Renting a Redbox DVD will require a little more loose change starting Monday, when parent company Coinstar raises prices by 20 cents per disc.
DVD rentals from Redbox’s ubiquitous kiosks currently cost $1 per night. Coinstar says it’s raising the price to $1.20 per night in response to higher debit card interchange rates, GigaOM reports. The price of Blu-ray disc and video game rentals will remain the same, at $1.50 per night and $2 per night, respectively.
(MORE: Mad About Netflix Prices? Here Are Some Alternative Services)
Wall Street didn’t react kindly to the news. Although Coinstar beat analysts’ estimates last quarter, its stock prices fell 12 percent after the company’s latest earnings report. I’m guessing investors are skittish about price hikes for video companies in general, having witnessed the backlash to Netflix’s unbundling of DVDs and streaming videos that resulted in a 60 percent price increase for many users.
Still, it’s hard to imagine a similar revolt among Redbox users. Unless you’re renting a Redbox DVD every night, you won’t come anywhere close to the $6 per month price increase that Netflix customers are experiencing.
But if the idea of paying 20 cents extra for a DVD rental sends you into a rage, you can always seek out a Blockbuster Express kiosk instead. Rentals through Blockbuster kiosks are still $1 per night, although some new releases are priced at $2.99 per night.