VPNInfobaseWindows run from none (Astrill) to 45 days (CyberGhost, on its 6-month and 2-year plans), with 30 days the most common. Almost every guarantee covers only the first purchase, so the day a plan renews you usually have no refund right. Payment method matters too: several vendors exclude app-store, cash, crypto or gift-card purchases.
The table
Wording in quotation marks is the vendor’s own. Read from each vendor’s page on 29 September 2026 unless noted.
| Provider | Window | Renewals | Payment or purchase-route exclusions | Other stated conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astrill | None | n/a | n/a | “All sales on our web site are final and refunds are not possible once purchase is made”; separate 6-month router warranty |
| Trust.Zone | 10 days | First paid subscription only | Must be bought directly on its site | Written request within 10 days; may deny for fraud or repeated refund abuse |
| Windscribe | 7 business days | “Initial payment” only | Not stated | Usage must stay below 10 GB |
| Mullvad | 14 days from payment | Not stated | “We do not offer refunds for cash and crypto payments”; App Store and reseller refunds go to those parties | Later refunds of remaining time “under some conditions” |
| CyberGhost | 14 days on the 1-month plan, 45 days on 6-month and 2-year plans | Not stated | App Store, iTunes, Google Play and Amazon billing not eligible | Says connection frequency, bandwidth and cancelling the recurring payment do not matter |
| PIA | 30 days | Initial purchases only | Apple App Store not covered; Google Play handled by Google | New user only; no refund request in the previous 3 months |
| Surfshark | 30 days | “All recurring payments are non-refundable” | Resellers other than Paddle, Google Play and Cleverbridge; prepaid and gift cards | One refund per service; Dedicated IP, Alternative ID and Alternative Number are non-refundable |
| ExpressVPN | 30 calendar days | “does not apply to renewal purchases” | Redemption codes (gift cards); App Store and Google Play handled by those stores | May deny a repeat refund; upgrading does not reset the period |
| Proton VPN | 30 days | Not stated | “Payments made by cash or bank transfers are not refundable”; direct purchases only | “Refunds can only be requested once per user” |
| IVPN | 30 days | Not stated | Cash and vouchers non-refundable; IVPN Light non-refundable | Once per account and per customer; no prorated refunds |
| PrivateVPN | 30 days | New customers only | Not stated | Reason required; refunds processed within 5 business days |
| PureVPN | 31 days | “does not apply to renewal payments” | Coinpayment, Google Play and App Store | Tries to resolve the issue first; trial renewals non-refundable |
| NordVPN | 30 days | Not eligible (register reading, 28 Sep) | Not read | New subscriptions only |
| IPVanish | 30 days on yearly and 2-year plans | Not stated | Not stated | Monthly plans not covered automatically |
Two vendors are missing on purpose: hide.me’s conditions are truncated on its page in our reading (30 days by email, conditions in its terms), and StrongVPN, TunnelBear and VyprVPN were not re-read this time (register: 30 days each, with TunnelBear limited to the first year of annual plans bought direct). Hotspot Shield states 45 days on its homepage but its terms could not be verified, so it is left out.
What the table says
- The window is the first purchase only. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, PIA, PureVPN, Windscribe and Surfshark all say renewals are outside it. On a 26-month or 2-year plan that means the refund right expires long before the price you are really paying appears: see what you really pay for a VPN.
- Anonymous payment can cost you the refund. Mullvad and IVPN, which accept cash, and Proton, which lists cash and bank transfers, exclude some payment methods. Mullvad says cash and crypto are not refundable. If a refund matters, pay by card. The privacy trade-off is in best VPN for privacy.
- Stores are a separate route. CyberGhost, PIA, ExpressVPN and Mullvad say app-store purchases go through Apple or Google, whose policies apply, not the vendor’s.
- Read the small print on usage. Windscribe’s guarantee ends at 10 GB; CyberGhost says usage does not affect its own. These are the vendors’ statements, not measured behaviour.
- One refund per person is common. PIA, Surfshark, Proton, IVPN and ExpressVPN limit repeat claims.
Method
Researched from each vendor’s own refund page or terms of service, read 29 September 2026, except NordVPN (recorded 28 September; its page blocks our reader) and IPVanish (cached copy of its page). Terms change without notice, and reseller and app-store purchases follow other rules; confirm on the vendor’s page before you buy. Windscribe’s terms summary line says “7 days” while the section says 7 business days; the table uses the section. Nothing was bought or claimed by us. NordVPN is the one provider we earn commission on (disclosure). Reviewed every 90 days. For low-price plans that pair with these windows, see best cheap VPNs, and for ownership context, who owns your VPN.