Until July 15, Google is offering UK Chromecast owners £4.99 of free Google Play credit to, they say, ‘put towards a movie rental’ from the Play Store.
Great for an Easter weekend of movie watching, right?
Diving into the terms and conditions for the promotion it seems that the credit is not solely limited to movie loans, however:
“Credit can be used towards any movie rental or other content on Google Play. Not all Google Play movies are available for rental … Credit cannot be used towards any purchase of devices (such as phones, tablets or any related accessories) or subscriptions.”
Going by this, film, TV and app purchases should be eligible, too. Once the offer has been redeemed the credit must be used by 15 July 2015 or it will expire.
How to Redeem
First things first: you must be in the UK, have purchased a Chromecast in the UK, and have set it up in advance. The offer is unlikely to work for those who imported a Chromecast from America.
Provisos checked off, you need to visit the ‘Chromecast offers page’ from the Chrome browser with the Chromecast extension installed.
Check the box to allow Google access to the serial number of your device. This is required to check that you meet the criteria. If successful, credit for one penny shy of a fiver will be deposited into the Google Play account associated with your device for you to spend on content in the Play Store.
Movies & TV
What can £4.99 rent you? Some choice movie picks include The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (£3.49); Free Birds (£1.99) and Captain America: The First Avenger (£2.99).
For TV, you can purchase the four-part BBC science series ‘Wonders of the Universe‘ for £3.99, or grab a pair of Doctor Who episodes at £1.89 each.
In fact, since the bulk of top titles eligible for redemption cost less than a fiver, you may end up with some credit left over to put towards a future rental (canny move to get us to spend our own cash, Google!) — just remember to use it before July 15.