Hit enter to show more results
Unlimited devices and good server choices for a great price.
Last Updated: October 24, 2024
Table of Contents:
Private Internet Access (PIA) is a premium VPN provider owned by Kape Technologies, the parent company of several other top-rated VPNs. The best part? It can cost you as little as about $2 monthly. But there are always variables to consider.
This article will guide you through PIA subscription plans, add-ons, and refund policies. We’ll also discuss how to test PIA risk-free.
With its strict no-logs policy, top-notch security, and flexible pricing options, PIA deserves its high ranking. It offers optimal value for the price, particularly on long-term subscriptions.
PIA’s pricing is straightforward, with only three plans to pick from monthly, yearly, and three-year. Below is a detailed breakdown of the fees.
The monthly subscription is more expensive than the other options, which isn’t unusual among VPN providers. However, PIA’s long-term plans offer unusually high savings.
You can save 82% with the two-year plan.
There’s no difference in the features of the plans. You get the same VPN app, the only distinction being the subscription duration.
Private Internet Access also offers corporate VPN solutions. Unlike some competitors, PIA doesn’t have features tailored for remote business access, but it offers bulk discounts if you purchase 10 or more subscriptions at once.
All accounts purchased in bulk must have the same subscription length and be paid for using a credit card. PIA doesn’t accept other payment methods for bulk orders.
With the yearly and three-year subscriptions, you get 500 GB of encrypted storage for free with pCloud. It offers real-time file synchronization and secure backup for one year.
PIA offers other add-ons for an upcharge. You can get them separately from the VPN if you choose, but they’re cheaper if you bundle them with the VPN.
Additionally, you can pay extra to get the PIA Antivirus. The cost depends on the duration of your PIA Antivirus plan:
Your PIA Antivirus and PIA VPN subscription duration may differ. For example, you may subscribe to PIA VPN’s two-year plan but only buy a monthly antivirus subscription.
PIA Antivirus constantly scans your downloaded files, email attachments, and websites you visit for malware. If suspicious files are detected, PIA isolates them so you can review and delete them.
Furthermore, you can initiate a quick or complete scan manually anytime. PIA Antivirus documents your entire security scan history so you can access it anytime.
Lastly, the app prevents pop-up ads from appearing on your screen and stops websites from tracking your online activity.
Note: PIA Antivirus only works on Windows 7 and above with at least 500 MB of free disk space and 2 GB RAM.
PIA also offers dedicated IP addresses:
Your subscription duration doesn’t need to match your VPN subscription, as with PIA Antivirus.
Usually, when you use a VPN, you share an IP address with other people. This can lead to several issues, including reduced internet performance and reputation damage. For example, if one of the users sharing said IP address engages in spamming or phishing, other users might also get blacklisted.
Your IP address may change whenever you connect to the VPN or every few minutes while connected. This is known as a dynamic IP. It has advantages but can also cause connection issues for some users or services.
In contrast, a dedicated IP address is a static IP address that no one else can use. Using dedicated IP results in a faster, more reliable, and more secure connection, fewer CAPTCHAs, and protected access to IoT devices.
You can get a Private Internet Access subscription via the official website or download the PIA app from your device’s store. I advise going with the first route for laptops and PCs.
Follow these steps to sign up for PIA on the website:
1. Go to PIA’s website.
2. Decide on a plan (monthly, yearly, or three-year), then click Select Plan.
3. Review your order and add any extra features you’d like. You can pick a different subscription duration for PIA add-ons than for the VPN.
4. Click on your payment method (credit or debit card, PayPal, or cryptocurrency) to expand the drop-down payment details.
5. Enter your payment details and click on Pay Now.
6. Authorize the payment.
Success! You’ve purchased a Private Internet Access VPN service. Next, you must register an account and set up the VPN app on your device. Follow the instructions below:
1. Go to the Download page on PIA’s official website.
2. Click on Download PIA VPN for [Your OS]. If the operating system shown isn’t correct, select a different one under Protection For All Your Devices.
3. Run the installation file and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
4. Open the app and enter your login credentials.
To get PIA VPN via your device’s app store, follow the steps below:
1. Open Google Play on Android or the App Store on iOS. Alternatively, you may download an APK file from PIA’s website and install it manually on an Android device other than a smartphone.
2. Type Private Internet Access into the search box.
3. Tap on Install.
4. Open the app.
5. If you’ve already purchased a subscription via PIA’s website, select Log In. If you haven’t gotten your subscription, choose your preferred plan and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the account setup. Note that the 1-year and 3-year plans come with a 7-day free trial on mobile.
Done! Once logged in, you can connect to a server and use PIA.
If you need setup instructions for other devices, like Amazon Fire TV or your router, check PIA’s knowledge base.
If you have a PIA gift card, you can redeem it when paying for a subscription. Here’s how to do that:
1. Visit PIA’s gift card link.
2. Enter your gift card’s code into the text box.
3. Click on I’m not a robot to pass the CAPTCHA.
4. Click on Continue.
5. Enter the email address you want to subscribe with.
6. Click on Redeem Gift Card.
7. Check the email you entered for your login credentials.
You can view and edit your billing details on the My Account page on PIA’s official website. There, you can also find receipts for all recurring payments.
PIA offers a variety of payment options, namely:
That’s not much compared to ExpressVPN or CyberGhost, but all the most popular payment methods are available. Having some alternative to Bitcoin is also nice for crypto users, as many VPN providers only accept Bitcoin.
PIA’s payment gateway is secure, so you don’t risk sharing sensitive data with malicious actors.
Apart from traditional payment methods, PIA accepts gift cards. You can get one via an approved retailer. The card balance can range from $10 to $100.
Note that gift card payments can’t utilize any special offers, can’t be refunded, and don’t auto-renew.
PIA is a premium VPN service that doesn’t offer a free plan. Free VPNs typically come with serious limitations, such as data caps or low server count. Some free VPN apps might even engage in malicious activity, collecting and storing user information (or worse, infecting their devices with malware).
But that doesn’t mean you must pay upfront for an app you haven’t tried. PIA offers a 7-day free trial for all iOS and Android users. You must get the PIA mobile app via the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android to get the free trial. Just select the 1-year or 3-year plan to receive the 7-day trial. If you decide PIA isn’t right, you can cancel the trial via your device’s app store.
If you want to test the app on a PC or another device, you can use PIA’s 30-day money-back guarantee, which applies to all plans.
Here’s how it works: You subscribe to any of PIA’s subscription plans and use the VPN without limitations. If, at any point throughout the month, you decide not to move forward with the app, you can claim a full refund via customer support.
PIA support agents were very helpful and issued a refund without questions. There’s no catch. You can get a refund as easily as you subscribed, if not easier.
Some VPN providers don’t issue refunds for subscriptions purchased with crypto. PIA is different. The money-back guarantee covers all payment types apart from gift cards.
However, you’ll need to contact Apple’s support team to claim a refund for a PIA subscription created via the App Store. The refund process follows Apple’s policies.
Android users can get a refund through PIA’s customer support but must cancel the subscription through the Google Play store first.
The refund policy also applies to auto-renewal payments, which most VPN providers don’t offer. Assume you’ve been using PIA for a year and forgot to turn off recurring payments. You can contact customer support within 30 days of your renewal payment and get your money back. If you’re not sold on using PIA forever but want to try it long-term, this renewal refund is a major plus.
While PIA’s pricing is already affordable, you can save even more by watching out for special offers. For example, as of January 2024, PIA’s two-year plan is available with 82% off. Plus, the package includes two months of free service.
If you weren’t lucky enough to get this deal, you can wait for public holidays and other special occasions, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On these dates, many VPN providers offer big discounts.
Private Internet Access also offers deals for students. In collaboration with StudentBeans, PIA offers two years of VPN service at $2.69 monthly, which includes two months of free service.
Lastly, a VPN subscription can get you PIA’s Dedicated IP and Antivirus add-ons at lower prices.
You may find PIA discount coupons on third-party websites. Sometimes, such deals are legitimate, but be cautious. Only follow links posted by trusted PIA partners. Some websites may use deals to trick you into sharing personal information or infecting your device with malware.
Private Internet Access is a trustworthy VPN with excellent features. But how does PIA compare with other VPN services cost-wise? Which of our top-rated VPNs (ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, PIA, and NordVPN) offers the best value? Let’s break down the competitor pricing.
PIA is one of the cheapest VPNs we’ve tested. While the monthly plan’s price is comparable to competitors, the three-year plan offers the best price.
NordVPN and CyberGhost’s higher prices are justified by handy add-ons like a password manager, streaming-optimized server locations, and proprietary tunneling protocols designed for better speeds.
ExpressVPN is the most expensive option due to its advanced features and best-in-class quality of service. But ExpressVPN’s top position in our tests doesn’t mean other VPN services aren’t worth your attention.
PIA is a good all-around VPN that meets the industry standard. If your primary goal is to protect your online privacy, there’s no reason to pay extra for features you might not use.
At the same time, price shouldn’t be your only consideration. Every VPN should protect your privacy, but that’s not all. Determine your additional VPN needs, whether bypassing geo-restrictions, getting fast speeds, torrenting, or securing your remote work.
ExpressVPN comes out at the top regarding speeds and unblocking streaming platforms. CyberGhost boasts its impressive server fleet optimized for streaming, anonymity, and torrenting. NordVPN offers up to $1,000,000 in identity theft coverage and 1 TB of cloud storage for an extra $3 monthly.
PIA’s main strengths are its unlimited active device connections and court-proven privacy policy.
In a San Jose Federal court trial, the FBI accused PIA of being used by cybercriminals to operate Embarcadero Media’s email accounts. PIA could not help the investigation as it did not retain any logs of its VPN users’ activity.
Pricing is about the value, not the numbers alone. Let’s see whether PIA delivers what it charges for.
Please read our full review for more information about Private Internet Access features.
All durations of PIA plans automatically renew at the end of every billing cycle. For example, if you subscribed to the monthly plan on October 20, PIA will charge you again on November 20. Or, if you purchased a yearly plan in December 2023, you’ll be charged again in December 2024. To prevent automatic renewal, you need to cancel your subscription.
The only exception is that you don’t need to cancel your plan if you paid with cryptocurrency or a gift card. Such non-recurring payments can only be renewed via a link PIA will send to your email 11 days before the due date.
If you subscribed via the PIA website, you can cancel your subscription via the website’s Client Control Panel.
You can cancel the subscriptions purchased via the Google Play Store from the Play Store. If you use the PIA iOS app, cancel your subscription through your device’s settings.
Note that turning off automatic payments does not initiate a refund. If you’ve been using PIA for less than 30 days (or within 30 days of your renewal) and want to use the money-back guarantee, contact customer service via the Support Portal.
For further instructions, please refer to our step-by-step guide.
Given PIA’s extremely affordable long-term prices, industry-standard features, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, there’s no reason not to try it.
You may be wondering, why pay even $2.03 if I could use a VPN for free? However, free VPN apps have limitations and can do more harm than good. Subscribing to a reliable premium VPN like PIA is always better for ensuring your data is safe.
If PIA doesn’t have the features you need, consider CyberGhost as a budget alternative or ExpressVPN or NordVPN if you’re willing to shell out for their strong and unique features.
No, Private Internet Access is a premium VPN with no free version. However, PIA offers a 7-day trial on mobile devices (available via Google Play on Android or the App Store on iOS). Furthermore, you can claim a refund within 30 days of your initial purchase or renewal.
PIA costs $11.95 per month on the monthly plan. With the yearly plan, one month of usage will cost you $3.33. The three-year plan has the lowest monthly cost of $2.03.
PIA's yearly plan costs $39.95, offering 72% savings over the monthly cost. If you want a premium VPN for a low price but don't want to commit to three years with the same provider, the yearly plan is an optimal choice.
Depending on the plan, PIA charges monthly, yearly, or once every three years. The yearly and three-year plans require you to pay more upfront but offer savings of up to 83% in the long term. We advise you to choose one of these options, as you can always claim a refund within 30 days if the VPN doesn't work for you.
Yes. PIA is a secure VPN with a no-logs policy and a global server fleet. It offers advanced features like split tunneling, a kill switch, Multi-hop, torrenting support, and unlimited simultaneous connections. PIA's three-year plan is the most cost-effective option. If unsure, subscribe to PIA and test it risk-free with its money-back guarantee.
The three-year plan offers the best value at only $2.03 monthly. However, you must pay $79 upfront. If you aren't ready to spend that much, consider PIA's yearly subscription, which will cost you $3.33 monthly and $39.95 upfront. Both plans have a refund guarantee.
Yes, PIA does have a free trial, but only on mobile devices. You must get the PIA app via the App Store on iOS or Google Play on Android to get the trial. But you can still test the app risk-free on other devices, thanks to PIA's 30-day money-back guarantee.
Both VPNs are worth their money and consistently rank high in our tests, so the answer depends on your needs. PIA is more affordable and allows unlimited simultaneous connections. NordVPN is pricier but offers sophisticated security features and complimentary add-ons, such as a password manager and encrypted cloud storage.
Yes, PIA accepts gift cards purchased from approved retailers. You can redeem a gift card on PIA's website. However, you can't get any special discounts using a gift card. Furthermore, payments made with gift cards are non-refundable and non-recurring, so you'll have to manually extend your subscription via a link sent to your email as renewal approaches.
Was this content helpful?
Topic: VPN Pricing
Oct 24, 2024 | by vphadmin
Best VPN for Roku in 2024 & How to Install
Oct 14, 2024 | by vphadmin
Best VPN for Mac in 2024
Oct 14, 2024 | by vphadmin
Avast SecureLine VPN Pricing: How Much Does It Cost in 2024?
Oct 3, 2024 | by vphadmin
Best VPN for Windows 10 to Improve Your PC Experience
Sep 23, 2024 | by vphadmin
Best VPNs for Torrenting in 2024
Sep 23, 2024 | by vphadmin
Best Free VPN Services in 2024
