Purchase A $30 Chromecast By January 2nd, Receive A $20 Google Play Credit
The second generation Chromecast dongle normally runs $35, though Google has it marked down to $30 for the moment. You can save another $5 if you buy a two-pack, which Google is selling for $55. However, the $20 Google Play credit is limited to "one offer redemption per Google Payment account."
It's still a good deal, but like an infomercial, wait there's more! You also get a free movie rental from Google Play when you purchase a Chromecast. It's a little fuzzy whether you get one or two rentals when purchasing two Chromecast dongles at a discount, but when we added them to our cart, it looked as though it's one.
Nevertheless, this is a pretty sweet promotion. To recap, Google's second generation Chromecast is marked down from $35 to $30, comes with a $20 Google Play credit, and a free movie rental from Google Play to boot. Or purchase two for $55 and receive the same extras. The offer also applies to Chromecast Audio, and yes, you can mix and match a Chromecast and Chromecast Audio for $55.
The biggest advantage Google's second generation Chromecast has over the original is improved Wi-Fi performance. It's been upgraded to 802.11ac and has three antennas that should result in more reliable connections. The dongle also supports a feature called Fast Play, which preloads content in the background to reduce waiting time.