Last Updated on August 6, 2021 by VPNPioneer
In some cases, it is possible to use a VPN tunnel to mask a user’s IP address and global location. This allows a user to purchase goods at a foreign price. Digital products are the most convenient opportunities for savings with a VPN tunnel because they only require a download and lack shipping costs. That said, there are physical goods that can be purchased cheaper as well.
Users should take a look at the things they can buy cheaper with a VPN tunnel.
Steam Games
Every serious gamer known in addition to many casual gamers have heard of Steam. Anyone who has used Steam knows how irritating the geographic restrictions can be. Like Microsoft and Sony, Steam restricts content in certain regions for financial and licensing purposes. A VPN tunnel will unblock this restricted content, allowing a gamer to download otherwise inaccessible video games.
However, there is an issue of a word of caution is to proceed at own risk. Steam is aware that some of its users employ proxy connections and VPN servers to circumvent restrictions.
There is no guarantee that Steam won’t ban an account if it detects a proxy server connection. Many people feel that it is more than worth the risk of a banned account, especially if Steam or a specific game isn’t available in a user’s region. Not only can a user access the content that is unavailable in certain regions, but it is also sold at different prices in different international markets.
Netflix
Streaming the content is one of the most filtered and geographically restricted types of content on the web, which is a real shame given that on-demand streaming content has become the norm.
In the previous days, people had to rent physical tapes or discs, but now they can access television and film content with the click of a mouse. As long as they live in the right region, that is.
When Netflix was still in its early years, it was really only available in the United States. But, in the recent years, Netflix has opened its gates to an international market and is available in the majority of countries around the world with few exceptions, like China. But note that any single region where Netflix is available doesn’t have access to the same content as every other region.
For example, some content that is available in one country isn’t available in another country. Some regions don’t have any access to Netflix at all. Not surprisingly, Netflix has different pricing models for different regions and some countries are charged more than others.
A VPN tunnel will help avoid these restrictions, but like Steam, Netflix doesn’t like users unblocking their content. Some VPN service provider’s IP addresses are blocked, but Netflix can’t possibly block every VPN IP address since they change so frequently, new servers come online, different blocks of IP addresses are leased, etc.
Amazon
Amazon Prime isn’t available in nearly as many locations as Netflix, and prices vary considerably dependent on a user’s region, if it’s available at all. Amazon isn’t too keen on people taking off the IP addresses, like any other digital service, but it doesn’t seem to be nearly as strict as Netflix. But do note that it’s a little trickier to unblock content and purchase a subscription than with other services.
If a user already has an account, he will need to change the account’s country setting in addition to taking off the IP address with a VPN tunnel. Moreover, dependent upon which region a user is trying to access, he may need a payment method tied to the region. However, whether using a web browser, app or Amazon Fire Stick, it’s possible to purchase a subscription at a cheaper foreign rate.
Spotify
Spotify is another service that was previously locked down to only a couple regions, much like Netflix. However, Spotify has opened its service to international markets as well, but the price in each market varies significantly. Plus, Spotify uses a payment processor called Block-Pay, which enables users to pay with crypto-currencies like Bit-coin without having to pay any extra processing fees. It is even possible to pay with PayPal.
A user may need to delete cookies depending on his browser and system configuration to ensure that no browser fingerprinting or cookie tracking methods direct him to a landing page accepting the domestic payment denomination. However, do note that the prices vary depending on region.
Adobe CC
Adobe CC is one of many software products that can be purchased cheaper with a VPN tunnel. It is found that some software websites aren’t restrictive based on a IP address; instead, they merely direct a user to the default page for the region he is in. On some websites, it’s possible to access the landing page for a different region simply by editing the URL from one region to another.
Access to Products Listed on eBay
Ecommerce has become the standard over the last 10 years, but many online marketplaces are geographically restricted, limiting access unless a user belongs to a specific geographic regions or countries. Plus, those users who are privacy minded or simply live in a country where electronic purchases are tracked will be pleased to know that eBay accepts Bit-coin payments.
It is possible to gain access to foreign ecommerce market places like eBay to buy used products and even new products that are sold at a discount for a variety of reasons. However, do note that a user shouldn’t expect to pay any less for an item simply because of the VPN server they use. An auction’s price set by the seller will still cost the same regardless of the IP address.
Airline Tickets, Hotels and Rental Cars
A user have probably seen a ton of websites claiming the it is possible to smell out great deals on plane tickets and hotels when using a VPN tunnel to connect to a different region. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem there are any real ways to ‘game’ the airlines or travel industry anymore.
Years ago, there seem to have been genuine cases where people could save tons of money on airline tickets simply by using a VPN. But these days, cheaper flights and hotels with the use of a VPN tunnel appears to be little more than an appealing way of dreaming.
It is concluded that although there are some special offers posted on different versions of a website, these cheaper flight promotions and savings aren’t tied to a user’s IP address and location. However, car rentals seem to be another matter.
The car rental industry seems to be more discriminatory based on location, as evidenced by ExpressVPN’s price comparison. The savings aren’t very huge, but they are significant enough to hunt for.