Ever used a VPN to get a lower price when booking online?

MSE_Laura_F

Several VPN companies have blogs on how to use a VPN to book holidays, flights or car hire more cheaply.

Is this something you've ever tried? Was it successful? Or a non starter?

Vitor

Yes, I've got cheaper subscriptions to YouTube by VPNing to Malaysia , but more and more companies are locating the country of issue of your credit card and using 'home' prices regardless of VPN beakout. 

MSE_Laura_F

Useful, thanks Vitor.

What do you need to consider when using a VPN? Would you also use incognito mode on your browser?

Doshwaster

Vitor said:

Yes, I've got cheaper subscriptions to YouTube by VPNing to Malaysia , but more and more companies are locating the country of issue of your credit card and using 'home' prices regardless of VPN beakout. 

YouTube have recently closed down most of the backdoors to getting cheap subscriptions. I was using an Indian address for ages but that was shut down so now I'm back to paying full price.

For travel and hotels I have never found that it makes much difference but maybe I'm not doing it right.

IvanOpinion

I remember reading an article several years back. Someone had booked a hotel (Thailand?) using a VPN and got a great price. When they arrived at the hotel, the receptionist asked for their passports. When they handed over British passports they were told that the price offered was for citizens of their country, and they could either pay the much higher tourist price or find another hotel.

I have also anecdotally heard of hotels having different prices for people from different countries.

jshm2

Yes. But depends what you're ordering.

Most "digital" products tend to be cheaper ordering from the US or Europe (lower taxes too).

When it comes to flights and tickets, you've got to be careful. You're often not covered by the same guarantees as you would if buying from the UK. 

Another related thing is that prices can differ if ordering from a mobile vs desktop too.  

PRAISETHESUN

MSE_Laura_F said:

Useful, thanks Vitor.

What do you need to consider when using a VPN? Would you also use incognito mode on your browser?

Incognito mode does pretty much nothing when it comes to changing your location - it forces your browser to stop collecting your browsing history, and storing cookies, and that's about it. Websites will see you more or less the same regardless if you use incognito mode or not as you're not fundamentally changing anything about how your browser presents itself to the internet.

I've used VPNs to get cheaper prices for years. I grew up in Australia and I often joke about the Australia tax, where you are forced to arbitrarily pay significantly more for identical things online. For plenty of digital items (mostly PC games for me) changing location to UK or US often resulted in paying 20-50% less, even when you factor in currency conversion fees. Physical items is less of a benefit as you still had to pay for expensive shipping and taxes/customs fees.

tghe-retford

Doshwaster said:

Vitor said:

Yes, I've got cheaper subscriptions to YouTube by VPNing to Malaysia , but more and more companies are locating the country of issue of your credit card and using 'home' prices regardless of VPN beakout. 

YouTube have recently closed down most of the backdoors to getting cheap subscriptions. I was using an Indian address for ages but that was shut down so now I'm back to paying full price.

For travel and hotels I have never found that it makes much difference but maybe I'm not doing it right.

Technically, YouTube classes VPN use of its services as piracy and is clamping down on it. By July, VPN use is going to be more difficult as websites accessible in the UK that have age restrictions for its services will be required to prevent anyone trying to get around age/identity verification requirements they will have to implement and that includes the use of VPN's to book holidays at lower prices. Retailers will have terms and conditions that prevent anyone under a certain age from booking a holiday and that will have to be enforced by age/identity verification going forward.

Doshwaster

tghe-retford said:

Doshwaster said:

Vitor said:

Yes, I've got cheaper subscriptions to YouTube by VPNing to Malaysia , but more and more companies are locating the country of issue of your credit card and using 'home' prices regardless of VPN beakout. 

YouTube have recently closed down most of the backdoors to getting cheap subscriptions. I was using an Indian address for ages but that was shut down so now I'm back to paying full price.

For travel and hotels I have never found that it makes much difference but maybe I'm not doing it right.

Technically, YouTube classes VPN use of its services as piracy and is clamping down on it. By July, VPN use is going to be more difficult as websites accessible in the UK that have age restrictions for its services will be required to prevent anyone trying to get around age/identity verification requirements they will have to implement and that includes the use of VPN's to book holidays at lower prices. Retailers will have terms and conditions that prevent anyone under a certain age from booking a holiday and that will have to be enforced by age/identity verification going forward.

I can't imagine underage people trying to book a holiday is a huge problem which needs fixing but, yes, I understand that it will be one of the many consequences of the new Online Safety Act which may go down in history of one of the worst written pieces of legislation ever.

Chickereeeee

You can use a VPN trial to buy a VPN service through another country (e.g. Far East) and avoid VAT. 

Or so I am told....

HillStreetBlues

Chickereeeee said:

You can use a VPN trial to buy a VPN service through another country (e.g. Far East) and avoid VAT. 

Or so I am told....

With Nord it just asks you for your location when paying, if you happen to be in Jersey when buying then there is no VAT to be paid.