Netflix and BLOCKBUSTER are both companies that offer online movie rentals that you receive through the mail. For those of you who aren't familiar with an online movie rental membership, you would go to either http://www.netflix.com/ or http://www.blockbuster.com/ and create an account. You can then browse movies and add them to your queue, which is a list of movies that you want to rent. When you activate your membership, you will be sent movies from your queue starting from the #1 slot. If for some reason your #1 choice isn't available, then you will be sent the next available movie title in your queue. Depending on which plan you choose, you are allotted a certain number of movies that you can have out at one time. They will not send anymore until one is returned. For each movie that is returned to them, they will send out the next available title. Some plans might have unlimited rentals per month while others have a maximum number of rentals allowed.

Both of these are reputable companies and offer free trials so I would recommend trying both to see which one you like the best. Throughout this article I will give you information about my own personal experiences with each membership, the current pricing of the plans, and the overall pros and cons of each membership.

I have personally tried both Netflix and BLOCKBUSTER online rental programs so I have first hand knowledge of the pros and cons between the two. I was a BLOCKBUSTER member for about a year and absolutely loved it. I signed up when the program was relatively new so the benefits were through the roof. The plan that I had allowed me to have 3 movies out at a time with unlimited in-store exchanges and unlimited mail rentals. What this means is that for every movie that I received in the mail, I could take it to my local BLOCKBUSTER video store and exchange it for a free in-store rental. This was great because I didn't have to wait for the next movie to be sent in the mail. I would have 3 other movies to keep me busy until the next 3 were mailed to me. Also, when the store scanned the returned mail rental, it was instantly updated in the BLOCKBUSTER Online database so my account would show that the movie was returned and the next available title would be sent to me in the next day or two. This kept me busy and I had so much fun with the opportunity to watch so many movies for only $21.99 per month. I rented a lot of movies so I probably averaged about $1.00 per rental, which is really good.

However, this excitement soon came to an end as BLOCKBUSTER seemed to have been struggling with their profits. First they raised the prices, which I wasn't too thrilled about. Then, they not only raised the prices again but also reduced the benefits. My plan went up to $29.99 per month and I was limited to the number of in-store exchanges. I can't remember the exact number, but I think it may have been limited to 5. This was a bit much for me and switching to a cheaper plan didn't seem too great because there wereless rentals. I looked into Netflix at this time and it was actually cheaper for me to get the 3-at-a-time plan and I would still get more rentals than the BLOCKBUSTER plans if you count the online movies. I have been with Netflix ever since.

The BLOCKBUSTER in my neighborhood ended up closing so it wouldn't have been worth it for me to go back without the option of having any in-store rentals. Netflix has the unlimited instant watch benefit for watching movies online. This is nice for when you are waiting for the next movie to come. Netflix will also allow you to put your account on hold for 90 days without being billed. I have done this for the summer because I have too many other things going on and wouldn't be able to get my money's worth from my account. My queue is still saved in my account so it will be there when I reactivate my account. However, I still log on to my BLOCKBUSTER account sometimes and my queue is still there in case I ever wish to return.

Since I cancelled my BLOCKBUSTER membership, they have made significant changes to their membership plans. They have made them more affordable for those customers who don't have a BLOCKBUSTER store near them and can't take advantage of that benefit. As of July 2008, these are the BLOCKBUSTER membership plans.

BLOCKBUSTER Total Access Premium

3 DVDs at a time with unlimited rentals through the mail and in-store movie exchanges ($34.99)

2 DVDs at a time with unlimited rentals through the mail and in-store movie exchanges ($29.99)

1 DVD at a time with unlimited rentals through the mail and in-store movie exchanges ($21.99)

BLOCKBUSTER Total Access

3 DVDs at a time with unlimited rentals through the mail and limited to 5 in-store exchanges (includes movies and discounted game rentals ) ($19.99)

2 DVDs at a time with unlimited rentals through the mail and limited to 3 in-store exchanges (includes movies and discounted game rentals ) ($16.99)

1 DVD at a time with unlimited rentals through the mail and limited to 2 in-store exchanges (includes movies and discounted game rentals ) ($11.99)

1 DVD at a time with 2 rentals through the mail and limited to 2 in-store exchanges (includes movies and discounted game rentals ) ($9.99)

BLOCKBUSTER by mail

3 DVDs at a time with unlimited rentals through the mail and $1.99 in-store movie exchanges ($15.99)

2 DVDs at a time with unlimited rentals through the mail and $1.99 in-store movie exchanges ($13.99)

1 DVD at a time with unlimited rentals through the mail and $1.99 in-store movie exchanges ($8.99)

1 DVD at a time with 2 rentals through the mail and $1.99 in-store movie exchanges ($3.99)

All plans have unlimited rentals through the mail and unlimited hours to watch movies online except the last plan. They have a large database of movies and television series for you to watch online. The selection is rather limited because it doesn't really include many new releases. They are mostly older movies and shows.

8 at-a-time (Unlimited)- $47.99 a month

7 at-a-time (Unlimited) - $41.99 a month

6 at-a-time (Unlimited) - $35.99 a month

5 at-a-time (Unlimited) - $29.99 a month

4 at-a-time (Unlimited) - $23.99 a month

3 at-a-time (Unlimited) - $16.99 a month

2 at-a-time (Unlimited) - $13.99 a month

1 at-a-time (Unlimited) - $8.99 a month

1 at-a-time (2 a month) - $4.99 a month (limited to 2 hours of online movies)

PROS:

• Instant movies online
• Unlimited mail exchanges for most plans
• Affordable membership plans

CONS:

• The instant movies online doesn't have a great selection

Based on the current membership plans and features, I would recommend Netflix over BLOCKBUSTER. They are very close in many aspects, but unless you have a BLOCKBUSTER that is very conveniently located to you, Netflix's benefits far exceeds that of BLOCKBUSTER because of the online instant watching feature. Again, I recommend that you do the free trial for each membership before you decide which one you want to use. Everyone has their own opinions and preferences so your choices might be different than my recommendation.