You may be showing your age if you remember Netflix before they were a streaming service — when they were just a DVD subscription service. Hard to believe, but it was. The company, now a streaming giant and bonafide TV and movie studio, is now ramping down the DVD subscription portion of their business.
To say goodbye, Netflix liquidated their DVD library with a giveaway to their loyal subscribers. Now, while you’re too late to sign up for the “Netflix Finale Surprise” if you haven’t already, lots of you did sign up — so we’ll tell you what to expect.
Here’s what to know, including the deadline to enter and the big catch (because there almost always is one)!
Netflix is sending up to 10 DVDs to subscribers starting Sept. 29.
The Netflix Finale Surprise is a mystery selection of 10 DVDs that Netflix will send to their DVD subscribers. That’s a biiiig upgrade for all of the DVD subscribers, who only got 1-3 DVDs at a time. The DVDs will be from movies and shows that were already in a subscriber’s queue.
If you were a Netflix DVD subscriber, you may have received a marketing email with a link to enter the giveaway. (But if you opted out of marketing emails, you could sign up for the 10-DVD giveaway here through Aug. 29.)
Recipients will get their DVDs beginning Sept. 29, barring any unforeseen delivery delays (think wildfires, hurricanes, etc.). It’s also important to note that the Netflix Finale Surprise is only for U.S. DVD subscribers, so streaming subscribers and international Netflix DVD subscribers won’t be eligible.
The DVDs you receive will be a surprise.
In their announcement of the giveaway, Netflix advised subscribers to update the top 10 movies and shows in their queues to reflect the DVDs they’d want most to receive. That doesn’t guarantee that you’ll receive the DVDs within your top 10 most wanted movies and shows, but it significantly ups your odds.
Truth is, though, there’s actually no guarantee you’ll get anything.
Even if you entered the Netflix Finale Surprise contest, updated your queue and otherwise had a flawless record of returning your discs on time, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get the 10 DVDs in the giveaway.
That’s part of the surprise element: Netflix said in their announcement that you won’t be notified if you are a recipient of the giveaway, so be sure to check your physical mailbox frequently starting Sept. 29 to make sure you don’t miss them.
You don’t have to give the DVDs back.
There’s been some confusion over this issue — including statements on Netflix’s website that all DVDs would need to be returned by Oct. 27 — but Netflix themselves confirmed on X that they won’t charge for any unreturned DVDs starting Sept. 29.
By the way, a happy clarification in response to all the news headlines out there:
We are not charging for any unreturned discs after 9/29. Please enjoy your final shipments for as long as you like! ❤️💿🍿 https://t.co/lpSJHq29ZX
— DVD Netflix (@dvdnetflix) August 22, 2023
Now, if you don’t return your outstanding discs before Sept. 29, you probably won’t be part of the 10-disc giveaway. But if you’re up to date and have been selected, the 10 discs you receive will be yours to keep. Unlike Netflix account sharing policies, you can pass these discs to whomever you want.
Otherwise, if you have outstanding discs, Netflix has something to say about that, too:
Well, we can’t send you your next disc unless we receive your return. If you’re super into the discs you currently have at home… we won’t charge for them after 9/29.
— DVD Netflix (@dvdnetflix) August 28, 2023
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