This article explains how to rent and buy movies through the web version of YouTube’s movie rental service and how to get a refund.
How to buy movies on YouTube on a web browser
1. Open your web browser and head to https://www.youtube.com and log into your account using your user name and password.
2. On your home screen, use the menu bar on the left-hand side of your screen and swipe down until you find the Movies & Shows option and click. Note that you can also access this page directly by pointing your browser to https://www.youtube.com/movies.
3. Use the search bar at the top of your screen to type in the name of the movie you want to buy.
4. From the list of search results, tap the full-length movie to see purchasing options. You will know you’re looking at the official version of the film as a small box will appear to the right of that result telling you the lowest available prices.
5. Tap on the movie title to open a pop-up showing the available rental and purchasing options. Note that many movies are available to rent or buy in HD for a small price increase.
6. Choose to buy the movie and you will be taken to the payment screen. Enter your payment information and click “Pay now” to complete your purchase.
Note that all of your purchases can be accessed at any time by clicking the Purchases tab in the menu bar located on the left-hand side of your screen.
How to Get a Refund If There Is a Problem
You can request for refund if you have trouble viewing a movie. To get a refund on a YouTube movie purchase, visit your Purchases page and click Request refund next to the title.
Select the refund option once you have indicated the problem you had. In most cases, the money is refunded quickly. However, YouTube may want more verification to enable troubleshooting to solve the problem before authorizing a refund. For additional assistance, visit the YouTube Movies Support Page.
How Do Rentals Work?
If you purchase the title you want to watch; it shows in your Purchased tab. If you rented it, it’s also there but for a limited time.
When you pay to rent a title, it’s yours for a period of either 24 or 48 hours. The countdown start as soon as you press play, and you start watching the film. After that time expires, it disappears regardless if you’ve finished it, and you have to repurchase it to watch it again.
You have 30 days to start watching the flick. After those 30 days, it’s gone, and you have to pay for it again.
YouTube Movie Titles and Genres
YouTube’s paid movie-rental service includes titles like The Big Ugly, What We Found, The Secret Garden, The Silencing, The Killer Next Door, Black Water Abyss, Homefront, The King of Staten Island, John Wick 3, and more. Many titles are available in both standard and high-definition, and a limited number are available in 4K. YouTube suggests a minimum internet speed of at least 20 Mbps for 4K streaming.
In addition to the featured titles that show on the YouTube Movies page, you can also search to see if a particular movie or TV show title is on the service, browse through the A-Z title list, or through topic categories, which include:
- New Releases
- Top Selling
- Animated Movies,
- Action/Adventure
- Comedy
- Classic
- Documentaries
- Drama
- Horror
- Science Fiction
There is also a related videos list that you can access from the movie page you don’t need to rent the movie to access the list.