How to Cancel Hotspot Shield in 2024: Get an Easy Refund

Hotspot Shield is a well-known, reputable VPN, but I understand that it may not be for everyone. Luckily, it has a generous 45-day money-back guarantee that you can use to try it out first.

I tested its refund policy, and it held up, even if you bought the cheapest plan. However, if you cancel, I recommend trying another VPN to stay safe online. With rising security threats, a VPN is essential to protecting your online privacy. I tested the top 40+ VPN services to help you find a reliable replacement.

ExpressVPN is my top Hotspot Shield alternative. It offers impressive speeds, superior security features, and dedicated P2P servers. You can also try ExpressVPN risk-free, as it’s backed by a trustworthy 30-day money-back guarantee. Editors' Note: Transparency is one of our core values at vpnMentor, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process.

Try ExpressVPN Risk-Free >>

Step-By-Step: How to Cancel Hotspot Shield in 2024 and Get a Refund

All Hotspot Shield subscriptions are backed by a 45-day money-back guarantee. They may ask why you want to cancel, but they won’t refuse your request, no matter your answer.

The exact process for canceling your account depends on how you sign up — via the website, Google Play, or App Store. If you signed up with the website or Google Play Store, you can manually cancel your account or ask customer support.

You need to contact support to get a refund. Any purchases made via the App Store can only be refunded through it, but you'll get your money back as long as it's within the money-back period.

I recommend signing up through the website and using the browser dashboard to manage your account. I found this to be the simplest way. After signing up, you can download and install its various apps on all your supported devices.

Cancel Your Hotspot Shield Account on the Website Dashboard

1. Log in. Firstly, sign in to the Hotspot Shield website using the same details you used to register, and go to Account Info.
   This is the easiest way to cancel your Hotspot Shield account
2. Cancel your subscription. Click the Cancel plan button under your Membership details.
   You won’t find this option inside the Hotspot Shield desktop app
3. Complete the short survey and confirm cancelation. Hotspot Shield may ask you for the reason you’re canceling. It doesn’t matter what you answer — it’s just for marketing purposes.
   You'll still have access to premium features until the end of your billing cycle

If you want to ensure no money will be deducted, you can also stop recurring payments through PayPal or your bank, depending on your billing method. However, if you follow the steps above, you should no longer be charged.

Cancel Your Hotspot Shield Subscription via Google Play

It's recommended that you cancel your Hotspot Shield payments using the Google Play Store if you subscribed through it. This is very easy to do and took me less than 5 minutes. If you’re still using Hotspot Shield's 7-day free trial, you can cancel within this period to avoid getting charged in the first place.

1. Open the Google Play Store. After opening the Play Store app and tap your profile icon in the top right.
2. Access your Google Play Store subscriptions. Select Payments and subscriptions from the Google Account menu. Then, select Subscriptions.
   You should see your Hotspot Shield subscription with the billing details.
3. Cancel your Hotspot Shield subscription. Find Hotspot Shield in the list and tap on its name to manage your subscription. Then, hit the Cancel subscription button.
   Google Play Store will ask you why you want to cancel and to confirm it multiple times

Now, the Google Play Store will no longer charge you for Hotspot Shield, but your subscription will remain active for the remainder of the billing cycle. To claim a refund, contact Hotspot Shield customer support before the end of the 45-day money-back period.

Cancel Your Hotspot Shield Subscription via the App Store

Due to Apple’s policies, you can only cancel your account and request a refund via the App Store. Like Google Play subscriptions, most new users will start off with a 7-day free trial. So, you can follow the same process below to avoid getting charged.

1. Launch Settings. Make sure that you’re signed in with the same Apple ID that you used to purchase Hotspot Shield and launch the Settings app.
2. Find your Hotspot Shield subscription. Tap your name at the top of the Settings screen and then Subscriptions.
3. Cancel your subscription. Tap on Hotspot Shield, and then press Cancel subscription. You may be asked why you want to cancel and to confirm your decision.

If you signed up this way, you must head to the official support site at reportaproblem.apple.com and create a ticket asking for a refund. As you’ll be dealing with Apple’s support staff, your experience might differ. However, I asked a Hotspot Shield support agent, and they confirmed that the 45-day money-back guarantee still applies.

Request a Refund From Hotspot Shield Through its Online Form

Now that you’ve canceled your plan and payments, you need to contact support to ask for your money back (within 45-day refund period). You can do this via web form, or live chat if you have the time. I used the web form found on the support page.

1. Contact Hotspot Shield support. Log back into the website account dashboard. Navigate to the support contacts by clicking Support in the left hand menu.
   You may be asked to narrow down your request first — choose "Purchase-related"
2. Fill in your email request. Make sure to provide the same email that you registered your account with and clearly state that you want a refund.
   If you see a “success” page, your refund request will be received
3. Check your emails. I wasn’t even asked why I was requesting a refund, only why I decided to try Hotspot Shield in the first place. To be safe, I replied that I no longer needed a VPN and re-confirmed that I’d like to proceed with the refund.
   Hotspot Shield's support staff were friendly and courteous throughout the process
4. Wait for confirmation. A Hotspot Shield support agent replied to my email, reassuring me that my refund has been processed and that they will proceed with canceling my account. I also received an automated confirmation email.
   Refunds can take anywhere from 3 to 15 business days, depending on your bank
5. Receive your refund. Once the refund has been processed, you don’t need to do anything else. You should receive it via the same payment method you used to sign up — mine was back in my bank account within 3 days. Keep in mind that you’ll lose access to premium features after requesting a refund.

I was very happy with the straightforward refund process. My test verified Hotspot Shield’s promise of a 45-day money-back guarantee on all plans. Even though I submitted my request via its online form, the support staff were always quick to respond. They were courteous and professional throughout and made it clear that I could contact them again if I had any other concerns.

Request a Refund From Hotspot Shield Through Live Chat

1. Access Hotspot Shield support. Log into your account dashboard and click on Support in the left hand menu. Click Support again, and it will automatically launch a live chat box.
2. Get in touch with a support agent. Start by following the AI Chatbot text prompts until it puts you in touch with an agent.
   The chatbot may also ask for your name and email to streamline the support process
3. Request a refund. Answer the support agent’s questions. They may try to convince you to keep using Hotspot Shield. Just keep requesting a refund until they approve your request.
   The agent said that it might take 5-10 days to get my money back
4. Check your email. Once the support agent approves your request, you should receive a confirmation email almost immediately. I also got a refund email from PayPal at roughly the same time.
   As an extra precaution, you can also cancel recurring payments in your PayPal account

Unlike requesting a refund via web form, be prepared to answer a lot of questions. The agent tried to upsell me multiple times, even offering me extra free premium days and a discount. Plus, she threatened that I would be exposed to scammers and hackers. Although it was faster, I preferred the email method as I wasn’t questioned at all.

Best Hotspot Shield Alternatives in 2024

1. ExpressVPN — Fastest Speeds for Uninterrupted Gaming, Streaming, and Torrenting

Editor’s Choice Editor’s Choice Try Risk-Free for 30 Days
Tested July 2024

Works With:

Sky ESPN+ Dazn FIFA+

Netflix Disney+ APV More

Try ExpressVPN >

www.expressvpn.com

ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol is optimized for improved speeds without sacrificing security. Its fast connections outperform all other VPNs I’ve tried, including Hotspot Shield. While testing local servers, I clocked an average download speed of 114.03Mbps, compared to my base connection of 118.1Mbps. The reduction wasn't even noticeable, and I could stream Netflix in smooth UHD.

Click ExpressVPN's power button to connect to the fastest server for your location automatically

The apps are user-friendly and compatible with all major devices. ExpressVPN even has native Android and Apple TV apps to securely stream on your big screen. It took me 3 minutes to set it up on my Xiaomi and watch shows on my Disney+ and Max accounts from the US.

ExpressVPN has been independently audited multiple times by Cure53 and KPMG, so you can be confident that your online activity will stay private. It’s also headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, outside global intelligence networks of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. Plus, all its servers use TrustedServer Technology with RAM-only storage, automatically wiping all data every reboot.

On the downside, plans cost a bit more, starting at $6.67/month. However, ExpressVPN frequently offers discounts and deals, with one subscription covering up to 8 devices. I got 3 months for free and 49% off my long-term plan. You can try ExpressVPN risk-free, thanks to a trustworthy 30-day money-back guarantee.

Useful Features

• Dedicated router firmware. ExpressVPN is one of the only VPNs I’ve come across with a native router app. I found managing my VPN settings and connections much simpler with a visual interface than having to manually configure it.
• 24/7 live chat support. I was very impressed with the quick responses and helpfulness of ExpressVPN’s support staff. You can usually reach them almost instantly through live chat on the website, whereas Hotspot Shield's live chat support is not 24/7.
• Threat Manager. With this feature, you can enable blocking ads, trackers, or malicious sites while using a VPN connection. It even allows you to filter adult sites so you can protect your kids on family devices.
• Custom shortcuts. You can create shortcuts to your favorite websites in the app dashboard. I set up shortcuts to my Gmail, online banking portal, and local Netflix so I can reach them with a single click.

2. CyberGhost — Robust Security Features to Keep You Safe Online

Works With:

Sky ESPN+ Dazn FIFA+

Netflix Disney+ APV More

Try CyberGhost VPN >

www.cyberghostvpn.com

CyberGhost uses military-grade AES 256-bit encryption to conceal your data from hackers and snoops. Even if the VPN accidentally disconnects (which never happened to me), an automatic kill switch kicks in to prevent data exposure. I tested multiple CyberGhost connections using different servers, and my real location remained private, partly due to the VPN's IP/DNS/WebRTC leak protection.

You can easily find specialty servers for streaming, torrenting, and gaming in the app. The CyberGhost team frequently tests these servers to provide fast and reliable connections for their intended activities. From New York, I used its London gaming server to play Dota with my friends in the UK — I didn’t experience any lag, and my ping was consistently below 100ms.

Click the star next to a server to add it to your list of favorites

Although not quite as fast as ExpressVPN, CyberGhost’s speeds were impressive — on nearby servers, I averaged over 116.77Mbps (down from 123.31Mbps). I could watch Netflix US from within the country in UHD. I also noticed slightly faster download speeds while torrenting public-domain movies when its torrenting-optimized servers.

One minor con is the short refund period of its monthly plans, which are also quite expensive. However, it makes up for this with its long-term plans, which start at just $2.19/month. You can use CyberGhost free for 45 days with its extended money-back guarantee on long-term subscriptions.

Useful Features

• Strong privacy protection. CyberGhost’s headquarters are in Romania, a privacy-friendly country with no data retention laws. Like ExpressVPN, its no-logs policy has been independently audited, proving that it takes your privacy seriously.
• NoSpy servers. For a small extra fee, you can use CyberGhost’s extra secure servers, housed in private data centers in Romania. These servers are exclusively managed by CyberGhost staff, so no one else has access to your data.
• Dedicated IPs. CyberGhost sells dedicated IPs as an add-on. As you don’t share this IP, you’re less likely to face security challenges or get blocked due to abuse by other users.
• Privacy Guard. Available to Windows users, this app prevents various Microsoft apps and services from tracking your activity.

3. PIA — Unlimited Simultaneous Connections to Conveniently Cover All Your Devices

Works With:

Sky ESPN+ FIFA+ Netflix

Disney+ APV More

Try Private Internet Access >

www.privateinternetaccess.com

Unlike Hotspot Shield, you can install PIA on all your devices and share it with your family without any interruptions or data restrictions. This is very convenient for securing all your devices and does not require you to log in and out of your account. I didn’t notice any slowdowns when using PIA on 9 devices simultaneously, including multiple smartphones, tablets, a PC, and several laptops.

The VPN also offer plenty of advanced customization options, so you can tailor it to your needs. For example, you can choose your tunneling protocol, like WireGuard or OpenVPN. With OpenVPN, you can lower your encryption from 256-bit to 128-bit for better speeds. However, the WireGuard protocol was consistently the fastest for me.

Changing MTU size to small packets may improve your connection on poor networks

All these advanced security settings might overwhelm VPN beginners. However, PIA is pre-configured for most online activities, like browsing and gaming, so you can just connect to a server to get started.

You can get a long-term PIA plan for $2.19/month. All subscriptions are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test all its features risk-free.

Useful Features

• Perfect forward secrecy. This security feature changes each session's encryption key, so they are unique. So, even if a key from one session were compromised, it wouldn't affect the security of other sessions.
• Advanced kill switch. On top of a normal kill switch, when enabled, PIA will block your internet connection even when the VPN app isn’t running, for added peace of mind.

Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: Intego, Cyberghost, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to strict testing methodology.

FAQs on Canceling Hotspot Shield and Getting a Refund

What is Hotspot Shield's refund policy?

Cancel within the 45-day guarantee period, and you’ll get your money back. You also don’t need to provide a valid reason to cancel your account. To get your money back from Hotspot Shield, cancel your account and contact support.

Hotspot Shield also typically offers a 7-day free trial for its Android and iOS apps (and, occasionally, for signups on the website). In this case, you can try it without having to make an upfront payment, although you’ll have less time to test it.

How long will it take to get my refund from Hotspot Shield?

Hotspot Shield processes refunds pretty quickly, provided you follow the correct process. It also depends on the method you use. When submitting your refund request via the online web form, you can expect payment within 5 working days. You may get approval even faster using live chat as their staff usually replies within minutes; however, it’s not available 24/7.

To expedite your Hotspot Shield refund, respond to any emails following your request. In most cases, once your refund is confirmed it should only take a few days at most, depending on your bank.

Can I still get a refund if I cancel after the money-back guarantee period?

No, Hotspot Shield doesn’t provide refund requests after the 45-day guarantee period. Hotspot Shield is very clear and transparent about this in its policies. The same goes for most premium VPNs with a money-back guarantee. However, this is more than enough time to test Hotspot Shield, as most VPNs only offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Cancel Hotspot Shield in Minutes

Hotspot Shield's cancelation and refund process is straightforward. You can ask for your money back via an online web form or live chat. I got the money back paid into my bank account within 3 days.

Although Hotspot Shield might not be right for you, having a quality VPN is important to keep you safe from online threats. ExpressVPN is my top Hotspot Shield alternative. It offers top-grade security without compromising speed, so you can securely stream, game, or torrent without delays. You can also try ExpressVPN risk-free, as it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The best alternatives to Hotspot Shield in 2024 are…

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Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: Intego, Cyberghost, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to strict testing methodology.