Can You Pay For Your VPN With A Gift Card? Only If You Do This
The privacy and online safety offered by a VPN is enough for most users.
However, purchasing a VPN can be dangerous for some people. Citizens of countries where VPNs are banned, political activists, or journalists working with politically sensitive data might all want to disguise the fact that they've bought a VPN — let alone the information they use that VPN to access.
This raises the issue of secure payments. How can someone purchase a VPN privately when payment details can usually be stored and traced?
One option is to pay for your VPN with a gift card. But be warned: it's not that easy, it's not that common, and it won't always get you access to the best VPNs.
Why You Should Pay for Your VPN with a Gift Card
When you pay for a VPN service using a debit or credit card, it's likely that your payment information will be stored. Indeed, storage of your payment data is almost guaranteed if you opt for an automatically renewing subscription.
Of course, this information will all be stored securely, and sometimes by third parties with no connection to the VPN. The problem comes if a VPN is ever required by law to provide information about you, for example by a subpoena or other legal request.
Most of the best VPNs have strict no logs policies. This means they don't keep any record of your usage and therefore cannot disclose your data to anyone even when legally ordered. However, no logs policies only cover the logging of personal data such as your location or the sites you access when connected to the VPN.
No logs policies do not cover the payment information you used to buy your subscription.
While the average VPN user is unlikely to be subpoenaed, this could be a real problem for hackers, political activists, journalists, or anyone living in a country that has made VPN usage illegal. Proof that you've paid for a VPN could be used against you in these circumstances.
Using a gift card to pay for your VPN is one way to get around the payment privacy issue. Gift cards issued by the likes of Amazon or Best Buy can be purchased with cash from supermarkets, internet cafes, gas stations, and other stores.
Once purchased, the card can be used with any VPN that accepts gift card payments if you simply enter the ID number. No other personal information is required and the original cash payment is untraceable.
Short on Time? Here Are the VPNs That Accept Gift Cards?
The following VPNs all accept gift cards that can be bought with untraceable cash payments.
- Private Internet Access — PIA accepts gift cards and is great for anonymous torrenting. Be aware, though, that it is based in the US and is not reliable when it comes to unblocking.
- VPN Unlimited — Excellent for unblocking and streaming, VPN Unlimited is nevertheless also based in the US so can't offer guaranteed privacy even if they do accept gift cards.
- BlackVPN — Based in Hong Kong, BlackVPN offers better privacy options and accepts gift cards. However, some users might find the price points disappointingly high.
Which VPNs Accept App Store and Play Store Gift Cards?
As you can see, paying for your VPN with a gift card bought with cash does limit your choices. Although your payment might be completely untraceable, you might find it's a trade-off for a VPN that's actually less secure in itself.
Not only does it bar you from using the best VPNs, but paying with a gift card also has some other significant drawbacks.
Firstly, if you don't live in the US, UK, or other countries where gift cards are readily available in stores, you may find that you're not able to buy a gift card with cash at all.
Secondly, a gift card will only cover your subscription for a limited amount of time. This means that you will need to go through the whole process of purchasing a gift card whenever your subscription period comes to an end.
If you want an ongoing subscription to a VPN service, there are other private ways to pay. For example, some of the best VPNs accept cryptocurrencies, which are secure and largely untraceable.
Another option is to pay for your VPN using an App Store or Play Store gift card. As long as your chosen VPN accepts payments through the App Store or Play Store, you'll be able to purchase it using a gift card.
You can pay for all of the following VPNs using an App Store or Play Store gift card.
1. CyberGhost
Try Risk-Free for 30 DaysTested July 2023
Given that CyberGhost processes transactions via the App Store and Play Store, it enables you to purchase the service using a gift card.
CyberGhost's huge global network of 9,371 servers makes it excellent for streaming and torrenting, with good unblocking capabilities and decent speeds. Your security will be safeguarded by AES 256-bit encryption, a no logs policy, and malware-blocking software.
CyberGhost is praised by its customers for its mix of affordability with ease-of-use. Try it now with a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- Dedicated streaming profile with servers optimized for: Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Sky Go, Comedy Central, Eurosport, ESPN, and others.
Supports torrenting:
- Yes; dedicated profile shows countries and number of users.
CyberGhost works on these devices:
- Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire Stick, Android TV, Linux, and Chrome.
Protect Your Privacy with CyberGhost Now!
2. Hotspot Shield
The perfect VPN for torrenting, Hotspot Shield's innovative Catapult Hydra protocol offers impressive upload and download speeds without putting your security at risk.
Hotspot Shield accepts gift card payments via the App Store and Play Store. However you should be aware that Hotspot Shield is based in the US so, if remaining untraceable is your main concern, it may not be the best option.
If you're looking for a fast, cheap VPN for torrenting though, Hotspot Shield is a good bet. Our users rate it for its easy-to-use apps and helpful customer support but you can see for yourself with a 7-day free trial or a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- Cannot unblock any major streaming sites.
Supports torrenting:
- Yes, all servers support P2P activity.
Hotspot Shield works on these devices:
- Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Chrome.
Protect Your Privacy with Hotspot Shield Now!
3. ZenMate
Another budget-friendly VPN that's great for beginners, ZenMate nevertheless impresses with decent speeds and torrent-friendly servers.
Military-grade encryption is backed up by a free ad-blocking plugin and you can pay for ZenMate through the App Store and Play Store. Do bear in mind though that Zenmate's HQ is in Germany, which is a 5/9/14-Eyes Alliance country. However, ZenMate does hold a strict no-logs policy so your privacy should be protected.
See what our users have to say about this easy-to-use VPN or try it out with a 7-day free trial or 30-day money-back guarantee.
- HBO GO.
Supports torrenting:
- Yes, all servers support P2P activity.
ZenMate works on these devices:
- Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.
Protect Your Privacy with ZenMate Now!
Summary and Further Reading
Paying for your VPN service with a gift card is a secure and untraceable method but it's not the only option. Some of the best VPNs on the market give you other private ways to pay as well as a much better service for your money.
If you’re already convinced, you can go to CyberGhost’s website and save 83% on your subscription right now!
Are you constantly battling against strict censorship and geo-restricted content? We put together a guide on how to easily bypass VPN blocks.
To summarize, you can pay for these VPNs using an App Store or Play Store gift card in 2023 are...
Your data is exposed to the websites you visit!
Your IP Address:
Your Location:
Your Internet Provider:
The information above can be used to track you, target you for ads, and monitor what you do online.
VPNs can help you hide this information from websites so that you are protected at all times. We recommend ExpressVPN — the #1 VPN out of over 350 providers we've tested. It has military-grade encryption and privacy features that will ensure your digital security, plus — it's currently offering 49% off.
About the Author
Kristina Perunicic is a former editor for vpnMentor. She’s a cybersecurity expert with an interest in VPNs and their importance in the digital privacy landscape.