Costco Members Can Save Money on Tickets at These 2 Movie Theaters

One of the many little-known perks of being a Costco member is having access to discounted gift cards. Often packaged in bulk, these gift cards are sold significantly below the value of the cards taken together. For instance, you might get a package of four $25 gift cards for $75, or a package of four $50 gift cards for $150.

Right now, Costco members can get gift card packages for two popular movie theaters: AMC and Cinemark. And with both Barbie and Oppenheimer playing in theaters, these packages might just be the best way to see both films without setting back your personal finance goals.

Cinemark: $50 gift card for $40

Costco members can save roughly $10 on Cinemark tickets when they purchase a $50 eGift Card for $39.99.

You can use eGift Cards at any Cinemark theater in the U.S. for most purchases, including movie tickets, food, drinks, and merchandise. And if you really like going to the movies, you can even purchase up to 10 Cinemark eGift Cards at this price for a total savings of about $100 ($500 in Cinemark tickets, for a price of about $400).

The gift cards have no expiration date and can be used online or at the theater. To use them at the theater, just open the Cinemark app and register the card within the "My Gifts Page" section of your account. These cards can also be used at any Cinemark property, including Tinseltown, Century Theaters, CineArts, Rave, and XD.

At my local Cinemark, tickets for Barbie cost between $12.25 and $20.25, depending on whether you're buying a standard or D-BOX ticket. If these prices are similar to your theater, four general admission tickets would cost about $49 (plus ticket fees), which is within the $50 eGift Card balance (you'd save even more if you have children 11 or younger; their tickets would cost $9.50 apiece).

AMC: two tickets and $20 gift card for $36.99 (or $39.99)

Costco's AMC packages aren't gift cards per se, but they do include gift cards with your purchase.

The warehouse sells two different packages -- "Yellow Tickets" and "Black Tickets" -- with the difference being that Black Tickets can be used nationwide, whereas Yellow Tickets can't be used in California, New Jersey, or New York.

The Yellow Ticket package will cost you $36.99 and it includes two tickets, plus a $20 eGift Card. The tickets are for standard format films, and you can redeem the gift card for tickets or concessions either at the theater or online. The Black Ticket package includes the same perks, but costs $39.99.

As far as how much you can save, it depends on the price of the tickets. For instance, at my local AMC, tickets for Barbie would cost $11.99 for adults and $8.99 for children aged 2 to 12. If I bought two adult tickets, I would spend roughly $24. That would make the value of a Yellow Package about $44 -- $44 of value for $36.99, or a savings of $7.

Between these two Costco gift card packages, you could save roughly $7 to $10, depending on which theater you prefer. For families of three or more, the Cinemark package appears like the better deal, as you can save $10 when you spend $50. But if you're just two people going to the movies, the AMC package might save you more, especially if you don't expect to spend more than $20 on concessions.