How to Cancel PIA in 2023: Get an Easy Refund

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 safe 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 ExpressVPN risk-free since it's backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it doesn’t meet your expectations it’s easy to claim a refund.

Try ExpressVPN Today

Check out more top alternatives

Step-By-Step: How to Cancel PIA in 2023 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, and lets you try PIA for free under the 30-day money-back guarantee. 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 navigate to the “Subscription Overview” page.
   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 brief reason. If you select “I have another reason”, you can enter a short comment in the box below.
   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 Control Panel. Here, claim your refund by selecting the option to contact a customer representative.
   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 used “Account cancelation”. Have your order number ready — or one of the other payment identifiers listed above. I typed a message saying I’d canceled 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 30 minutes before I got an email saying that my refund had been 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 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’re 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

If you signed up for PIA in the iTunes or iOS app, you need to cancel and request your refund directly 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 PIA in 2023

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 offer money-back guarantees.

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

Editor’s Choice Editor’s Choice Try Risk-Free for 30 Days
Tested February 2023

Available on:

Windows Mac Android iOS

Chrome Router Smart TV More

Try ExpressVPN >

www.ExpressVPN.com

ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands. This ensures that your information won’t be passed to third-parties as the islands aren’t a part of the 5/9/14 Eyes alliances. This means 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.

It has a strict zero-logs policy backed by TrustedServer technology (meaning your activity is wiped on each reboot and never shared). 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 personal data won’t be exposed, even if you lose connection to the VPN.

I also found ExpressVPN to be 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.

ExpressVPN’s Hungary server was the fastest I tested with just a 27% decrease from my base speed (143 Mbps) — 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 at $6.67/month. However, ExpressVPN frequently offers generous discounts making it more than worthwhile. I got 5 off and 3 extra months for free.

As an added assurance, ExpressVPN is backed by a trustworthy money-back guarantee. If you're not satisfied, you have 30 days to claim a refund. I tested this 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 payment back in my bank account.

Try ExpressVPN Risk-Free

2. CyberGhost – User-Friendly Apps to Easily Bypass Geoblocks

Available on:

Windows Mac Android iOS

Chrome Router Smart TV More

Try CyberGhost VPN >

www.cyberghostvpn.com

CyberGhost’s intuitive interface makes it easy to bypass geoblocks, so it’s 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 CyberGhost tests, I easily found a server to unblock my Netflix US account. 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

It’s easy to 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.

Long-term plans are very affordable; you can get a subscription from only $2.19/month. Coupled with the longer refund policy, this is the best option.

You can test out CyberGhost 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 24/7 live chat feature and within 5 days I saw my refund on my credit card.

Try CyberGhost Today

3. IPVanish – P2P-Friendly Global Server Network for Easy Torrenting

Available on:

Windows Mac Android iOS

Router Smart TV More

Try IPVanish VPN >

www.IPVanishVPN.com

If torrenting is a major priority for your VPN use, you may like the fact that IPVanish supports torrenting on all of its servers. 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 IPVanish for leaks and found none.

Additionally, IPVanish’s apps are intuitive and user-friendly. For instance, you can set your connection preferences with just a few clicks — like turning off/on the kill switch and using Scramble (obfuscation) to disguise your VPN traffic. I found the world map feature in the app helpful, as it shows 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

On 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 for unblocking Netflix. However, when I contacted customer support, the agent was very helpful and advised me to use the split tunneling feature for it to work.

You can get a yearly IPVanish plan for as low as $3.33/month, making it better value than the short-term subscriptions.

If you’re still unsure whether IPVanish is for you or not, there’s a 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 Risk-Free

FAQs on Canceling PIA and Getting a Refund

What is Private Internet Access’ refund policy?

PIA refund requests made within the 30-day money-back period will be honored. As long as you claim your money back within this period, the refund process is simple and reliable. These recommended VPNs also offer a solid refund policy.

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.

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.

Try ExpressVPN Today

Conclusion

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-tested refund policy, so there’s no risk to you.

For stronger security, consistent streaming ability, and lightning-fast speeds, I recommend ExpressVPN. Best of all, you can even try ExpressVPN 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.

To summarize, the best alternatives to PIA are…

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