How Blockbuster Total Access Works

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Seeing the success of Netflix and faced with their growing competition, Blockbuster rolled out their version of an online DVD rental program. It is called Blockbuster Total Access. Now it is very similar to the other online programs but has some other options not offered by their competitors.

Blockbuster Total Access starts with you signing up. You have several different plans to choose from each having different options. The high end plan offers unlimited DVD’s through the mail and 3 DVD’s at a time for 34.99. The lower end Blockbuster Total Access plan is 3.99 a month and includes 2 DVD’s a month. There are also many plans in between so you can find the plan that works best for you.

After signing up for Blockbuster Total Access you need to start by selecting the movies you want to watch. You have to browse through the over 80,000 titles available for rent. You then select the ones you want to see and they are added to what is called your queue. You can have hundreds of movies in your queue or just a few the choice is up to you.

Next, the movies in your queue will be mailed to you. How many at a time depends on your plan. You then can watch the movies or wait for the right time. The idea of this Blockbuster Total Access is no late fees so you do not have to return them by a specific date. You can just keep them as long as you would like.

The thing that makes Blockbuster Total Access different than their competitors is the return process. With each movie you rent a return envelope is sent to you with prepaid postage. You can use this to send back the movie that you watched or go another route. You can just drop them off at a Blockbuster location near you and they will mail the movie for you or do an in-store exchange. Meaning, you can go to your local Blockbuster store and pick a movie off of their shelves and rent it. This will be considered an exchange for the movie you got in the mail. It depends on your Blockbuster Total Access plan how many in-store exchanges you are allowed. The higher end Blockbuster Total Access plan allows for unlimited in-store exchanges. If you do mail them back, Blockbuster Total Access will just send you the movie from your queue.

This program has only been around since 2004 and Blockbuster has really focused on growing this part of their business. It is reported that Blockbuster Total Access had over 3 million subscribers by the beginning of 2007. This subscriber based will only grow with time as even more of their frequent store renters transition to online DVD rental.