A virtual private network is a nifty privacy tool that encrypts your internet connection, thereby hiding your online activity. You can use a VPN to prevent your ISP from seeing your web browsing or app activity, unblock region-restricted streaming content and access services from your home country while traveling internationally. While VPNs are handy, a subscription can get pricey. Most VPN companies offer attractive intro prices — from under $30 to over $100 a year — but then hit you with steep renewals that can more than double the original rate.
I’ve been using VPNs for over a decade, primarily for unblocking geo-restricted streaming video content and when traveling around the world. However, I never pay full price for a VPN, and I always avoid expensive auto-renewals. I use a combination of tactics, including canceling my plan before it renews, shopping for a deal during Cyber Month and stacking that new subscription onto my pre-existing plan. Here’s exactly how I save money on VPN subscriptions, and you can too.
Stick with annual plans for the most value and least risk
You can typically sign up for monthly, annual or multi-year VPN subscriptions. Usually, you’ll pay more for monthly plans in comparison to long-term commitment packages. For instance, both ExpressVPN and NordVPN charge you $13 per month, while NordVPN’s yearly plan costs $60, which translates to $5 a month paid annually. Meanwhile, ExpressVPN’s one-year plan is $100 for 15 months, or around $6.66 per month. Mullvad is the exception to this rule, charging you €5 per month across the board.
While most VPN companies offer the lowest possible pricing on two-plus-year bundles, I recommend sticking to annual plans for the most savings but the least risk. You’ll pay considerably less in most cases when compared with a monthly option. Since even a fast, private, streaming-friendly VPN can slow down, suffer a data breach or run into streaming issues over time, I recommend sticking to an annual plan. If you pay $140 for 28 months of ExpressVPN but switch to NordVPN after a year, you’re essentially doubling your VPN costs.
I usually cancel my plan to avoid an expensive auto-renewal price hike
You’ll probably be swayed by attractive subscription costs when perusing VPN provider plan pages. But your sweet introductory rate normally runs out after a year, with borderline highway robbery auto-renewals. ExpressVPN charges you $100 for the first year or $140 total for the first two years, with the one- and two-year plans spiking to $117 annually upon renewal. You’ll pay just $17 more for a subsequent year with the annual plan, which is a marginal price increase. Whereas its two-year plan tacks on an additional $37 more per year when it converts from an average of $70 per year to $117.
NordVPN is even more exorbitant, skyrocketing from a competitive $60 annually to $140 per year upon renewal — more than double the introductory cost. Even cheap VPNs typically slap you with price hikes. Surfshark leaps from an excellent value at $48 for the first year to $79 on renewal. Mullvad is one of the few VPN providers that charges the same amount whether you sign up for one month, one year or 10-plus years.
To avoid bank-breaking auto-renewals, I recommend canceling before your plan re-ups. You can likely cancel your subscription immediately after signing up without losing service — that’s what I prefer to do, so I don’t risk forgetting to cancel before renewal. But if you’d rather wait, I suggest setting a cancellation reminder in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or your preferred calendar app for a few days before your plan is set to renew so you don’t forget.
Seasonal deals help you save
Many retailers — including Amazon, Best Buy and Target — offer seasonal sales such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday events. Similarly, most VPN companies drop prices on subscriptions for Cyber Week — or Cyber Month, as it’s become. You’ll often find slashed prices at other times, too, such as back-to-school savings or sales in conjunction with Amazon’s Big Deal Days. In March 2025, NordVPN ran a promotion celebrating the company’s birthday, offering an extra year of service at no additional charge, so there are typically plenty of occasions to save. My advice: check VPN pricing regularly to shop for discounts.
If you’re in the market for NordVPN — whether you’re picking out a VPN for the first time, switching from another provider or renewing your NordVPN subscription — now’s a great time. NordVPN is giving up to $50 Amazon gift cards with its plans. Its two-year plans bundle anywhere from $20 to $50 Amazon gift cards, which you can use to snag some sweet deals from Amazon’s currently ongoing Prime Day deals. Normally, we suggest sticking to annual plans with VPN subscriptions for the greatest savings with the least risk — your initially fast, private VPN could suffer slow speeds or struggle to unblock your favorite streaming services as the year progresses. But if you’re OK committing to a company for two years, this is a competitive deal. NordVPN’s Amazon gift card offer is live until Aug. 31 at 2 a.m. ET.
You can stack subscriptions to avoid auto-renewals and stock up on discounted service
Many VPN providers let you stack subscriptions. For instance, if you have an annual plan with three months left and purchase another year-long subscription, you’ll have 15 months of service on your account. You can take advantage of deals and sales to tack more months onto your plan at lower-than-normal prices, and therefore avoid auto-renewal price hikes. I’ll typically snag another annual subscription sometime during Cyber Week to extend my plan rather than dealing with a wallet-shattering auto-renewal. Because you typically don’t get regular promo pricing with auto-renewals, stacking subscriptions is your best bet when sticking with a VPN you like at a lower-than-renewal price.
But my advice to stick with annual plans remains. When stacking subscriptions, try timing your purchase to add another year onto your plan when there are only a few months left on your account, rather than with a full year. While it might be a little tricky, with frequent sales, there should be several opportunities to find discounts.
Look for emails enticing you to resubscribe
If you cancel your plan, as your renewal date inches closer, your VPN provider may email you with cheaper subscription plan offers. I advise checking your VPN company’s regular pricing to confirm that the deals you’re sent are actually discounts rather than clever marketing tactics designed to mask everyday pricing as an aggressive discount. Ultimately, your VPN provider doesn’t want to lose you as a customer, so canceling your plan gets its attention. In an ideal world, we as consumers could sign up and keep our initial subscription price, rather than playing a game of chicken by canceling plans and waiting for offers to flood our inboxes in hopes of winning us back. But at least we have the power to motivate VPN companies to lure us in with deals.
I never pay full price for a VPN subscription, and you shouldn’t either
A VPN is a worthwhile investment and addition to your app arsenal. With prices ranging from less than $30 to $100 or more per year, you can find virtual private networks available for various budgets. Although the bottom line may vary, you should rarely pay full price for a VPN — with a few exceptions, such as Mullvad, which charges a flat fee regardless of your subscription term. Outside of that, you have plenty of strategies to get juicy discounts.
For more, check out the best VPNs on the market, learn how to set up a VPN and discover how to save money on streaming service subscriptions with a VPN.
