friday 10 June 2011, so when you apply online ensure your payment card is valid beyond that date.

The only ways to pay are:

Online - Via a Visa card (debit, credit, prepaid or virtual cards - where you don’t actually receive a physical plastic card but you're provided with the details to be able to shop online), as Visa's a sponser of the games.

Paper applications - via cheques or postal orders made payable to London 2012.

What if you can’t afford all the tickets

Don’t apply for too many tickets as you may be given them all and payment taken in one swoop. The only way to get rid of tickets afterwards is via London 2012, it’s illegal to sell them in any other way.

The resale process won’t open until the end of 2011 so you could be stuck with them for a while.

A Guide To Using Cinema Ticket Vouchers and Special Offers

2 free cinema tickets with LovefilmOnline only

Grab two free cinema tickets when you register for a free 30 day Lovefilm trial, via Moneysupermarket. The offer's for new customers only and ends 1 Jan 2012.
Before you sign up, please be aware that there have been better deals in the past such as free M&S, Amazon and Arcadia (Topshop, Dotty P's etc) vouchers with trials. So if you're not keen on this offer, you may want to hold out in case something you'd prefer comes up in future, as you can only get a free trial once (though we don't know future deals).
What's the deal?
Register to DVD, Blu-ray and games rental site Lovefilm for its 30 day free trial, and you'll get two free cinema tickets to use at your chosen cinema.
Depending on where you live eg, London, a cinema ticket can be worth £10+ so this is a great deal.
How do I get it?
Register and start a free trial at Lovefilm via Moneysupermarket. While registering you'll need to enter credit or debit card details though you won't be charged during the free trial.
Then choose what package you want (1, 2 or 3 discs at a time). You'll need to select 10 titles before the first disc gets sent to you. Once the first disk is sent, the free tickets will arrive at your postal address within 30 days.
Any restrictions?
This offer's for new customers only, and if you've previously done a free trial with any Lovefilm-powered site, you're not eligible. The offer's limited to one per household, and isn't valid with any other offer. It ends 1 Jan 2012.
The cinema tickets are valid until Thurs 30 June at Odeon, Vue, Cineworld, Showcase and Empire cinemas. Tickets aren't valid for online bookings, with any other offer or for premieres or special events. Some Ts&Cs vary per cinema, eg, some locations or certain types of tickets aren't included, so check with the cinema first.
Anything to look out for?
Once the free trial's ended, you'll automatically become a paying member (£4.99 to £19.39 depending on which package you're on), so if you want to opt out, make sure you cancel before the end of your trial. You need to have sent out any titles you've got before cancellation can be completed.

2for1 tickets Orange Wednesdays Text Orange & show code
You can get 2for1 tickets at cinemas nationwide through Orange Wednesdays. Just text FILM to 241 from your Orange phone and Orange'll send you a code which you show to the cinema staff.
If you use a different mobile network, you can get a sneaky free Orange sim card, which you can pop in whenever you need to get the offer (read the article '2for1 Films for Non-Orange Customers' for a full how to).

Free preview cinema tickets Register online
What's the deal?
Sign up to film preview websites and they'll email you 'screening codes' for selected new films. Enter the code on their website, and if you're quick enough and a cinema near you is participating, you get in free.
Who are the companies?
There are quite a few, inc. Show Film First, See Film First, Momentum Screenings, Disney Screenings and Tell Ten. The more companies you sign up to, the more chance you have of getting a code.
Why do they give free tickets?
To spread the word. Agencies are hired by studios to get people talking about new films, possibly with the hope that if you've seen a film for free you're more likely to give it good reviews. On occasion, they may request feedback via email or text message.
What can I see?
Recent blockbusters shown for free include The King's Speech, Gulliver's Travels, Unstoppable, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network.
Only selected films have previews, and participating cinemas nationwide vary per showing, so there may not be any near you. Often there's more than one screening, with times/cinemas changing, so be quick to snag a seat!
The screenings are at less busy timeslots (ie, not weekend evenings) and are usually reserved for Mon/Tues early evenings.
Anything else I can do to get them?
Take a look at our Free Cinema Tickets forum and Free Cinema Tickets discussion threads, which are full of people on the hunt for free screenings, sharing codes, advice and reviews.

Vue Cinema £1 kids & adult ticketsWeekend & half term offer
Children aged 2-12 can get £1 tickets to select morning movies at weekends and in school holidays with the Kids AM offer. What's more, accompanying adults get in for £1 as well.
Whats on?
Recent films inc. Shrek Forever After, Despicable Me, Toy Story 3 and more. This Feb half-term the new The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader is set for a run out. See full listings and cinema details for full info.
The films aren't always the most up-to-date, but with adult tickets usually costing from £6.10 and child tickets from £4.30, it's still a great deal.
How do I get the offer?

You can buy tickets on the day, but seats can always sell out, so go early if possible. To be safe you can book online/over the phone, though you'll pay a 60p booking fee (90p for phone bookings).

The deal: £1 kids & adults tickets. Valid: Weekend/school holiday mornings. How: Book online / buy on the day. Expires: Ongoing. Excludes: Adults not accompanied by a child. Offer from: Vue. Restrictions: Selected screenings only. Kids tickets valid for ages 2-12.

Odeon adults go free with £1 - £2.50 kids' tixWeekend & half term offer
One adult goes free per every child ticket, which cost £1 - £2.50 depending on location, in the Odeon Kids offer.
How do I get it?
The offer is for select movies on weekend/school holiday mornings. Check cinema listings for what's on and where. You can either just turn up at the cinema on the day and trust there'll be seats available or book online (though you'll pay 75p booking fee per ticket).
What's on?
Screenings are obviously aimed at a younger audience, so you won't find anything above PG certificate. Recent films include Megamind and The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
The deal: 1 adult goes free per child ticket (£1 - £2.50). Valid: Weekend/school holiday mornings. How: Book online / buy on the day. Expires: Ongoing. Excludes: Adults not accompanied by a child. Offer from: Odeon. Restrictions: Selected screenings only. Kids tickets valid for age 12 & under.