The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money With a VPN
Today we welcome a guest post from Jack Warner @ TechWarn. It’s an interesting piece on Saving Money with a VPN. For any would-be Financial Freedom seeker, finding ways to save money is a great way to achieve the life we desire.
One caveat: make sure you understand the ramifications (if any) of using a VPN to sign up for services. It is up to each reader to understand the effects of using a VPN service whether it be on the terms and conditions of the deal, country laws, etc.
Now enjoy this article on saving money with a VPN!
The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money With a VPN
The internet has grown to become a huge part of daily life. We can accomplish the vast majority of our day-to-day activities online these days. All you need is an internet connection and a device to do study, work, or shop from the comfort of your couch. But there’s a downside to the convenience of the internet; the worldwide web is rife with hackers and other malicious threat actors.
One of the most effective ways to ensure your privacy and security online is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN encrypts all the data traveling between your tablet, smartphone, or computer, effectively hiding your location and online activity. As you can see, VPN is an excellent tool for keeping your online activity private and secure. However, the perks of using a VPN go far beyond online security and privacy.
Save Money With VPN
Did you know that a VPN can also help you save money as you go about your business online? Well, now you do. The vast majority of websites, online stores, and eCommerce platforms use factors such as location and browsing history to set prices for products and services. Consequently, a lot of people end up paying more for the same product or service because of their location. This concept is referred to as price discrimination.
Websites use the IP address to detect your location and display prices purely based on that. Web pages also use browser cookies to keep tabs on your internet activity and store your browsing history. Online retailers use this data to create your online profile and display prices based on it. Download a safe and reliable VPN to help you circumvent geo-location monitoring and web tracking to save money while protecting yourself from cybercriminals when shopping online.
Here are several use cases where VPN can help you maximize your savings when doing stuff online.
Shopping
In the increasingly digital world that we live in, online shopping is one of the fastest-growing trends. You can shop for groceries, clothes, electronics, and pretty much anything else from the comfort of your home. Unfortunately, you might end up paying more when you buy stuff online if you are browsing from a high-income country.
Not to worry, though. You can connect to a VPN and change your location to find better deals in various countries, cities, and ZIP codes. You will find that by using a VPN to connect to servers in different locations, there are price differences depending on where you are browsing from. Using a VPN can help make significant savings when shopping online. Just open your VPN app and connect to a server located in a different country or state. Since websites use browser cookies to track your online activities, you need to make sure that you clear your browser cookies at the beginning of a new search.
Subscriptions
Providers have to take into account factors such as exchange rates and currency differences when setting subscription prices in different regions. Online subscription services will also change the cost of their products depending on how much subscribers in that particular part of the world are willing to pay.
Using a VPN to change your location can help you get a better deal when it comes to paying for popular subscription services such as Microsoft Office and Apple Music.
For instance, an individual Apple Music subscription in the US costs $9.99/month. Music lovers in the UK will have to part with over $13/month for the same subscription. In India, the same Apple Music subscription costs about $1.75/month. If you love what an Apple Music subscription has to offer but are a bit concerned about the price, you can change your server location to India and enjoy your music at a significantly low price.
There are similar price differences when it comes to Microsoft Office products. We found that users in countries within Europe pay more for MS Office subscriptions. Subscription prices for Microsoft Office products get lower as you move east towards Asia.
For instance, Office 365 subscription in Russia costs about $55.28 per year. In Poland, users have to shell out about $116 per year for the same subscription. If you are in Poland, you can save over $50 per year by changing your location to Russia using a VPN.
Airfare
Flight booking websites use your location to determine the price of airline tickets. As a result, flight tickets often fluctuate based on location. For instance, users booking a flight from affluent countries or zip codes will get more expensive rates compared to those in low-income regions.
You can save hundreds of dollars on flight tickets by using a VPN to connect to a server in a low-income country. It may also be cheaper to purchase a flight ticket from the airline’s country of origin. All you have to do is change your location and compare prices.
These sites will also use your browsing history to check if you have searched flight tickets on the airfare site before and raise fares if you have. Travel agencies know how easy it is to find cheaper air tickets online and always try to discourage users from comparing online flight ticket prices. That’s why users find that the price has increased when they go back to a site to make a booking.
You can use a VPN to hide your browsing history to keep the airfare site from raising your ticket prices based on return visits.
Hotel Bookings
Flight and accommodation are typically the highest costs travelers incur. Like airlines, hotels can offer different prices based on geo-location. Searching from a low-income country can help you get a better deal.
For instance, if you book a hotel in Paris from the United States, you will — most likely — end up paying more for your stay than someone who booked from an African country. When booking a hotel, always try to search from different locations to get the best deal.
In some cases, searching from the destination country can also help you make some savings in hotel costs. Often, hotels will offer lower prices for locals to promote domestic tourism. In some cases, hotels offer discounts for people booking from specific locations. Keep searching from different locations until you find the best price.
Car Rentals
Much like hotels and airlines operate, car rental companies set their prices depending on location. The fluctuation of prices for rental cars is attributable to factors that vary depending on location. Some of these factors include insurance costs, local taxes, and location surcharges.
As a result, car hire prices can vary significantly depending on where you are booking your car rental. VPN can be a handy tool for travelers when it comes to saving money on your car rental.
Car rental companies often set exorbitant rates for foreign travelers. You can use a VPN to change your location and take advantage of the best car hire deals when traveling.
For instance, someone traveling to Los Angeles from Istanbul can save a lot of money on car rental prices by switching their internet connection to a server located in the United States. Always make sure that you clear your browsing history and browser data at the beginning of your search.
Streaming
Streaming services such as Netflix are notorious for imposing geographical restrictions for non-US residents. The streaming service uses geo-blocking to lockout users outside of the United States.
As a result, users in Europe, Asia, Australia, and other parts of the world don’t have access to the content US residents have, despite paying the same amounts (sometimes even higher) in subscription fees. As a non-US resident, using a VPN can help you unblock restricted content and get your money’s worth.
Countries have different licensing deals with streaming services, which is why content varies depending on your location. Users in countries such as the United States enjoy a greater range of movies, TV series, and other content. You can use a VPN to connect to a server based in the US and get access to the same content as US residents. It is cost-effective, you will be able to view more movies and TV shows at no additional cost.
For instance, Netflix users in South Africa only have access to 10% of all the movies, series, and documentaries on the streaming service. Users in the United States have access to everything Netflix has to offer.
By using VPN to hide their location and connect to a server located in the US, a South African Netflix subscriber will be able to access 100 percent of the content on the streaming service without incurring additional subscription costs.
Online Gaming
Online gaming is one of the most popular forms of pastime activity among the younger generations. Playing video games online costs money, and the price of online gaming varies significantly depending on location. Just like airfare and hotel prices, playing online games from low-income countries costs less than playing from affluent countries in Europe and North America.
For instance, playing the online game Legion TD 2 from London costs $20.29. Fans of the online game in Dallas, US have to part with $19.99 to partake. Playing the same game from India costs about 7.45 dollars. As you can see, the price of playing Legion TD 2 in India is more than 50% lower than the US and the UK.
Online gamers can benefit significantly from using VPN services. As a Legion TD 2 fan, you can save a significant amount in online gaming fees by using a VPN to change location to India or any other country at a lower price.
Data Costs
Besides securing your internet connection and ensuring privacy, VPNs can help you offset your mobile internet browsing costs through bandwidth compression. This is a premium feature available from major VPN vendors.
Bandwidth compression allows you to continue surfing the web without renewing your data bundle. This feature allows users to enjoy internet browsing beyond the limits set forth in the contract and save a lot of money on mobile data costs.
A VPN is a great tool when it comes to keeping your online activities private and secure. But that’s not all VPN is good for, using a VPN can help you save money on online shopping, subscription services, online gaming, and other internet-based services.
VPNs can help you circumvent geo-location monitoring and web tracking, meaning that websites will not be able to track your location and online activity. Investing in a good VPN is a smart decision, both from a financial standpoint and a security one.
Jack is an accomplished cybersecurity expert with years of experience under his belt at TechWarn, a trusted digital agency to world-class cybersecurity companies. A passionate digital safety advocate himself, Jack frequently contributes to tech blogs and digital media sharing expert insights on topics such as whistleblowing and cybersecurity tools.
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