Fandango starts offering paperless tickets to the movies

One of the great traditions at the movie theater is presenting your ticket and having it ripped in half by some minimum wage-earning kid in a suit. But, like so many traditions, technology has taken over and starting today in 8 cities, Fandango is offering movie-goers the chance to use paperless tickets to gain entrance to the motion picture show. After paying for your ticket using the Fandango app on your smartphone, a 2D barcode or QR code is sent to your screen. The ticket taker uses special equipment to scan your phone (while you're standing there praying that he doesn't drop your brand new handset). Because a special scanner is required, only a few theaters currently accept the service.

In New York City, the service is available at City Cinemas 1,2 & 3, Angelika Film Center, E. 86th Street Cinemas, Village East Cinemas, Beekman Theater, The Paris Theater. In New Jersey, the Manville 12 plex will accept your paperless ticket. In Houston? Try the Angelika Film Center to use the Fandango system. In Dallas/Plano, the paperless ducats are accepted at the Angelika Dalls and the Angelika Plano. On the West Coast, San Diego theaters accepting the barcodes are the La Mesa Grossmont Center and the Clairemont Town Square Stadium. Bakersfield movie-goers can use their phone at the Valley Plaza 16. In Sonoma Country, the Rohnert Park 16 will scan the code. Finally, if you're lucky enough to be in Hawaii, why the heck are you going to the movies? But if you are, the paperless tickets will be accepted at Ward Stadium, Kahala Stadium, Kapolei 16 and Mililani Stadium. The paperless program has advantages. It's harder to lose your cellphone than it is misplacing a paper ticket, it saves the trees, and it is quicker to scan a phone than a ticket. One disadvantage: it's harder to rip a cellphone in half. Fandango isn't the only company working on paperless tickets as MovieTickets.com has a similar program undergoing testing.

source: Fandango via TechCrunch