Five Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Netflix Subscription

Ever since the advent of the mail-order DVD rental system, I have literally found myself enslaved by my mailbox. Netflix is perhaps the most popular mail-order DVD rental company on the map. There have come several to follow. But those coveted little red envelopes are opened like Oscar nominations at my house. I always maintain over 400 movies in my Netflix queue. And being a faithful member for a few years (and through two different addresses), I have observed several changes in the company's website, service, and products. At this time, I feel that I am somewhat of an "amateur expert" where it comes to making the most of one's Netflix subscription.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Netflix has become something of a "club" since its birth in 1998, with the movie-renting industry's demand for this type of service multiplying many times over. Netflix currently boasts a 70,000+ inventory of titles in stock to choose from. The premise is simple: Customers create an account, selecting from several different subscription plans. Movies are added online to a queue. And from that queue, the DVDs are shipped out to the customer in 1-2 business days.

But with product enhancements, demand changes, and an ever-changing inventory, it's no wonder that after a period of time some faithful customers may notice a shift in the level of service they've been receiving. That's why it's important to understand how to truly maximize the Netflix service so that you're getting exactly what you pay for (or more!).

1- CHOOSE A GOOD PLAN

The first thing you'll want to do is figure out just how much of a movie-watcher you really are. The good thing about Netflix is that there are several different kinds of plans to satisfy a majority of its customers. Out of the (10) various subscriptions, the least expensive being $5.99 per month allows one DVD out at a time, with a two DVD rental minimum. The most "active" unlimited rental plan allows a total 8 movies out at one time. If you know that much of your movie watching is done on weekends, then perhaps the 8-DVD plan will work for you. Whichever plan you choose, you'll want to make sure that you factor in the amount of time during the week that you have dedicated for watching films. Note that since Netflix does not do business on weekends, you'll have to pace your movie watching accordingly, in order to have movies on hand on Saturdays or Sundays.

2- CHECK OUT YOUR TIMING

The trick to getting your movies in a timely manner is by doing a little bit of detective work, and perhaps a little math. It also will help if you have an idea of what your mail pick-up and drop-off times (at your home) are during the day. How far is your local post office? Sometimes it may be more practical to return your DVD directly from the post office, instead of waiting for a mail carrier to pick it up. For instance, let's just say that your nearest post office has pick-ups at 10am. but your mail carrier does not arrive at your home for daily pick-ups until after noon or so. It's feasible to say that dropping off your movie at the post office on your way to work, would more than likely guarantee a faster arrival at one of the Netflix facilities. Another thing to watch out for is the day of the week in which you're returning films. Try to adjust your returns so that Netflix has enough time to log your returned DVD and issue the next AROUND the weekends. For instance, if you return a disc on Wednesday as opposed to Thursday, there is the chance that you may receive your DVD on the weekend, even though the official Netflix service is closed for business.

Also,make certain that you return movies as SOON as you're sure you're finished watching them. It's very easy to put the DVD down and forget about it. But companies like Netflix are counting on you to recycle films in your queue slowly. That way they reap more of the benefits of your subscription.

3- ORDER YOUR QUEUE APPROPRIATELY

This is actually the really fun part of having a Netflix subscription. There is a total number of 500 slots in a given queue. This means that you can browse the Netflix inventory until your heart's content, adding films that have not even yet been released on DVD. Beware though, that filling up your queue with these types of films reduces the actual number of AVAILABLE titles that you'll be able to rent. It's great to have "first dibs" on the latest summer blockbuster. But don't lose money waiting for films which may never have a release date on Netflix. It's better to just jot those titles down for future reference, and empty up the slot for an available film.

But speaking of "first dibs", if you're a New Release Buff it's a good idea to place those films that you know are being released on a certain date at the beginning of your queue. This way, the Netflix system has more of a chance of granting you the release, thereby avoiding the infamous "Short Wait" status.

As far as available titles go, make certain that if you're adding multiple discs in a series, that they are in their proper numerical order in your queue. There is nothing worse than sitting at home on a Saturday with Parts Two and Four in a series, when you've not even seen Part One.

4- BE A SMART BROWSER

With over 70,000+ titles Netflix will ALWAYS have something that you haven't yet seen, or something that you'd like to see again. The enhancements that the company has made to its website ensure that your selections are recorded by rating, genre, and many other criteria. This is so that recommendations for future rentals can be made available to you. With this in mind, make sure that you examine all the online benefits of your subscription.

When adding movies to your queue, be sure to check out the "More Like This" section. This area provides a listing of other films of the similar genre, director, or actor that you may enjoy. Often times, these selections have at least one or two films which you may have never heard of. Check out all the various sub genres listed as well. These will help narrow down your choices to a select few, most of which you may really appreciate.

When browsing, keep searches broad, that way the results yielded are plentiful. It's common knowledge that the more you dig around through Netflix's inventory, the more movies you discover that you wanted to see, but never got around to. Furthermore, there are tons of DVD releases which never made it to theaters. These are most often not advertised through the general media. Therefore, movie makers depend on low-end advertising or word-of-mouth to generate a buzz about their films.

5- MAKE USE OF THE "EXTRAS"

It really does help if you utilize the "Friend Program" that Netflix initiated not too long ago. This program allows one to invite friends and family into a "network". This network permits you to check out the movies your friends and family are renting. This way you can compare opinions, share great finds, and even leave notes about some of the films you rent. It's a great way to find out about movies which you may have missed. Even better, if you both have some of the same movies in your queue, you can watch a few together, and eliminate a used space in one of your queues!

Additionally, another good resource is to summon the opinions of strangers. Use the review section to get a feel for whether the film is something that you'll want to order. Sometimes a film that garners only 3 stars has only been watched by 9 people. Moreover, the few reviews written may be extremely useful to you. Also, observe the number of ratings a movie has before deciding to eliminate it from your DVD options. Other movie watchers, unlike critics may have a more universal opinion of the film, thus making their attitudes more constructive to the average consumer.

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To truly maximize the service, you'll need to make note of your typical DVD rental behavior, in addition to your personal tastes, and schedule. The service itself has some flaws. Many have been informed of the class action lawsuit which was initiated in 2004, citing that Netflix was guilty of "throttling." The practice of "throttling" involved giving priority treatment in shipment, to those who had fewer monthly rentals. While this practice has been controversial, the fact holds true that much of the control over one's DVD-rental experience depends on the consumer.