In my ExpressVPN review, I mentioned that the VPN provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to whoever signs up for its service. However, I didn’t get the time to explore whether or not ExpressVPN lives up to its claim. So today, I’m going to try closing my account with them and ask for a refund.
Based on my research on ExpressVPN’s cancellation process, I have to follow these four steps:
- Visit ExpressVPN’s website and sign into my account.
- Use the live chat function to contact customer support.
- Inform the agent about my willingness to cancel.
- Wait 5-7 business days to receive the refund.
My Experience: Getting Your Money Back Is Quick and Simple
You’ve probably come across stories about VPN providers not honoring their money-back guarantee. I have stumbled upon a few such stories, as well. This is why I went ahead and personally tested ExpressVPN’s 30-day guarantee. Before I share my experience with you, here are a few things to note:
- ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans
- Its website and apps don’t have an option for canceling the service
- If you upgrade or add a license to your subscription within 30-days of its activation, that counts as voiding the guarantee – something to be careful about
Okay, now let’s move on to the actual process.
To get a refund, you must contact ExpressVPN’s support team, either through live chat or email. I used live chat as it also gave me an opportunity to test the quality and speed of customer service.
Accessing ExpressVPN’s Live Chat
First, I went to ExpressVPN’s website and clicked the green Live Chat button at the bottom right corner of the screen.
Taking the above step connected me with an ExpressVPN representative named Edward. He asked me to state a reason for my cancellation, but this was just a formality. You can give any reason if they ask for one.
Waiting for the Cancellation
After I gave Edward the reason behind my decision to cancel ExpressVPN, he asked me to wait a few minutes. Then he came back with a response that I wanted to hear. Here’s what he said:
Sweet!
What I loved about Edward is that he didn’t try to sell me another plan. He was polite and respectful from the moment I connected with him. This goes to show that ExpressVPN’s customer service team actually cares about customers’ opinions. I also got a refund in five days as they had promised.
Using ExpressVPN After Requesting a Refund
After you request a refund, you can continue using ExpressVPN free of charge until the confirmation email arrives.
And once the refund has been processed, the company will send you an email stating that your account has been canceled and the money has been credited to your account.
30 Days Mean 30 Days – Not 31 Days
If you aren’t sure you’ll be using ExpressVPN after 30 days, make sure to request a refund within that period. What most people forget is that 30 days do not always equal a month.
For example, March has a total of 31 days. If you purchase the service on March 1, you need to contact ExpressVPN’s support by March 30. Contacting them on March 31 will be useless as you’ll no longer be eligible to receive your money back. There’s no grace period. To get the full amount back to the original payment method you used to pay for the service, make sure to cancel within 30 days.
Note: The only time ExpressVPN may consider issuing a refund beyond the 30-day window is when their service was not usable or available during the subscription period, and you made reasonable attempts to contact their support team. If you’re able to prove this, you might get a pro-rata refund (a refund for the period when ExpressVPN was not available or usable). But this is at the sole discretion of the company.
ExpressVPN Refunds In USD
One thing to note is that ExpressVPN sends all refunds in USD. This means the refund amount could vary from the original amount you paid in another currency or Bitcoin. The company generally processes approved requests within seven days, made to the original payment method used for the subscription.
Canceling ExpressVPN’s Automatic Payments
In case you want to continue using ExpressVPN but don’t want them to charge your account automatically, you can cancel automatic renewals. Below are the steps:
- Go to www.expressvpn.com and log into your account.
- Click ‘manage settings and then click the blue line that says, ‘Turn off automatic renewal.”
- Confirm that you want to switch off automatic renewal by clicking it again.
- Click ‘Turn off automatic renewal” one last time. ExpressVPN asks for your confirmation again, along with an alert saying you’ll need to make a payment before the account expiry date to keep your subscription active.
If you followed the steps correctly, you’ll be taken to your dashboard where a red message will appear confirming that automatic renewal is now inactive.
It’s worth mentioning that switching off automatic renewal doesn’t get you a refund. You’ll still have to talk to ExpressVPN’s customer support for this purpose. Remember, you have 30 days to apply for one.
ExpressVPN’s Money-Back Guarantee vs Free Trial VPNs
A lot of VPNs offer a free trial, and the word “free” often tempts people into signing up for their service. What many people don’t know is that free trials often have restricted functionality rather than a complete set of features.
With ExpressVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee, you get access to all of the features. Whether it’s the unlimited bandwidth, the network switch, or the fast international servers, you can try everything out without making any commitment. I know that the company deducts a payment when you sign up, but there’s always the option to get a full refund within 30 days.
Can ExpressVPN Deny Your Refunds Request?
The only scenario where ExpressVPN won’t issue you a refund is when you buy its subscription through the Apple App Store. I know this seems weird, but for some reason, the provider doesn’t issue 30-day refunds for in-app purchases on iOS. If you still want to try getting your money back, request a refund from the Apple Store directly.
Update: I also found that you won’t be eligible for ExpressVPN’s money-back guarantee if you misuse the service. You can read the company’s Terms of Service to learn about what they expect you not to do while using the VPN.
Over to You
I’m happy that you took the time to read this entire post.
As you can see, ExpressVPN offers an easy way to cancel your account and get a refund. However, I canceled mine just to test how refunds work. If you’re satisfied with ExpressVPN’s offerings, there’s no need to close your account.
Overall, ExpressVPN is a reliable VPN service, and its money-back guarantee is there to give us peace of mind and ensure that those who no longer have a need for its service can painlessly get their funds back.