AMC Stubs A List Review

There’s several services that help you save money at the movie theater. MoviePass and Regal Unlimited come to mind.

But the biggest and (likely) best subscription for most people is AMC Stubs A List. This membership program from AMC Theaters allows subscribers to see up to three movies per week (along with other HUGE perks) for a monthly fee.

Let’s dive in.

What Is A List?

AMC Stubs A List is a monthly subscription specifically for AMC Theaters. Every week you can make three reservations at an AMC Theater.

Right away we see the services biggest perk: these reservations can be for a regular ticket or IMAX or 4D or whatever type of screen the theater offers at NO EXTRA CHARGE. AMC Theaters is the largest theater chain in the US so this membership covers a lot of screens.

MoviePass technically covers all theaters, but it doesn’t let you upgrade to the premium screens at all. Regal Unlimited does cover premium screens but you have to pay a surcharge for the privilege. With A List, everything is included.

What It Isn’t

Surprisingly, AMC has more than one level of membership. Stubs A List is what we’re here for, but there’s also Stubs Premiere and just… Stubs.

Short version: the only one worth caring about is AMC Stubs A List. I’m including a brief breakdown of the other memberships, but you probably don’t need to worry about them. Next section.

^1 AMC website refuses to tell me for sure, $15 per year is what Google told me

^2 Starting price varies by State, $25 per month membership apparently covers all States

^3 Stubs accumulates points a LOT slower than the paid plans.

The Experience

Between MoviePass and Regal Unlimited, I’d say that A List has the best experience. This is important considering it’s the most expensive of the three services.

Reserving the tickets is simple and takes a less than a minute in the AMC app. It makes it easy to grab multiple tickets and use your membership to cover one of them (I discuss A List Entourage later).

Getting to the theater you just scan the code on the app and you’re in! Most AMC theaters you select the seats when you buy the ticket and so you can then just walk straight in and enjoy the movie!

This sounds very basic I know but A-list nails, the basics. Everything is fluid and functional without any wasted time or steps.

The one strange thing about the experience happens immediately after you purchase a ticket. Along with your ticket confirmation, AMC has been displaying a bunch of affiliate offers. This includes things like signing up for a credit card or getting an insurance quote. All kinds of random unrelated things. I understand that AMC as a company has been struggling, but there's no way that this makes a meaningful impact to their bottom line. I hope that they may be removed in the future.

The Little Things

There’s a lot of features or perks that I feel go unnoticed by most people. I just want to quickly break them down so you know everything you’re getting with an A List membership.

A List Entourage

A List Entourage is a feature you can only use if you and someone else in your group has A List. Basically, instead of you each booking separately, you’re booking together.

Again, this sounds silly. But the experience makes sure that everyone in a group can pick their seats while using their perks at the same time. With Regal Unlimited or MoviePass, for example, I have to buy my ticket and pick my seat separately from everyone else. Not the best experience in the world, but Entourage fixes it.

Special Concession Line

If you’re wondering what “Concession Line” means, you get your own line you get to stand in that’s shorter than the regular line!

The faster you get your popcorn and drink, the faster you can sit down and enjoy the movie. In my experience this is always faster and staff usually prioritize this line, so it’s a meaningful perk.

Pricing Commitment

In my Regal Unlimited write-up, I criticized their payment schedule. I prefer paying month-to-month with things like this so that I have more freedom to cancel if need be.

Thankfully A List obliges. You pay once a month and can cancel anytime. Like many aspects of the experience, it keeps things simple and friendly to use.

The Theaters

A factor to consider before signing up for A List is the theaters closest to you and their quality. AMC Theaters are generally high quality in my personal experience.

There’s also a lot of what I’d call “premium theaters” that AMC runs. Things like Dine-in Theaters, theaters with exceptional seats or other niceties. These theaters are genuinely incredible and if you live near one, you NEED Stubs A List. You’d be saving money and opting for an incredible theater experience.

Sadly, the nearest AMC to me is a solid 70 minute drive. I tested the services at three different theaters in my area and all three of them took basically an ENTIRE afternoon. In all cases the commute took me longer than the actual movie 😢. Because of this, I won’t be keeping A List.

Wrap Up

To be clear I WHOLEHEARTEDLY ENDORSE AMC Stubs A List. If I lived near an AMC theater, this would be my subscription of choice in a heartbeat. The perks, the value, the overall experience is the best of the bunch. I’ll be sticking with MoviePass for now since it works best for my area. But if your favorite theater is an AMC and you go to the movies frequently, AMC Stubs A List is a must buy!