How to Buy or Rent Movies on YouTube

As millennials and boomers know, movie rental stores were the go-to for movie nights and binge-watching parties with friends and family. A long week of work or school deserves a trip to the store just around the block for movies to rent out and binge over the weekend.

For the ones who experienced them, movie rentals were such a happy memory.

But gone are movie rental stores, and more convenient movie streaming services have taken over movie night habits. Netflix, HBO Go, and Amazon Prime Video give us everything we need for a monthly subscription fee. Very convenient, but not as fun as the old video rental store.

For the nostalgia-seeking among you, the closest thing to the video rental store experience could just be right under your nose. YouTube Movies is a virtual movie rental store where you can rent and buy movies for your upcoming movie night this weekend.

Aside from this, it is one of the internet’s best-kept secrets that YouTube Movies has several good movie titles that you can watch for free.

And when you’re finished, take a look at our other YouTube guides:

Table of Contents

Why Buy Movies On YouTube?

If you are old enough to remember the 90s and 2000s when people bought physical copies of movies on DVD, VCD, VHS, and the oh-so archaic Beta Max, they bought them for keepsakes. They loved their movies so much that they had to have copies of them that they could watch anytime they wanted to.

Treat buying movies off of YouTube the same. For just around $10 per title, you could watch your favorite movies anytime you want to without the inconveniences that come with owning a physical copy of your movies.

Physical formats degrade over time. VHS tapes get moldy, and VCDs and DVDs skip and become unplayable after a few hundred plays. And they all need a separate player that has a whole set of its own cost and maintenance issues.

YouTube Movies, however, does everything a movie rental store can do and more. Movies you rent or buy from YouTube Movies never get ruined and are ready for your unimpeded viewing enjoyment at a click of a button.

The conveniences that current tech affords us have truly made renting and owning physical copies of movies a real thing of the past.

How To Buy Movies On YouTube

Buying movies on YouTube Movies is very simple. You can do this by using your desktop PC or through your mobile device. As long as you have access to the YouTube app, you are halfway to buying and owning digital copies of your favorite movie titles.

Here are the steps on how you can buy and own your digital copies of your favorite movies on YouTube:

How To Buy Movies On YouTube Movies Using Your Desktop Computer

Go to YouTube.com and log in to your personal YouTube account.
Scroll down to the “More from YouTube” section on the left of your screen.
Click on the “Movies” option.
This brings you to the Movies and Shows that you can buy and rent out on YouTube Movies.
Browse or search for movie titles that you might want to buy.
Click on the title or picture of the movie title you want to buy.
You get to watch the movie’s trailer to add to the excitement of owning the title. Click on the blue ‘Buy or Rent’ to the right of the current screen.
Click on the buy option you want. HD or SD.
Enter the payment details of your credit card number along with your billing address.
Click on ‘Pay Now’ and you will have now purchased a digital copy of one of your favorite movies that you can watch and enjoy anytime!

How To Buy Movies On YouTube Movies Using Your Mobile Device

Tap on the YouTube app icon on your mobile device’s home screen.
Tap on the ‘Library’ icon at the bottom of your YouTube home screen.
Tap and select the ‘Your Movies’ option.
Press on ‘Browse’ to browse for movies you want to buy.
Once you find the movie title you want to buy, click on the movie’s title or picture.
Click on the blue Buy or Rent button.
You can buy the movie in HD or SD versions.
After picking HD or SD, pick a payment method.
Click ‘Pay Now’ and you now have the digital movie copy that you can watch whenever you want on your YouTube on any device.

Pro Tip: Try watching a movie you bought on VR. You’re welcome.

Renting Movies On YouTube

How to rent movies on YouTube: Renting a movie involves the same steps as buying a movie, but instead of clicking ‘buy,’ you click ‘rent.’ Pay the corresponding rental fee, and you will have unlimited access and viewing for a limited time of 48 hours upon the first time you play your rented movie.

In Conclusion

The charm of the movie rental store is still alive in YouTube Movies. They may not offer physical, tangible, collectible copies of movies, but YouTube Movies promises that you get to keep digital copies of your favorite movies forever.