Since the Online Safety Act came into force in the UK, there has been a surge in the popularity of VPNs, or virtual private networks. These offer a simple and legal way to browse the internet privately, safely and anonymously. But VPNs come with a host of surprising other advantages, too – from cheaper holidays and streaming to exclusive sports and games.
VPNs work by disguising where the user is accessing the internet from – allowing UK-only restrictions to be bypassed. You install the VPN, connect it to your choice of servers outside the UK, and then head to whatever website you want to visit. This means no demands for your ID documents in the age of the Online Safety Act – but it also means you can unlock a whole world of unexpected benefits and deals.
If you’re planning a holiday, for example, the prices of flights, hotels and car hire abroad can all be higher when you’re shopping from the UK. But with ExpressVPN – the world’s largest premium VPN provider – you can connect to ultra-fast servers in more than 100 countries. Searching the same routes or rooms from different regions could save you as much as £130 per flight, and some hotels even waive booking fees if they think you’re a local.
Airlines and other websites with dynamic pricing might also start hiking costs when your browsing data tells them you’ve visited before – but ExpressVPN can save you from this, too. Clear your history and switch servers to be treated as a new customer.
ExpressVPN even makes it easier to plan your holiday itinerary. Search engines such as Google base results on where you are – so if you want to know which restaurants locals really recommend in Paris or what the hottest tickets are in Copenhagen, try browsing as though you’re already there. Once you’re on the road, you can feel confident using free wifi in airports, cafes and hotels, too – because ExpressVPN will keep your data safe using the industry’s most advanced VPN server technology.
The money-saving opportunities aren’t limited to travel. Try switching your ExpressVPN location to access ‘new customer’ discounts and offers at your favourite shops. Or if you want to buy from an overseas retailer, browse as though you’re in that country to see the full range at local prices. Many digital subscription services – such as Spotify, Xbox Game Pass and Netflix – offer vastly different rates depending on location. But if you connect to a VPN in one of the countries that’s home to their cheaper options – such as Argentina or Brazil for Netflix, or India or Turkey for Spotify – you can create an account to access those lower rates.
ExpressVPN can also open up a treasure trove of entertainment. Streaming services such as Netflix offer different content to viewers in different countries. But if there’s something on US Netflix that you’re desperate to watch, just switch to a US server – or try a Japanese server if you’re into anime, or a Slovakian server to access a Netflix library larger than that of any other country. Or why not keep up with Strictly Come Dancing when you’re on holiday – BBC iPlayer is only available in the UK, but connect to a UK server to watch wherever you are. ExpressVPN even offers a monthly round-up of the best new shows and movies to stream from around the world so you don’t miss anything.
And sports fans take note: while football has a Saturday 3 p.m. TV blackout in the UK, many of those matches are legitimately broadcast around Europe. So switch to an ExpressVPN server in, say, Spain or Ireland for streaming access to the games you can’t see at home. Or if you’re a fan of American football or Canadian ice hockey, get into the spirit by watching local feeds of your favourite teams.
You can even try time-travelling with ExpressVPN to access ebooks, music or computer games that aren’t out in the UK yet. Most computer games, for instance, launch in New Zealand first, but find a server Down Under and you can access them hours ahead of their UK release.
Readers of The Spectator can try ExpressVPN for just $3.49 per month – a discount of 73 per cent – plus four bonus months for free. For more information or to take advantage of the deal, click here.
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