Chromecast Deals Give Buyers Free Content

Google’s Chromecast streaming stick has become a huge product ever since launching well over a year ago, and while it’s one of the cheapest streaming options on the market, Google is making it even cheaper with some content deals.

Shoppers who buy a new Chromecast streaming stick between December 7 and December 21, and then set it up before the year’s end will be eligible for $20 worth of Google Play credit, which can be used to buy movies, TV shows, apps, etc.

However, you must buy the Chromecast either through the Play Store, at Amazon or at Best Buy.

This deal piles on to a list of ongoing promotions that Google has been providing Chromecast owners, including two free months of Hulu Plus for customers who set up their Chromecast by December 31.

Buyers can also get three free months DramaFever when they buy a Chromecast between December 1 and January 31, which is a $24 value — practically the same price as the Chromecast stick itself.

Consumers who own a Chromecast can also get a free copy of X-Men, as well as a three-month trial to Google Play Music All Access if they set up their Chromecast by December 31. Check out Google’s Chromecast Promotional Offers page for more details on these sweet deals.

The Chromecast is an HDMI dongle streaming stick that you plug into an HDMI port on your TV and can then stream all sorts of content to your television. What makes the device most unique, however, is that it relies on your smartphone or tablet to provide the content, essentially using your mobile device as a remote control for the Chromecast.

Read: Google Chromecast Review: $35 Apple TV Alternative

It’s not ideal for some users, as many streaming enthusiasts prefer using a physical remote with buttons, which is why there are other streaming stick options available, including the Roku Streaming Stick and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, both of which come with dedicated remotes.

Just like the Chromecast, the Fire TV Stick plugs into an HDMI port on your television and lets you stream content from the likes of Netflix and Amazon’s own Instant Video service.

The Chromecast does the same thing, although it doesn’t include Amazon’s Instant Video service, which could be an incentive to get the Fire TV Stick instead, especially if you rely on Amazon’s streaming offerings.

The Fire TV Stick comes with a remote that allows you to easily navigate and find your favorite movies and TV shows without any hindrance of a mobile remote app, although Amazon will let users use their smartphones as remotes by downloading a remote app that will become available on Android devices when the Fire TV Stick launches, with an iOS version coming later on.

Read: Fire TV Stick Review

Another big difference between the two devices is that the Chromecast is merely just a small tool to play smartphone content on your television, whereas the Fire TV Stick is a full-fledged streaming device that comes with a user interface that allows you to browse content and play it on your television. That’s perhaps one of the biggest differences, and that alone may be what sets the Fire TV Stick apart from the Chromecast.

The Fire TV Stick has 8GB of built-in flash storage and 1GB of memory, compared to only 2GB of built-in flash storage and 512MB of memory on the Chromecast, so it’s a bit better than the Chromecast spec-wise, but most users shouldn’t see a huge difference in that respect.