Free Cinema Tickets for the Disabled

Testee

Updated 8 April 2008

Official MoneySavingExpert.com Insert

The Cinema Exhibitors Association Card is a national card scheme allowing carers to get into cinemas free when going with the person they're caring for, whatever the amount that person has paid. The card lasts three years and costs £5.50.

The person being cared for must apply. To be eligible you need to be in receipt of disability or attendance allowance or be registered blind.

To find a cinema where the scheme is operating have a look at the CEA's cinema list.

If you apply and don't receive your card within three weeks of sending the form call 0845 123 1292 and you'll be put straight through to the CEA Desk. Minicom users can dial 0845 123 1297.

This discussion was originally included in the email in 2004 so some of the replies may be out of date.

Many thanks to MoneySaver Testee for the top spot. Back to the original post...

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The Cinema Exhbitors Association Card is a new national card scheme launched in October through over 500 cinemas in the UK. This card entitles the holder to one free ticket for a person accompanying them to the cinema. The card holder must meet one or more of the following criteria:-

1. They are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance.
2. They are a registered blind person.
3. They are a holder of a Disabled Person's Railcard.

Application forms are available at all participating cinemas. The card costs £5 and is valid for three years from the date of issue. A listing of cinemas and further information can be found at www.ceacard.co.uk.

I received this information through a national charity magazine so am assuming it to be all above board and legit.

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jellyhead

great, i'll find out if my deaf step sister can get one of these cards, we are always taking her to see subtitled films :-)

Js_Other_Half

We regularly take kids with a disability to the cinema. Both our local Showcase and UCI will only charge for the child if you are a Carer - usually they don't ask for ID.

jellyhead

my sis is 21 and usually just gives me a fiver so i stand in line for the tickets while she buys sweets lol! so the cinemas have never asked for a disabled card and she's only deaf so they wouldn't know she had a card anyhow, i presume this is why i've never known about the free ticket thing.

PhilUK_3

can you watch a film if you are blind?

BoltonMinx

Being certified or registered as blind does not necessarily mean that you are, or will be, totally without sight. As a rough guide:

You may be registered as blind if your visual acuity is 3/60 or worse (you can see at three metres, or less, what a person with normal vision can see at 60 metres); or 6/60 if your field of vision is very restricted and you do not have full range of sight. For instance, you may have severely reduced side vision.

You may be registered as partially sighted if your visual acuity is between 3/60 and 6/60 with a full field of vision, or up to 6/18 (18 is the number of the fourth line down the Snellen eye chart) if your field of vision is very restricted.

Loss of sight in only one eye does not qualify you for registration, unless you have very poor sight in the remaining eye.

HTH

jellyhead

i'll ask my step sis about that too, she's got tunnel vision and can't see at night. she's got ushers which causes deafness and blindness but she goes to the cinema regularly. it's probably even easier to watch than TV because it's such a big screen.

lyniced

Thanks for this - I receive DLA, so would eligable.  

nsrjo1

Cheers for that. Enjoy going to the cinema when I can get out. I get DLA and never knew about this.

Jo4

can you watch a film if you are blind?

If you have lost 100% of your eyesight than no but you can listen!

lyniced

Some people who are registered blind do have some vision.  They may not be able to drive a car, but can see a cinema screen.

For the OP - I just spoke to Odeon, who says that all their cinemas accept the CEA card.  I have been getting DLA for 5 years and didn't know about this, so I am very grateful - saves an awful lot of money.