Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals: 10 Reasons to Use a VPN

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday swiftly approaching, the deals on VPNs are out in full force. If you’ve ever wanted to try a VPN, there couldn’t be a better time to save on a subscription. You can even make other savings by using a VPN, but more on that later.

Still, why use a VPN at all? We’ve all seen the marketing, but let’s cut through the jargon and take a closer look at the real benefits:

What is a VPN?

Simply put, when you access the internet via a VPN app, your connection is encrypted. This means your real-time internet activity is hidden and, essentially, scrambled. Even the military uses the same level of encryption.

Wi-Fi snoopers, public internet spots, network admins, overbearing governments, and even your ISP, can’t see what you’re accessing.

This is because the VPN routes all your traffic through a separate encrypted server.

Why Use a VPN?

The simple answer? A VPN is one of the best privacy and security tools for protecting your online activity. But what does this mean in real terms?

1. No Hacking and Data Theft

Standard Wi-Fi, especially a public connection at a coffee shop, is not always secure. Hackers can and do snoop on these connections to steal your data. A click of a VPN app stops your data from being intercepted.

Cybercriminals also recognize the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period as an opportune time to ramp up phishing attempts and data theft.

If you plan to shop online, doing so with a VPN will keep you safe. Many come with extra security measures for blocking phishing sites, protecting passwords, and stopping intrusive cookies.

2. Hiding your IP Address and Location

Your IP address is your online identifier. What’s worse, your internet provider typically assigns it based on your geographic location. Without the protection of a VPN, your location is visible to websites, apps, advertisers, and data collectors. Not all of these are acting in your best interests.

Using a VPN masks your real IP address and location by assigning the IP of the encrypted server or a pool of other non-local IPs. Now anyone trying to track your location can only see the VPN’s spoof location.

3. Bypassing Network and Geo-Restrictions

All good consumer VPNs let you choose from hundreds of countries and sometimes thousands of individual servers. You can make it appear like you are located virtually anywhere in the world.

The benefits are twofold. Want to access content restricted in your region, such as international streaming services, news sites, or games? Now you can with a click or a tap.

Moreover, it can also help bypass content restrictions on your work, school, or home network. 

You get full access to the web while remaining almost completely anonymous.

4. Preventing ISP Monitoring and Throttling

In some countries, internet providers can be particularly overbearing. They block content deemed inappropriate without basis. E.g., in the UK, it’s increasingly difficult to load torrent sites.

Furthermore, high-bandwidth activities like online gaming or streaming are often artificially slowed down at certain times. 

A good VPN will bypass any ISP-based censorship. Some even use obfuscation technology to make traffic prone to throttling appear like regular traffic, preventing artificial slowdowns. 

5. Avoiding Online Censorship

The worst kind of censorship comes top-down from the Government. If you live in a region with national firewalls that block swaths of the internet, including social media and other content, you can set your location as an open region and cover your tracks in the process.

Why use a VPN for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Aside from making great savings on a Black Friday VPN and protecting you while shopping online, there are a few tricks that can get you additional deals. Yes, just by using a VPN during this period! Here’s how:

1. Access Regional Deals

The same way you can access international streaming services, you can unlock Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals using a VPN.

Simply change your virtual location and access any websites or online stores that offer different deals based on your location.

From electronics to fashion, different countries, especially if you’re based in the US, provide higher discounts. Even outside of the savings period, many regions sell goods cheaper based on market factors.

For example, a PC that costs $1,000 in the US market might cost 125,000 Japanese Yen. Just over $800.

Despite currency conversion fees and shipping, this can still be cheaper, especially if you find a region-specific discount too.

2. Bypass Dynamic Pricing

Dynamic pricing is a sly strategy used by online retailers that gives you a different price than others. Of course, that’s often a more expensive price.

While this can be based on demand and competitor pricing, it’s also often driven by location. Or worse, existing data held about you!

If you have previously shown interest in a product by browsing an online store or simply Googling it, the retailer might know based on cookies and other info. They assume you really want the product and offer you a higher price, even if there’s a small Black Friday or Cyber Monday discount.

You might even get the: “Only 1 left” trick to encourage the purchase.

By deleting your browsing cookies and history, then using a VPN, you can get around these tricks to find the best price possible. The site no longer knows it’s you and can’t squeeze out a higher price.

Dynamic pricing can apply to all online purchases, but is also commonly used for:

• Airline tickets
• Hotel bookings
• Event Tickets

Top Tip: If you are registered on a particular site, opening a new account while using a VPN can prevent being linked to any data already held about you that could affect dynamic pricing.

3. Get Cheaper Flights, Accommodation, and Vehicle Rentals

If you want a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal for travel, it’s notable that airlines and associated services offer the best discounts within their native country.

So, if you are in the US and want to travel to Europe or use a European airline, choosing a VPN location in Europe will often unlock better pricing.

Likewise, hotels know that international travelers have a higher budget than locals. Thus, local pricing is often lower than for overseas tourists.

Furthermore, car rental companies may adjust their pricing based on the location of the customer. Rates are often higher in areas with higher demand or limited competition. Similarly, they promote discounts in certain regions or markets, which can affect the rates you see when booking online using your regular IP address.

Top Tip: Remember to play around with different sites and regions to find the best deal.

4. Better Loyalty Program Perks

Loyalty programs are often tailored to the local market and customer preferences, which can result in regional differences in the perks and benefits offered.

This is commonly based on the country you sign up from. By using a VPN to enroll from a more beneficial country, you can continue to get the perks from that region.

Since loyalty programs give extra points and perks for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it makes sense to get a good VPN now to reap the benefits. 

5. Digital Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals

Deals aren’t just reserved for physical retail products or travel packages. Black Friday and Cyber Monday apply to countless digital products and subscriptions. From software to games, savings can be made, and the same regional differences apply.

What’s great about digital products is you don’t have to worry about shipping issues, since they’re transferred online.

You can even pay with virtual cards in the native currency or gift cards from that region.

I’ve personally noticed several AI services have different special offers in the US compared to other countries. 

Try it yourself using a top VPN and shop around for the best discounts before signing up.

Top Tip: While most digital goods providers won’t factor in your location once a deal has been locked in, it’s always wise to use the same region when accessing the site. This is especially true for online gaming services, which tend to be more stringent on location. It’s also wise to login from that region if a subscription comes up for renewal.

The Final Word

There’s no better time than now to get a VPN at the fraction of the usual cost. What’s more, by using a VPN you can also make extra savings on other products this Black Friday and Cyber Monday.