Did you know that a VPN does more than just keep you safe online? The same technology that cloaks your presence online, can also potentially save you an extra few hundred dollars at the end of the month. That’s a considerable amount if you have bills to pay and hope to have a decent saving with what’s left. We’re not talking about getting into shady activities by using a VPN. Instead, we’re talking about how using the technological features of a VPN can help you save money when shopping online.
If you’re a thrifty person, you will love what a VPN can do to your spending. Or if you’re an avid online shopper, you may find some great bargains by turning the VPN on.
In this article, you will find:
Table of Contents
How to Get Better Prices Online With a VPN
Over the past decade, the internet has dramatically transformed the way business is conducted. Gone are the days when you had to call up a few hotels to find one that suits your budget, or purchase stacks of DVDs to fulfill your craving for thrills and horror movies. Netflix is synonymous with home entertainment, and it has grown beyond the US. As for booking a hotel, you now browse the various price comparison sites before choosing the cheapest option.
What most internet users don’t realize is that the prices displayed may vary depending on the location of where they are accessing the websites. This means that you may be paying a few hundreds of dollars more when you book a hotel in the US compared to booking from India, or vice versa.
The same applies when you’re purchasing flight tickets online. The price quoted on websites may vary depending on various factors. A person in a different country could be getting the same ticket for a lower price for reasons only known to the retailer. It may seem unfair, but that’s how global e-commerce works.
Likewise, the same is true for digital services like Netflix and Spotify. The prices of digital subscriptions may vary depending on where you are located in the world. This means that you can get better prices by routing your connection to a server where the same service is more affordable.
For example, if Netflix costs $7.99 in your country, but the same service only costs $5.4 (Colombia) in another country, you have the option to connect to a VPN server in that country and get cheaper subscriptions with VPN.
Another good example is Spotify where the prices may be inflated in some countries with Spotify Premium, which costs $9.99 per month, while people in other countries can subscribe for the same service with only a $5.00 monthly subscription with Spotify Unlimited.
How Much is Your Location Costing You?
Being at the right place matters when you’re shopping online. It may be the difference between paying or saving an extra hundred dollars for a flight ticket. To get a better idea of how much money you could have saved with VPN, check out the following comparison.
Online Shopping With VPN: Prices Compared
Are the savings offered by using a VPN as good as it sounds?
We’re not making any bold promises, but we wanted to show you the potential savings you’ll have if you’re shopping online with
VPN. There are times where you’ll shave a couple of dollars off a purchase, and there are surprising moments when you’ll hit the jackpot by using a VPN.
For instance, you can save $72 when purchasing a flight ticket from New York’s JFK airport to Italy’s Naples airport if you’re browsing a specific comparison site in India. You won’t get that lower price if you’re accessing the website from the US.
Another example involves traveling from the US to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. If you’re buying the flight ticket from Poland, you’ll have a massive saving of $1,121.29 compared to purchasing from the US server.
If you love staying in luxurious hotels, you’ll find that using a VPN can mean spending less money. For instance, travelers reserving at The Goring, a luxurious hotel in the UK, can enjoy up to $212 in savings when making reservations from France, instead of the UK.
Renting a car in the US isn’t cheap, especially in Philadelphia. A Chrysler 200 will set you back by $492 per day when you’re renting from the US. However, changing your location to India will save you a healthy amount of $270.28, which can be useful for meals or souvenirs during your travels.
The savings you get by altering VPN locations are not exclusive to expensive items. By using a VPN, you may find similar deals on services that you use daily, such as Netflix. If you’re living in a country where you’re paying a higher subscription than the US, using a VPN may save you a few dollars a month.
Examples of How You Can Save Money With VPN
The basis of saving money (by getting cheaper prices) with a VPN is simple. You activate the VPN, choose VPN servers at different countries to browse with until you find the lowest price of the service or product. Or if you know that the vendor has a sale at a specific location, just browse using the VPN server in the said country.
We’re going to show you in a detailed manner how you can save money online for popular services and products with VPN.
How to Save Money on Netflix With VPN
While subscribers in the US may have the most content available on Netflix, they might not be paying the least for them. And, if you’re subscribing to Netflix from abroad, you may be paying 10% to 20% higher than the US. Using a VPN and altering the virtual location of your device helps you to get Netflix at a more affordable price.
Do note that Netflix isn’t fond of consumers manipulating their VPN to secure cheaper pricing. As such, you’ll want to use a VPN that is not banned by Netflix and one that is fast enough to stream the movies.
Here’s a guide on how you can start saving on Netflix right now if you’re in the US.
1. In the US, subscribing to the Netflix Premium plan will cost US$15.99 as seen below.
2. Open your VPN (we're using HotspotShield) and connect to a server in Australia.
3. Clear the cookies on your browser.
4. Close and restart your browser.
5. Access the Netflix subscription page again. You’ll be presented with the rate for Australian users. The Premium Plan costs AUD$17.99 (US$12.63), and you’ll save $3.36/month just with VPN.
List of The Best VPN's to Save Money Online:
How to save on airline tickets, hotels and rental cars with VPN
When you’re traveling abroad for vacation, you’ll want a comfortable hotel to stay in and flight tickets that are hopefully not too expensive. And if you’re keen on exploring the cities on your own, renting a car is a great option.
But before you finalize all these arrangements, you ought to turn on the VPN and start comparing prices when accessing the websites from different locations.
A great tip that may save you some time is to switch the location of the VPN server to a country with a lower income. Often, you’ll enjoy substantial savings when doing so.
If you’re aware that there’s a promotion applicable to certain countries, you’ll want to browse using the VPN servers of those countries and get discounted prices.
Of course, there are times where you’ll need to try connecting to different VPN servers before securing a great price.
The price saved in total can exceed thousands of dollars. You’ll always want to use a VPN when planning your travel.
A step-by-step guide to getting lower prices from Kayak.com for flight tickets
1. A flight ticket from New York (JFK) to London (LHR) costs $1,143 when browsing on an IP address in the US.
2. To search for a cheaper price, open the VPN and connect to different countries, like Spain.
3. Delete all cookies from your browser.
4. Close and open the browser.
5. Head back to Kayak.com and search for the same flight again. You’ll be presented with a price of €983 which is $1,101.83. That’s a saving of $41.17.
Pro Tip. Repeat the same process when you’re looking for hotels and car rentals on comparison sites.
How to save on subscription services like Apple Music, Microsoft Office 365, and Spotify with a VPN
Cloud technology has changed what computing used to be. You are no longer tied up to working on a single computer or the hassle of transferring files with a removable drive. Microsoft Office 365 enables conventional users to leverage on the cloud platform.
As with other SaaS providers, you’ll need to pay a subscription fee to access Office 365. The price that you pay though, depends on the country you’re in. Someone staying in Poland will have to fork out $116.20 a year while an individual in India only pays $76.08 yearly.
With a VPN, you can connect to the VPN server of countries that offer cheaper subscription fees and enjoy massive savings for Office 365.
You can also try the same trick with subscription services that are known to offer varying prices to different regions around the world.
Get a cheaper Office 365 subscription
1. The Office 365 Home costs $99.99/year in the US, as shown below.
2. Open your VPN and connect to a server in India.
3. Clear the cookies on your browser.
4. Close and open your browser.
5. Go to Office 365 product subscription page and you’ll get ₹5,299 for the Office 365 Home. After conversion, you’ll be paying US$76.08 (23.91% saving).
How to Save Money on Spotify With VPN
Spotify costs $9.99 when you’re in the US, but you’ll have to pay 9.99€ when you’re in European countries. Using a VPN and deleting cookies in advance helps you to enjoy the price that US subscribers are enjoying.
1. In the UK, you’ll have to pay £9.99 a month for Spotify, which is $13.03.
2. Use your VPN and change the server to the US.
3. Clear the cookies on your browser.
4. Close and open the browser.
5. Go to Spotify subscription page again and you’ll get the price shown in USD.
Or if you’re a fan of Apple Music, you will be pleased to know that it only cost $1.43 per month to subscribe in India, as compared to $9.99 in the US. With a VPN, you can enjoy the price of Indian citizens without traveling all the way there.
And if you’re in the UK, you’ll be forking out £9.99 which is around $12.93 for the same Apple Music subscription in India. Using a VPN will save you more than $10.
Getting a cheaper Apple Music subscription
1. You’ll be paying $9.99 when subscribing to Apple Music in the US.
2. Open VPN and connect to the server in India.
3. Clear all cookies on the browser.
4. Close and open the browser.
5. Go to Apple Music subscription page again. The price will be shown in India Rupees. You’ll be paying $1.42 for the Individual plan.
How Do Websites Track Your Location and Change Prices Accordingly?
If you’re going to use a VPN and save some money along the way, it helps to understand the underlying mechanics of how websites track your location.
The most obvious giveaway is the IP address, short for “Internet Protocol,” assigned to your mobile device by the Internet Service Provider (ISP). The IP address signifies the country or region you’re in.
Websites also use cookies, or files containing information about your browsing activities to track your location. If you’re using a VPN to get cheaper deals, you’ll want to clear your browser cookies first.
If you’re leaving the GPS (Global Positioning System) feature turned on, your location is easily traceable. You’ll want to turn that off before you start hunting for bargains with a VPN.
You’ll also be unsuspectingly giving away your position when you log on to a public Wi-Fi. But with a VPN turned on, you won’t be disclosing your location while shopping online.
So, ensure your location is not exposed by:
- Your IP Address
- Cookies
- GPS signals
- A public Wi-Fi
Summary
While people generally use a VPN to stay safe on the internet, it is also undeniably a tool that can potentially save you thousands of dollars when shopping online. This is evident in most online services, software subscriptions, flight tickets, hotels, and car rentals.
Retailers usually set their price according to a fair price that they believe applicable for specific countries. That means a lower-income country may get access to a similar service of a developed nation at a significantly cheaper rate.
Websites detect the IP address and cookies of your browser to ascertain where you’re located and display the price accordingly. GPS signals on your mobile device may also pinpoint your geographic location.
To enjoy lower prices when purchasing such services, you’ll want to alter the perceived location of your device. Using a VPN helps you to achieve that.
Some retailers, like Netflix, are sensitive to the use of VPN to circumvent its pricing structure. You’ll want to use VPNs that are not on its blacklist and one that does not have significant latency on the streaming.
Comparison sites where you shop for hotels, flight tickets, and car rentals are generally more relaxed on the use of a VPN.
It is fairly simple to save money online with VPN.
For services like Netflix or Apple Music, which are known to have a fixed rate, you’ll have to connect the VPN server of the country with the lower price before subscribing.
Items like hotels, flight tickets, and car rentals may fluctuate and differ when purchased from different countries. You’ll have to try checking the price from a few VPN servers before getting the best savings.
While sites like Netflix may frown on the use of VPNs, there are no problems in using a VPN on comparison sites. In fact, it is a regular practice that online retailers are familiar with. There’s no reason not to take advantage of VPNs and enjoy decent savings when you’re making online purchases.
