YouTube Counters Desi Jugaad Like A Pro, Cancels Premium Subscriptions Purchased Using VPN

Imagine having purchased a YouTube premium subscription by using a VPN connection to get it at a cheaper price and then boom, the subscription gets cancelled. That's what's happening with many users.

The people who say that India is not for beginners and it is the country of 'Desi Jugaad' might have another thing coming for them. Video streaming giant YouTube has upped their game to counter such Jugaad. According to reports, YouTube is not cancelling premium subscriptions of the accounts whose users' location does not match with the country where they signed up for the premium subscription. 

Imagine having purchased a YouTube premium subscription by using a VPN connection to get it at a cheaper price and then boom, the subscription gets cancelled. How would you feel? A number of users are feeling that way now. As per a report by the Verge, numerous users have found their subscriptions automatically cancelled. YouTube is also sending emails to users about the cancellation of YouTube Premium at dates specified by the company.

But, what if you try to restart the membership? If you try to do that then YouTube asks for a card with the current address of the user.

YouTube Premium Subscription Charges Are Not Same Across The Globe

YouTube Premium prices are usually decided by the company on the basis of certain factors. One of the things that YouTube looks at before fixing a subscription cost in a nation is the purchasing power of the citizens of that nation and the other factor is the consumer experience. Based on these two factors, prices vary across the globe.

Some users have tried to take advantage of this. Let's take an example. Say you are living in the US where the price of YouTube Premium would be $10 per month and you purchase YouTube Premium from Indonesia through a VPN then the price there might be $1 per month due to the purchase parity difference. After subscribing via this method, the Premium service does not require a VPN. Now, if you are living in the US then you most probably would have more resources than the one living in Indonesia but still you got the subscription at a cheaper price due to this loophole.

YouTube is trying to fight the people who are trying to take advantage of this loophole. 

The Spokesperson of YouTube, Paul Pennington, told the Verge that the company has systems in place to determine the location of users. It is now asking users to change the subscription billing information to their current location. In addition, it is also asking users to subscribe from payment methods of their countries so that pricing can also be charged according to the region.