Guest post by Octavia Brown
10 Ways to Save Money Using a VPN.
The Virtual Private Network, or VPN, came out as a breakthrough to protect Internet users. Many websites, Internet Service providers, and the government usually collect people’s data based on their online activities. Whatever way they use such information, you might not be comfortable with the idea. Therefore, you need to download a VPN to hide your real details.
When surfing the web, you leave traces of your personal information on sites that you visit. E-commerce platforms collect such data and use it to make you buy their products or services. When your budget is tight, regardless of the economic state of your country, you might need to find ways to pay less. Here are some ways in which a VPN helps you to save your money.
Flights
Buying a flight ticket from a country with a highly stable economy inspires flight companies to charge you more money. If they detect that you come from a struggling nation, airlines usually lower their prices significantly. Thus, changing your real location using a VPN can reduce your budget on flights. Airlines also apply friendly charges to citizens of their country of origin. Let’s assume you intend to fly with Qatar Airways, setting your VPN location as Qatar or a nearby region cuts down the costs.
Online shopping
Websites selling any products modify their set prices according to the country from which the user is accessing their platform. You probably have noticed your local currency being on display on a foreign country’s website. If you encounter such, it is because the e-commerce site has your details. Setting a nonnative location using a VPN masks your identity and helps you have a shopping experience like that of shoppers of that country.
Booking hotels
During hotel reservations, hotels gain access to your information and personalize their services depending on your status. If they notice that you are booking from a high-income country, they raise their prices. Once you change your location to a low-income country, you get less expensive rooms and discounts.
TV streaming websites
Streaming services such as Netflix modify their subscription charges based on user location. For instance, Netflix users from the United States pay a higher fee than those in Pakistan. The packages differ by country, such that less developed countries spend less money to use the service. Thus, you can enjoy your favourite shows at a smaller fee by accessing the service through a VPN.
Software subscriptions
More applications continue to include premium memberships in their services. Some require a fee to unlock certain features while others require a total subscription for use. The companies owning a specific application adjust their charges to suit different consumers from different countries. Through a VPN, you can evade this form of pricing and put your money into other things.
Online gaming
Internet gamers know how helpful a VPN is when playing online games. It enables them to access games that are only available in specific countries. In addition to that, IP alteration helps gamers to purchase games at lower costs than they would in their country.
Unlimited Internet access
You might be tired of always having to renew your data packages so that you can browse the Internet. Some VPNs have the feature of extending your MBs through the provision of unlimited bandwidth. This feature saves you the money you pour daily, weekly, or monthly to your Internet Service Provider.
Car rentals
Often, people hire cars for many different purposes. Even when you own a car, you might require an extra one from time to time. Both transporting goods and making trips involve taxes and insurance charges on the rented vehicle. These costs always vary from one place to another. You can change your IP address with a VPN to enjoy a low-cost car hire service.
Online time-restricted content
Live content is usually streamable only in certain countries while excluding others. You can alter your location to unblock such geographically restricted content. For sports, you can set the IP address to that of a region near the live event. This trick makes it appear as though you are an actual fan watching the action from nearby. You won’t have to book a flight to watch your favourite team.
Protection from fraud
Ransomware, a type of malware, has become prevalent not only in computers but also in Android phones. Hackers can access your confidential information when you use an insecure Wi-Fi connection. You might incur huge costs when trying to get rid of hackers once they take over one or more of your devices. The situation gets worse if the malicious individuals have your financial details. A VPN saves you from all this trouble since the traffic you send goes through more than one server.
For reasonable charges during the purchase of a product or service, you can download a VPN that gives you a wide array of locations. The next step is to do some online searches about the pricing in other countries. Then you can change your IP address and make purchases.