Investigators from Nord VPN, one of the most popular VPN services in the world, claim that, according to their research, travelers from specific countries are getting charged more. The situation is rather simple: the site that a person logs into is granted the user’s IP address. From that information, the site will display a specific price tag tailored to that user.
According to the higher-ups at NordVPN, people who want to book any trip from a US-based IP address could be seeing higher prices for those trips than people from across the rest of the world. This is just because the system recognizes a US-based IP and will dictate the cost based on the perceived spending power of the user. People who are reaching these sites from places like the UAE, Singapore, or other locations that are perceived as “wealthy” countries could be dealing with similar issues.
Just how bad do things get? Well, again, according to NordVPN, people in the US are paying up to 70% more for specific trips than people from other countries. It’s not just the person’s IP, though, that could be the issue. US-based websites, which are usually what someone will be automatically redirected to if they’re accessing the web from the US, are to blame for the price increase.
Let’s get to the elephant in the room in this story. Naturally, North VPN would be one of the companies that could benefit the most from this practice being true. This could mean that if people use a service like the one they offer, they could save money on their trips. Is it worth it then to buy a subscription to a VPN service to save when booking accommodations or buying airline tickets?
NordVPN’s average cost is around $13 per month. That could go down to around 5 dollars if the service is paid out annually. This would bring up another element to consider. Is it worth it to pay for a VPN service if all you’re looking for is better travel deals? Just on the monthly fee, that airline ticket or hotel night would have to be at least 14 dollars cheaper with the VPN to make the experiment worthwhile. If their numbers are correct, though, and Americans are paying up to 70% more, $13 or 14 dollars in savings seem highly obtainable. Avid travelers, for their part, could extremely benefit from this service.
Many VPNs offer a 30-day back guarantee on their service. That should be more than enough time to check different travel sites to see if, in fact, American travelers are getting charged more for air travel and hotels. This way, each person could conduct their own investigation. Technically, what a traveler would have to do to find the best deal is to get an IP from a country that features a low-income rate among its citizens. It could be a good idea to check those lists and cross-reference them with the options that the VPN offers. That should provide the best results.
