VPNs are known as valuable tools to protect privacy and bypass online restrictions. They also offer you the browse the internet anonymously and keep your personal information secure. These are fantastic benefits, but they are not the only ones that you can get with a VPN. You can also use this technology to save money when you buy something online. Many websites offer different prices in each country in which they are operating, or they give you a different rate based on your previous purchases or online activities. In some cases, you may not be even able to access certain deals. With a VPN, you can get around the blocks by changing your virtual location so that you can check the best deals, even if they are only available in other countries.
How much can you really save with a vpn?
Using a VPN can help you to save up to $1000 in some cases, particularly when you are paying for flights and accommodation. Let’s take a closer look at how much can you save in this category:
Flight tickets
The price of airplane tickets change according to your location. Websites check your IP address to identify your location and they keep track of your browsing history to see if you have seen a flight previously. If you have checked a flight in the past, they increase the price. With a VPN, you can avoid this by masking your IP and keeping your browsing history hidden. This will prevent websites from finding out that you have checked a flight before and they won’t be able to raise the prices when you are searching for airplane tickets.
It is also worth noting that the location from which you purchase a ticket can also change the price significantly. According to reports, many retailers use dynamic pricing to decide how much they will charge. With dynamic pricing, online retailers can charge different prices according to how much they believe that a user is able to spend. The aspects that are considered for this include zip code and the type of device that is being used. If you are accessing the website from a country where wages are higher or a wealthy area, you are likely to be charged more. This means that flights end up being more expensive for people who connect from countries with higher average incomes, even if the route of the trip selected is the same.
Car rental
When you travel, apart from airplane tickets, you may also need to check car rentals. In this case, the price that you are charged will also depend on your location. The difference in the prices is usually caused by the location surcharges including insurance fees, local taxes and more. For instance, if you try to rent a car from the US, you will be charged more than if you were trying to do it from Europe. This is due to taxes and the way in which the fees are added to the overall price. If you are in the United States, let’s say in Florida, and want to rent a car in New York, you may want to try using a VPN and connect to a server in Europe. You will see that the price difference is significant. Once the websites note that your IP address in in the US, the prices shown are higher than what you would see if you use a VPN server in a different location.
Accommodation
Just like flight booking and car rental websites, hotel booking sites apply dynamic pricing and they keep track of cookies in order to establish the price that should be charged. If you book a hotel in any city in the United States, using an IP address from that country, the price that you are charged is a higher than what you would see if you connect from Canada. However, the cost usually increases if you connect to a server outside the US so in this case, you may want to connect to a server within the country. Most VPNs offer a greater selection of servers in the United States than anywhere else. Their networks support many different cities in the US, which gives you more options to connect to a server there and enjoy good speeds. If you are in Europe, your best bet is to connect to servers in cities like New York and Miami. If you are in Asia, servers in San Francisco or Los Angeles are ideal.
Subscription services
You will also find that prices change when it comes to subscription services such as media streaming, software licences and online gaming accounts. This is usually due to currency exchanges, copyright licensing and other issues. Changing your location can dramatically affect the price that you have to pay for a service like Apple Music or your Microsoft Office subscription. You could get a better deal and enjoy your favorite content for less.
Apple Music
Note that users in Europe tend to pay more for their Apple subscription due to currency differences. Take the UK for instance, the price per month there is 9.99 GBP, which is over $13 USD, while subscribers in the United States pay $9.99 USD. If you want to pay even less, you can try a VPN server in India since users there only pay ₹120 per month, which is less than 2 USD. This means that if you are in the UK and connect to an Indian server to pay for your Apple subscription, you can end up saving nearly $12 per month.
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is another service that charges different amounts depending on the location you are connecting from. The price of Office 365 Home when you connect from the United States is $99.99 per year. However, if you connect from Europe, the price will increase. For instance, in Poland you would pay the equivalent to $116 per year. In countries in Central Europe, the price for the yearly subscription is also higher, while in Asia and Russia, you can get lower prices. In fact, Russian subscribers can get the best deal since they only have to pay about $55 per year, which is over half price of what you are charged for Microsoft Office in Poland.
Advantages of a VPN
VPNs are a great solution to protect the security of your connection and defend your privacy from prying eyes. They help you to get around restrictions and enjoy access to content that is not available in your location. A VPN is an effective tool for online freedom, security and privacy, but that is not all. It can also help you to save money as we have discussed in this article. Using a VPN to get the best deals works particularly well when you pay for travel related services such as flights, accommodation and car rentals. You can also save on popular subscription services such as Microsoft Office 365 and Apple Music. You will find a large selection of VPN services in the market, but we recommend the below.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a fast, reliable provider that is based in the British Virgin Islands. It has servers in over 90 countries so you won’t have issues trying out different locations to find the best deals. The service offers strong security and great speeds for streaming, browsing and downloading content. ExpressVPN also features excellent software and it doesn’t keep logs of your online connection.
NordVPN
NordVPN keeps your information protected with strong security and top security features such a Tor over VPN and double encryption. The provider is based in Panama and it has a solid privacy policy that states that no logs are kept of your online activities, or other aspects of your connection. You can connect to servers in over 60 countries and their network offers over 5000 servers, giving you many options to change your IP address and location.
VyprVPN
VyprVPN has servers in more than 70 locations around the world. It uses exclusive technology that will enable you to defeat Deep Packet Inspection and Firewalls effectively. You can change your location and bypass blocks, even in countries that place restrictions on VPNs. VyprVPN doesn’t keep logs of your online activities and it secures your information with a high level of encryption.
PureVPN
PureVPN stands out thanks to the amazing selection of server locations supported. Their network gives you the chance to connect to servers in more than 190 countries, meaning that you can shop around the world and find the best prices. The service is easy to use and you can enjoy convenient features that will make your shopping experience faster and cheaper. PureVPN doesn’t keep logs of your online activities and it also uses high encryption to protect your information.