Google appears to be cracking down and canceling cheap YouTube Premium memberships obtained via a VPN service.
According to growing reports on Reddit (h/t Android Authority), YouTube is simply canceling Premium memberships where the account holder has used a VPN to obtain a cheaper subscription fee. In the US, a single account subscription costs $13.99 with the Family plan priced at $22.99 per month. This includes ad-free playback, YouTube Music, background and offline playback for up to 6 people.
In some regions, a YouTube Premium subscription can be almost 90% cheaper than the US pricing. One of the most well-used workarounds to obtain a cheaper YouTube Premium subscription is using a VPN to connect to a server with a cheaper pricing model – like Ukraine.
In this instance, a personal account membership is just 99 Ukrainian hryvnia which is under $2.50 per month. Although to sign up, you also require an international payment card so that the subscription would continue to work long after signing up while using a VPN. While there are other steps to take, this can save a lot of money each month when compared to paying in your local currency.
For all intents and purposes, it seems that the good times have come to an end for anyone who has managed to fly through this loophole. In the original Reddit thread, one user confirmed with YouTube support that their Premium subscription was canceled as they had “moved” to a different location from the region they had originally signed up in. They were told that their service was canceled “until they sign up with a UK card and address” after using this Ukraine account workaround and pay per local pricing models.
No official word has come from Google on this move, and while it isn’t explicitly mentioned in YouTube’s terms of service, it’s easy to see why workarounds like this eventually get roadblocked. However, using a VPN to obtain a cheaper YouTube Premium subscription is unlikely to get your account blocked or banned.
More on YouTube:
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.