How to Cancel Private Internet Access & Get a Refund in 2021

If you’ve tried out Private Internet Access (PIA) and you’re not 100% happy, canceling your subscription and getting a refund is quick and straightforward. When I tested it, the entire process only took 5 minutes — there was no pressure to continue my subscription.

Even if PIA isn’t for you, I advise you to keep your online activity secure with another premium VPN. There are plenty of alternative services, offering features that may better suit your needs — while keeping you and your devices protected from hackers and other cyber threats.

My team and I tested over 300 VPNs for speeds, reliability, and security. From these, ExpressVPN is my top recommendation — it’s superfast, highly secure, and works great for streaming. Plus, you can try it completely risk-free since it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee; this way, if it doesn’t meet your expectations it’s easy to claim a refund.

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PIA Money-Back Guarantee — Overview

No matter how you signed up for PIA, all refunds must be requested through PIA’s customer support. You can do this easily via email, or by filling out a contact form, as I did. You will be asked to enter some information, such as an order number and your login credentials.

Having your order number on hand ensures a quick and smooth process. Once you submit the form, an agent will promptly email you back with verification that your return has been issued. At that point, you’ll just need to check your account to see that the payment has been returned.

Most subscriptions qualify for a 30-day money-back guarantee. However, PIA doesn’t issue refunds to customers that sign up with iTunes, Paygarden, or PIA gift cards — iTunes customers still have the possibility to request a refund through Apple, though.

What to Know Before Canceling PIA and Claiming Your Refund

Here are some tips to help you get your refund quickly and easily:

• Consider current cryptocurrency rates. Since cryptocurrency rates fluctuate, the amount you’ll be refunded depends on the current exchange rate, not the value it had when you signed up for your PIA subscription. Knowing this ahead of time helps prevent any confusion.
• Save your order number. When you sign up for PIA, they issue you a specific set of numbers called your order number. This is sent via email to confirm your subscription — if you lost your order number, PIA can look it up using the account verification of your payment method. Without an order number, you’ll need one of the following:

How to Cancel Your PIA Account and Get a Refund

The method to cancel and request a refund depends on how you signed up for Private Internet Access.

On PIA’s website

This is the easiest method to cancel your subscription and request a refund, as you don’t have to correspond with a third party. Each step is done directly through the “client control panel” once you log in.

1. Sign in. Visit PIA’s website and enter your account username and password.
   
   

   Then click “Subscription Overview” to view your account information

2. Cancel auto-renewal. This will prevent your account from automatically renewing monthly/yearly (depending on your subscription).
   
   

   You’ll still need to contact customer support to claim your refund after this step

3. Provide a reason. A new tab will pop up, prompting you to provide a reason. When you select “I have another reason”, you’ll be asked to explain in the “Additional comments and feedback” field.
   
   

   I didn’t have a specific reason for canceling, so I left a general comment saying it didn’t meet my needs

4. Get in touch with PIA’s customer support. Click back into the original tab displaying the customer control panel. Here, you’ll find the option to contact a customer representative to claim your refund.
   
   

   When you’re redirected to a new page, click “Contact Us” to proceed

5. Fill out the contact form. For “Department”, select “Account Support”. For “Subject”, I typed “Account cancelation”. Have your order number ready — or one of the other payment identifiers listed above. For quicker processing, I typed a message saying I decided to cancel my subscription and would like to claim my refund.
   
   

   You can find the version of the app or software you’re using in its settings.

6. Check your email. Response times may vary — but for me, it was less than half an hour before I got an email saying that my refund was issued. The agent didn’t even ask any further questions; there was no pressure to reconsider.
   
   

   Allow up to 10 days for the payment to be reflected by your payment institution — for me, it only took 3 days

On Android

If you signed up for PIA in Google Play you’ll need to cancel your subscription first through Google with the following steps:

1. Sign in to the Google Play Store. Once you’re at the Google Play Store app, log in using your email address and password (if you’re not signed in already). If you are already signed in, tap your profile icon at the top right of the screen.
2. Pull up your subscriptions. Tap “Payments and Subscriptions” and then “Subscriptions”. Select the Private Internet Access subscription.
3. Cancel your PIA subscription. Tap “Manage Subscription” then “Cancel subscription”.

Keep in mind — these steps will not automatically issue you a refund. Once you’ve finished canceling your subscription through Google Play, follow the steps for claiming your refund through PIA’s website above.

On iOS

Unfortunately, if you signed up for PIA in the iTunes or iOS app, PIA is not responsible for issuing your refund. That means you’ll have to cancel your subscription and request your refund through Apple.

One point to note — if your PIA subscription charge is still pending in iTunes, you won’t be able to request your refund until it is fully processed.

Follow these steps to cancel your subscription and request a refund through Apple:

1. Go to settings. Open the “Settings” app on your Apple device. Then click your name and icon at the top of the screen.
2. Tap “Subscriptions”. Once you’re there, you’ll see a list of apps you’re subscribed to. Tap Private Internet Access.
3. End your PIA subscription. Tap “Cancel subscription”.
4. Visit reportaproblem.apple.com. Once you’ve navigated to Apple’s support page, sign in to your Apple account.
5. Click “Request a refund”. After you’re signed in, you’ll see a drop-down menu with the option to select “Request a refund”. Once you select that, it will list Private Internet Access along with your other apps or purchases that qualify for a refund.
6. Complete and submit your request. Select Private Internet Access from the apps list — where it says “Tell us more…”, type in “I’d like to claim Private Internet Access’s 30-day money-back guarantee” and follow the instructions for submitting.

Best Alternatives to Private Internet Access

Now that you’ve canceled your PIA account and claimed your refund, you should consider another VPN service so you’re not left vulnerable online. Below is a list of some of the best VPNs currently available, all of which are excellent alternatives to Private Internet Access.

1. ExpressVPN – High-Level Security With Ultra-Fast Speeds

Try ExpressVPN >

If you want a VPN for security and privacy reasons, you may have been concerned that PIA is headquartered in the US, a founding member of the Five Eyes Alliance.

On the other hand, ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands. This ensures that your information won’t be passed to third parties as the British Virgin Islands aren’t a part of the 5/9/14 Eyes alliances. Meaning, your personal data, location, and internet activity won’t be leaked to anyone — even if a government requested this info, ExpressVPN is under no obligation to provide it.

However, ExpressVPN’s servers physically can’t store any of your data anyway. It has a strict zero-logs policy backed by TrustedServer technology. I even ran ExpressVPN through DNS and IP leak tests and there were no leaks detected. It also uses military-grade encryption and a kill switch, so your true IP address won’t be exposed, even if you lose connection to the VPN.

I also found ExpressVPN is much faster than PIA. Even when testing its Melbourne server, which is thousands of miles from me, I recorded download speeds of 38.30 Mbps — to stream in HD, you only need 5 Mbps. My connection remained stable while I watched 3 episodes of Sweet Tooth on Netflix and I didn’t encounter any lag. You can enjoy buffer-free streaming from any location.

I got fast speeds on all the servers I tested, with 104.48 Mbps on the Hungarian server. Even on servers in Australia (thousands of miles away), my speeds were fast enough that it didn’t make any difference to my online experience

During my tests, I found ExpressVPN gives you more options for enjoying your favorite streaming platforms — like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Its MediaStreamer feature allows you to use your VPN with devices that normally don’t support them, such as smart TVs or gaming consoles. This way, you can even watch movies and shows on your big screen.

The only downside I found with ExpressVPN is it’s a bit more expensive than some VPNs. However, it’s easy to make your subscription more affordable with its latest offer of 49% off.

As an added assurance, ExpressVPN lets you test it out completely risk-free because it’s backed by a money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied, you have 30 days to claim a refund. I tested the return process myself after 18 days of using it. All I had to do was contact an agent via the 24/7 live chat and they quickly approved my request. After just 3 days, I saw the entire payment back in my account.

Try ExpressVPN Today!

2. IPVanish – Highly Customizable with a Torrent-Friendly Server Network

Try IPVanish VPN >

If torrenting is a major priority for your VPN use, you may like the fact that IPVanish supports torrenting on all of its servers — while PIA offers a limited number of servers for this. IPVanish protects you and your devices from cyber threats while you torrent with its 256-bit encryption, kill switch, zero-logs policy, and DNS/IP leak protection. I even tested for leaks and found none.

Additionally, IPVanish’s apps are intuitive and user-friendly; even though it’s packed with advanced customization features, it’s still really easy to use. For instance, you can set your connection preferences with just a few clicks — such as turning off/on the kill switch and using Scramble (obfuscation) to disguise your VPN traffic. While testing, I found the world map feature in the app helpful as it gives you a visual representation of how many servers are in each location.

You can even pull up a server list in the app and view each in terms of speeds and load

I also found it to be faster than PIA. From the 6 IPVanish servers I tested, I recorded an average download speed of 24.36 Mbps — this is slightly faster than the 21.32 Mbps average I recorded with PIA’s servers. Increased speeds can help you avoid annoying interruptions while you game, stream, or browse.

Unfortunately, IPVanish was a bit inconsistent with allowing me to watch Netflix. When I contacted customer support, the agent was very helpful and advised me to use the split tunneling feature for it to work. This solved my problem, but there are other VPNs that are more reliable if accessing Netflix is crucial to you.

If you’re still unsure whether IPVanish is for you or not, you can test it out for free with its 30-day money-back guarantee. The refund process is super easy — when I tested it, I didn’t even have to contact an agent; I just logged into my IPVanish account, clicked a few buttons, and submitted my refund request. I had my money back in 4 days.

Try IPVanish Today!

3. CyberGhost – User-Friendly Apps Great for Streaming

Try CyberGhost VPN >

You can use Cyberghost with just about any streaming platform, making it a great alternative to PIA for enjoying your favorite content. It even offers optimized servers, labeled according to which streaming platform they work best with. During my tests, I went to the app’s dedicated streaming profile and searched “Netflix” — then it presented me with a list of Netflix-optimized servers available worldwide.

You can find the best servers for Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and more

If you’re a VPN beginner, you’ll have no problem navigating Cyberghost’s user-friendly apps. You can easily avoid overcrowded servers by seeing how many people are already using them. Cyberghost even lists which servers are the best available depending on your online activity — whether you’re streaming or need fast download speeds for torrenting or gaming.

Your devices are protected by CyberGhost’s built-in malware, tracking, phishing, and ad blockers. It’s similar to PIA’s ad blocker, but I found it worked more consistently. I didn’t get any ads on my streaming content and enjoyed knowing that I was protected from hackers and third-party tracking. Additional security features include 256-bit encryption, a no-logs policy, an automatic kill switch, and DNS/IP leak protection.

Unfortunately, Cyberghost doesn’t work in China. This isn’t an issue for me since I don’t intend on using a VPN in this location. However, it’s worth considering if you plan to travel or move to China.

Cyberghost backs its service, allowing you to test it out for free with a 45-day money-back guarantee. My tests proved this to be reliable — all I had to do was answer a few questions via the live chat feature and within 5 days I saw my refund.

Try Cyberghost Today!

FAQs on Canceling PIA and Getting a Refund

What is Private Internet Access’ refund policy?

PIA makes it clear in its terms of service that refund requests made after the 30-day money-back period will not be honored. However, as long as you claim your money back within this period, the refund process is simple and reliable — as they are with all of my top recommended VPNs.

How long does it take to get my refund from PIA?

PIA states that it usually takes 5-10 days. When I tested it, I had my money back even faster — in just 3 days. My tests have shown that not all VPNs are as quick to give you your money back; if you plan to try another service, I recommend only using VPNs with a refund policy you can trust, like the ones in this list.

While PIA may be quick to issue your refund, factors involved with your payment institution can affect how long it takes to get your money back as well.

Try ExpressVPN Risk-Free Today!

Bottom Line

PIA is fast, secure, and affordable — with a dependable money-back guarantee. However, you may seek a VPN that better meets your personal needs. I advise that you only sign up for a VPN with a tried and true refund policy, so there’s no risk to you.

For stronger security, consistent streaming ability, and lightning-fast speeds, I recommend ExpressVPN. You can even try it out risk free because it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee — I tested the refund process myself, and it was quick and hassle-free.

The best alternatives to Private Internet Access are…

Rank	Provider	Our Score	User Rating	Visit Website
1	ExpressVPN	9.8/10		Find Out More Get Started >> Visit Site
2	IPVanish VPN	9.8/10		Find Out More Get Started >> Visit Site
3	CyberGhost VPN	9.6/10		Find Out More Get Started >> Visit Site