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Fandango Inc., a Los-Angeles-based seller of movie tickets over the Internet, announced Thursday it has begun offering Fandango Bucks gift cards on its Web site. The company previously sold only electronic gift certificates via e-mail, but it decided to add plastic cards to its offerings because customers said they wanted "an actual stocking-stuffer," Ted Hong, Fandango vice president of marketing, tells CardLine. Customers can use the cards to buy tickets for movies at more than 16,000 screens nationwide, though Hong declined to specify how many individual theatres that represents. Fandango sells the cards in $10, $15, $20, $25, $50 and $100 denominations, Chaya Goldberger, Fandango senior manager of online marketing, tells CardLine. To redeem a gift card, recipients must visit Fandango's Web site to obtain a confirmation number or print out a ticket to present at the theater. Purchasers may customize the plastic gift cards by uploading a photo and message at the Fandango Web site for the card's face value plus a $4.95 fee; a standard design carries a $2.95 fee, Goldberger says. Electronic gift certificates are free. The company also is offering a plastic gift card featuring the cast of the hit movie "Twilight" for a $2.95 fee and plans to offer other movie-themed cards in the future, Hong says. "We wanted to make sure we launched it around the holiday season, but it really is a year-round product for us," Hong says.
