VPN Renewal Prices: Why Year Two Costs More and How to Turn Off Auto-Renew

Why year two costs more

VPN pricing follows the same model as many streaming and software subscriptions. There's a heavily discounted first term, then an automatic renewal at the provider's standard rate. Surfshark's billing terms say this directly: subscriptions renew automatically at full price, and any first-term promotion is followed by the standard rate.

The economics are simple. Winning a new customer is expensive, so providers accept a low intro price to get you in the door, and they earn more back over later years. That's not a scandal, but it does mean the price you see in an ad is only half the information you need. For more on how the industry earns its money, see how VPN companies make money.

Two details make the jump feel bigger than it is on paper:

• Bonus months stretch the intro. A "2 years + 3 months" plan spreads one payment across 27 months, which pushes the advertised monthly figure down.
• Renewals are usually annual. Even after a 2-year intro, many plans renew for 12 months at a time. Surfshark's FAQ says its 2-year plan is billed once at the start and then yearly after it expires.

Intro vs renewal: four providers

These are the entry-tier, longest-term prices that providers published on their own pricing pages on October 29, 2026, in US dollars before tax. Prices vary by region and change often, so confirm at checkout.

Per-month figures are the first charge divided by months covered, and the renewal divided by 12. Surfshark's renewal table is on its billing terms page, but its figures depend on your location and didn't load when we checked. We haven't printed a number we couldn't see.

Where renewal terms are disclosed

Renewal terms usually show up in three places. It's worth checking all three before you pay:

1. Under the plan card. Look for small text such as "renews at $X/year" (NordVPN), "then autorenews at $X annually" (ExpressVPN) or "then renews at $X every 12 months" (Proton VPN).
2. In the billing or offer terms page. Surfshark links "applicable renewal price" to a separate terms page. That page also explains that renewals are charged in your original currency and that taxes are applied at the current rate on the renewal date.
3. In your account and email. After purchase, your account's billing section should show the next charge date. Surfshark says it emails a reminder 30 days before a renewal, except on monthly plans.

How to turn off auto-renew

Turning off auto-renew doesn't usually end your service early. Each provider below says you keep access until the paid term ends. Steps are paraphrased from each provider's official help pages as read on October 29, 2026. Menus get renamed, so if a label doesn't match, follow the closest equivalent.

Other providers: general steps

For PIA, CyberGhost and others, we didn't verify step-by-step cancellation menus this session, so here's the general pattern for direct purchases:

• Sign in on the provider's website, not the app. Most apps don't handle billing.
• Look for Account, Billing, Subscription or Payments, then an option labeled "auto-renew," "automatic renewal" or "cancel subscription."
• Confirm through every prompt. Retention offers often appear before the final step.
• Keep the confirmation email or take a screenshot showing auto-renew is off.
• If you can't find the setting, ask support through live chat and request written confirmation.

Provider-specific notes: see our PIA review and CyberGhost review.

App Store and Google Play billing

If you subscribed inside an iPhone or Android app, the store bills you, not the VPN company. That has three consequences:

• You cancel in the store. On iPhone, Apple's steps are Settings → your name → Subscriptions → pick the subscription → Cancel Subscription. On Android, Google's steps are to open your subscriptions in Google Play, choose the subscription and tap Cancel subscription. Deleting the app doesn't cancel anything. Google says this explicitly.
• The provider's dashboard may not reflect it. Surfshark notes that changes made in Apple's or Google's stores don't show up in your Surfshark account settings.
• The store's refund rules apply. NordVPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN all say App Store refunds go through Apple. Google Play allows refund requests within 48 hours of purchase through its own process. After that, you contact the developer. Details are in our refund guide.

Google says you keep access after cancelling for the period you've already paid for. Its example is a yearly plan bought January 1 and cancelled July 1, which stays active until December 31. Store prices for the same VPN can also differ from website prices, so compare both before subscribing.

What the law requires (US)

The FTC finalized a "click-to-cancel" rule for subscriptions, but the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated it on July 8, 2025, on procedural grounds, days before it was due to take effect. Other protections still apply. The federal Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA) still governs online subscription practices. Several states, including California and New York, have their own automatic-renewal laws with disclosure, consent and cancellation requirements. Regulators can also act case by case under the FTC Act and state consumer-protection laws.

In practical terms, don't count on a federal one-click guarantee. Do keep records of what you were shown at checkout and of your cancellation confirmation.

When renewal day comes

If you let a plan renew, you have options. New-customer deals are often cheaper than renewal rates, so it's reasonable to compare your renewal price with what the same provider, or a competitor, is offering new customers. Our Black Friday checklist shows how to compare total cost. Keep one caveat in mind: NordVPN's and Surfshark's refund policies cover only the first subscription purchase. Once a renewal has gone through, you generally can't get that money back through the money-back guarantee.