Cineworld removes popular Unlimited booking feature
Key Points
- Cineworld has removed the Friends & Family booking option for Unlimited members this week
- Each Unlimited member must now book their own ticket in a separate transaction
- Members say the change forces groups to race for adjacent seats and risks splitting them up
- Cineworld points to a new seat-change feature, but customers say it does not fix the problem
- Some members are threatening to cancel or switch to Odeon
Cineworld has removed the ability for its Unlimited members to book tickets for friends and family who also hold an Unlimited card.
The change arrived as part of a wider update to the Cineworld app and website this week, which also introduced digital-wallet tickets and a new seat-change feature.
Until this week, one Unlimited member could add other Unlimited members to their account as “Friends & Family” and book seats for the whole group in a single transaction.
That option has now gone, and each Unlimited member must book their own ticket separately.
“You will no longer be able to book tickets for family members or friends who also have an Unlimited membership. Each Unlimited member will need to book their own tickets,” said Cineworld in a notice sent to members.
The backlash began spreading on social media on Tuesday (15 September), with members complaining that the new system forces groups to coordinate in real time, book separately and hope the adjacent seats are still free by the time the last person completes their booking.
Couples, families and regular groups of friends reported the same problem, with any gap between bookings leaving them at risk of being split up if another customer takes the seats in between.
Some members with accessibility needs, including parents booking on behalf of disabled children, said the previous system was simply more usable for them.
Cineworld responded to complaints on X by pointing to a new “living tickets” feature in the updated app, which lets customers change their seats at any point up until showtime.
The cinema chain said members can use this to move next to a friend’s separately booked seat after both bookings have gone through.
Members replied that the feature does nothing to stop the initial race for seats, particularly on busy screenings where neighbouring seats fill quickly.
Many described the change as pointless or hostile towards the subscribers who use the service most, and some said they would cancel their membership or move to rival chain Odeon.
Cineworld has not published a detailed reason for withdrawing group booking between Unlimited cardholders.
Unlimited is Cineworld’s monthly subscription, which gives members access to as many standard 2D screenings as they want at participating cinemas.
Pricing is split across four cinema groups, starting at £10.99 a month for Group 1 cinemas and rising to £21.90 a month for Group 4, which covers every Cineworld cinema in the UK including Leicester Square.
Members also receive 10% off snacks and drinks, rising to 25% after 12 months, alongside access to advance screenings and discounted upgrades to IMAX, 4DX, ScreenX and Superscreen formats.
