Tech

Is it true that you can pay Netflix less by subscribing in another country?

When Netflix increases its prices in a country, the question arises again: is it possible to subscribe to the SVOD service in a country where the subscription is cheaper? As Netflix is ​​an international service, this question makes sense. But is it really possible, and above all, is it really legal? We have clarified the matter.

At the start of the 2021 school year, Netflix increased its prices in France. The most premium subscription, the one that allows you to enjoy 4K UHD and 4 screens simultaneously, goes to € 17.99. The total bill, per year, therefore increases to € 215.88. An amount that begins to weigh on the wallet, especially when we remember that Netflix frequently increases its prices: how far the broadcaster of Squid Games and The Witcher will he go?

On the web and on social networks, however, it is whispered that a method would make it possible to take advantage of any Netflix subscription for less. This method would not be illegal and Netflix would have a fairly wide tolerance for those who use it. After all, the SVOD giant is also aware that people are using a VPN to take advantage of its US catalog. Unlike Disney +, which blocks use quite effectively, Netflix has always made a string of soft statements and light decisions on this subject.

So, does this method of paying for Netflix at a low price really exist?

Bob Odenkirk close to his money, in Netflix’s excellent Better Call Saul series // Source: Netflix

What method of paying Netflix less are we talking about?

As everyone knows, Netflix is ​​an international service. If you pay for a subscription to Netflix France, you will be able to watch Netflix USA in California or Netflix Germany in Berlin. Netflix’s promise is simple: No matter what subscription you pay for, you’ll have access to Netflix from the country you’re in with your account. That’s why smart kids use a VPN to locate elsewhere and watch Netflix from another country.

Regarding payment and account creation, Netflix still has protections. For example, try to set up a VPN in India, create a Netflix account and use a French bank card to fund it: the service will invite you to go to a different geographical area to pay, in particular by locating you by your telephone number. mobile phone associated with the account, verified on first activation.

A flaw does exist, however, as Numerama has been able to verify. It’s a bit long and complex, but it seems to work well. If you create an account in France, pay the first month at the desired French rate, cancel your subscription and, after its expiration (therefore the following month), during a trip to Istanbul, you reactivate this account, you will pay the Turkish price of Netflix (or that of the country where you are). Or about € 5 per month for the 4-screen 4K UHD version. Back in France, you will enjoy, as Netflix promises, French Netflix. By doing this, the answer to the question is clear: you will continue to pay the Turkish price.

Is this method of paying Netflix less illegal?

On its official website, Netflix specifies in its own FAQ that a Netflix subscription is paid in the currency of the country where it was purchased and that this is a completely normal procedure. The fact of reactivating your subscription abroad and paying the price corresponding to the country in which you are therefore perfectly legal and understood by Netflix.

The reverse would have been surprising: Netflix prices are more or less indexed to the income of the inhabitants of a country. Charging you more for being an expatriate would be unfair.

Using a VPN to reactivate your Netflix subscription, is it legal?

This would clearly be an abuse of Netflix’s policy, and this is where these are not recommended, if not questionable, methods.

Using a VPN allows you to bypass geographic restrictions by going virtually to another country without moving: for example, you would enjoy the Turkish web like a Turk, but you remain a French citizen living in France. This violates the Netflix user guidelines.

In the world of cinema and TV series, distribution contracts for works are negotiated at the national level, sometimes respecting state laws (the chronology of the media in France, for example). Bypass location by using a VPN to get Netflix cheaper would be ignoring all of that.

Can Netflix ban this method?

Netflix has all the rights to its platform. He can decide, overnight and without warning, to implement means to detect this circumvention. It will probably do so if it considers that it has an impact on its turnover. Other SVOD giants like Disney +, and even Canal + in France, take much more precautions: circumventing their rules, when traveling or with a VPN, is very difficult, if not impossible.

Which SVOD service is right for you?

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