For instance, your grandfather might get a discount on his cup of coffee due to his age while you pay the full price. Or you get tempted by a whopping discount on your favorite streaming service only to find out that it’s exclusive to students. This is commonly known as price discrimination, which implies setting prices for people based on their different demographic costs. Unfortunately, the phenomenon of price discrimination is prevalent worldwide as well as in the digital world. For example, Netflix’s subscription plan costs vary from country to country. But with the help of a VPN, you can change your Netflix region to a country with a significantly lower fee than your current region. Similarly, you can avoid such price disparities in multiple platforms using a premium VPN like Surfshark. Not to mention, it’s an excellent VPN, but if you still have doubts, you can refer to the experts’ opinions about ‘is Surfshark a good VPN?’ This blog will discuss five ways to save money by avoiding price discrimination with a VPN.
What can you purchase cheaper using a VPN?
A VPN can help you save money. Obviously, you won’t have a discount solely for using a VPN at grocery shops or hotels, but you can always save money on a variety of items online:
Flights Hotels Seasonal products with a one-time discount Tickets to the movies or other events that seem to be subjected to age restrictions Products with prices that change based on when you access the page
In some cases, it’s as simple as subscribing to a VPN at home, connecting your devices, and selecting the appropriate server. In others, you may need to work a bit harder. Whatever the case may be, we will happily explain the procedure.
How to utilize a VPN to avail better deals
With the huge amount of information that websites gather about us, price discrimination is a simple task. But, it is not always obvious. You may be spending more than you realize. So, it’s better to go shopping only when you’ve identified the five most typical types of price discrimination.
Buying airline tickets online
Suppose you’re returning from a vacation, and you missed your flight. In this case, your airline has total authority to decide whether or not you may board another flight. And you’re anxious to get back home. However, if you do not pay their increased price for flight tickets, you will not be able to go anywhere. That is called pricing discrimination. If just one airline provides you with a flight back home, it will cost you more because you can do so. Does it sound bad? Perhaps yes, but ethics apart, that is an ordinary customer experience. And this is only the tip of the iceberg regarding what they can do. When you check for flight tickets online, you’ll see that companies raise the rates for individuals who are interested in their trips. The longer you browse their website, the higher they’ll cost you.
Making a hotel reservation for vacations
One more illustration of pricing discrimination in practice is hotels. If you wish to reserve a hotel in a certain area at the very last moment, they will eventually know what you are searching for. This may occur with both hotel-specific sites and third-party services that collect local hotel pricing. They will demand a higher price because of your last-minute demand and the likely shortage of existing options. Clients are also charged differently based on when they access the site and how frequently they do so.
Availing frequent buyer discounts and customized pricing
Many online services offer discounts for big purchases. It’s a popular retail technique since it motivates you to spend more when you shop online. In the end, one may claim that it’s a win-win game for both parties. However, customized pricing might occasionally work against you. For example, it can revoke discounts since it detects you’ve previously taken advantage of shopping promotions. One-time festive discounts are a wonderful illustration of this. Unfortunately, you only have it once, and if the web store can monitor you, you will never see it again. Yet, these discounts can occasionally be used multiple times.
Availing age-based discounts
Check the ticket prices when you go to the movies next time. You will notice that adult and child ticket prices are quite comparable. Those in the center are the ones who pay the most. Age discounts are much more popular at places where you must show your ID. Suppose you see a webpage inquiring about your age immediately. In that case, you can find out whether you get a discount by providing a different age and then re-entering your actual information using your VPN. But, if they find you, you risk breaching the TOS. The pricing variations across ages are intended to seem like an acknowledgment. Nevertheless, age discounts are a type of pricing discrimination that affects many customer groups.
Experiencing time-based pricing
In certain circumstances, different client groups access the website at different times. In this scenario, the price changes depending on the time when you visit the page. While elderly discounts are logical, raising pricing entirely based on the time is unfair to night shift employees against day shift workers.
Tips to avoid price discrimination
Retailers, airlines use price discrimination, and many pharmaceutical companies to increase their profits. Here are some pointers to remember while utilizing a VPN server to distinguish this pricing scheme:
Conduct tests with altering dates on all airlines, hotels, and travel websites. Compare the pricing that you obtain from our friends and acquaintances. Generate a test account on the websites to determine if prices change based on personal information. Check internet news on price fixing. To avoid monitoring, always use your VPN to visit websites. Clear your browser history and cookies on a regular basis. Recheck the conditions of service.
Companies will try to achieve a competitive advantage over you. Always spend as little as possible on websites to ensure that you have the same potential to save money as your acquaintance.
