There is quite a myth behind the use of VPN to buy cheaper online. A clear example is the issue of flights. Do they really come out better for the price? Does it always happen? The truth is that no, except on rare occasions. In this article, we tell you a trick that we have seen happen in certain cases. We are going to talk to you about how it works and whether or not you can save a lot when buying flights.
The idea of using a VPN, in these cases, is to be able to modify the location with which you browse the Internet. If you are in Spain, for example, you could connect to a server in Japan, France or the United States and browse as if you were in any of these countries. It can also have security advantages, in case you connect to public networks.
Buy cheaper flights taking advantage of the currency exchange
But what exactly is this trick? The idea is to take advantage of the currency exchange. We make it clear to you in advance that it is not something that you will always be able to take advantage of, but only on certain occasions. For example, if you are buying a flight from Spain to Poland, there may be differences between paying in zlotys, the Polish currency, or in euros.
This only applies, unless we have been able to verify, if you buy separate tickets for the round trip and also pay in the local currency. What does this mean? If you buy a round trip flight together, and you do it in euros, they will simply show the corresponding price and that’s it. You will pay in euros. On the other hand, if you view that page in another currency, that of the country you are going to travel to, you could see differences.
What we have learned is that, sometimes, you can take advantage of purchasing a separate outbound and return flight to pay lower prices. For example, it is common to see a flight that costs 199.99 slotis. You can buy the round trip, both separately. If you buy a round trip together, and also in euros, the price usually increases due to the currency exchange and the airline does not “adjust” to that eye-catching price of “xx.99”.
A VPN can help
Ok, so how does a VPN really help? The idea is to be able to connect to a server that is in the country you are going to fly to, so that you can get the price in its currency. This way, you will be able to access those tighter prices, if they are available. To give you an idea, there will be cases in which it is better to pay for the trip in euros and the return trip in another currency, or vice versa.
Additionally, there is another factor to take into account. There are some airlines that show you the price depending on your currency, the location you are in. For example, if you are in Spain and you are going to buy an internal flight in the United Kingdom, the price will be in euros. If you are in the United States, it will cost you in dollars. What’s happening? That internal flight is from the United Kingdom, so the price is in pounds. The airline does the currency exchange as they want. Some adjust it well, others not so much and you will lose a small %.
In the latter case, the objective would be to use a VPN to connect as if you were in the United Kingdom and see if, by showing you the price in pounds, it works out cheaper. Of course, it is advisable that you use a bank card that does not charge you fees for paying in another currency. For example, we recommend Revolut.
In short, by using a VPN you may sometimes be able to take advantage of this trick to buy a cheaper flight. As we have explained to you, they are very specific cases, so do not expect it to really help you for a flight that you need to buy. Furthermore, the savings will be small. You can use guaranteed VPNs, such as NordVPN either surfshark.
