Internet users used to take anonymity for granted, and many of them still do, in spite of the fact that corporations, the government and malicious hackers are constantly using tools to track personal data. While some people don’t take privacy seriously, others want to take all the possible measures to keep their identity secret. Getting a VPN is a great step towards protecting your privacy, but you may want to take things further and ensure that you remain anonymous even when paying for a VPN. Since your payment information could be traced back to you, finding a way to pay anonymously could be a great idea. Some VPNs may state that they don’t have access to your payment information and that this is handled by a different party, but even in that case, there is a chance that the payment details are traced back to you, via your account details. This is why you may want to know how to pay for a VPN anonymously and in this article, we will tell you what you can do to achieve this.
Why is it a good idea to pay anonymously?
Most people won’t be too concerned about paying anonymously for their VPN service and there are reliable VPNs that don’t keep logs and that most likely, don’t handle your payment details in a way that ensures that they can’t be associated to your VPN account. On the other hand, if you are an activist, journalist in a country under an oppressive regime, or if you work with highly confidential information, you may want to keep your identity hidden when you pay for a VPN. If you don’t want your information to be compromised in any way and don’t want others to be able to find out what services you are using, paying anonymously is important. No only that, you will also need to consider protecting your online communications.
What are the downside of paying anonymously?
The main downside when it comes to anonymous payments is that whenever you want to pay without exposing your identity, you will have to do it automatically. If you want to avoid this, you may have no choice but to opt for the longest subscription available, which usually lasts for one or two years. Apart from this disadvantage, there are actually some great benefits of paying anonymously. For instance, you could get a lower exchange rate if you pay using a gift card, you could also get a better deal if you go for the yearly plan.
Anonymous payment methods
In most cases, anonymous payment systems use advanced methods to ensure that users’ information can’t be traced. The most common ways to pay anonymously are digital currency and gift cards. When it comes to digital currency, Bitcoin is the most popular name and it is supported by the majority of providers that accept crypto currency. However, getting used to the way in which these type of transactions work can take some time, so if you don’t have previous experience, you will need to do your research before opting for this solution. Then we have gifts cards, and while they are not as widely accepted as Bitcoin, they are easier to use. You can simply go to a store, buy a gift card using cash and then you can virtually transfer the value of the gift card to the account of the VPN provider of your choice.
How to pay using Bitcoin
The first thing you need to do is to check that your VPN does accept Bitcoin as a method of payment. Usually you would see the Bitcoin sign in the payment page or it would be listed on the website somewhere. Otherwise, you can as the customer support if this is an option that they accept. Once you know that you can pay with Bitcoin, you can follow these steps:
- Start by creating a Bitcoin wallet
- Then, find a list of reliable bitcoin sellers that you can purchase from
- Complete the purchase
- Subscribe to a VPN service that accepts Bitcoin payments
- Transfer Bitcoins from your wallet to your provider’s account
If you need additional information on how to pay using Bitcoin, you can find detailed guides online. Once your account is set up, you can pay for the subscription.
What you need to consider when buying a VPN anonymously
As previously mentioned, you need to make sure that the VPN you want to pay for accepts Bitcoin before attempting a payment with this method. Once you chose the payment plan you want, you will be asked to enter your VPN account information. After that, you need to select Bitcoin as the payment method. When you click in submit, an invoice for the bitcoin transaction is created and the VPN provider’s wallet number to transfer the Bitcoins to, should also appear. In the invoice, you will see information like the wallet number, price in bitcoins, QR code and a button to pay with Bitcoins. Now, you just need to log into your Bitcoin account, then send the payment through to the wallet ID that appears on the invoice that was previously created. After that, you will get an email confirming the payment, as well as an activation link. Click on the link to activate the VPN account and you can start enjoying the privacy protection that this technology offers.
How to pay for a VPN anonymously using Gift cards
Paying for your VPN using a gift card is a simple process, although it is a but more expensive since a VPN that accepts it will have to sell the gift cards at a lower rate than their actual value to be able to get their worth in cash. In order to pay using a gift card, you need to log into your provider’s VPN and click on the Pay with Gift Card option. You will see a list of options in which you have to select the gift card brand that you have, or maybe buy one then. After selecting it, you will have the chance to see for how long will the gift card balance cover you with the provider. If you wish to continue with the transaction, continue by clicking on the Pay button. Then you will receive an email confirming your payment, as well as a link that you need to click on in order to get your account activated.
Conclusion
Another measure that you need to take if you want to purchase a VPN without exposing your identity is to use a public IP address. This will protect your home or work IP address and prevent others from tracing the payment back to you. Keep in mind that the majority of payment platforms take note of your IP address as a preventive measure in case of credit card fraud. If needed, they can trace back a transaction to the person who carried it out. This is why if you really want to pay anonymously, you need to get a subscription using an IP address that is shared by many users. You can use the public WiFi in a hotel or airport.
