How to cancel Bitdefender VPN and turn off auto-renewal

Two ways to cancel

Bitdefender names two routes. The first: the Bitdefender Central dashboard, where the subscriptions of your account are listed. The second: an email to cancel@bitdefender.com. A Bitdefender account is created with an email address, so write from the address the subscription was purchased with, or include that address in the email. If you bought the VPN through the App Store or Google Play, you need to cancel it in the subscription settings of the store itself on your phone.

Why you should not wait for the billing date

Auto-renewal is on by default. The price of $34.99 only applies to the first year; after that, Premium VPN renews at $69.99 per year, exactly twice as much. The 50% discount shown on the site is calculated against the renewal price. Before charging you, Bitdefender sends a renewal email. That is a handy signal: if you no longer need the service, cancel the subscription right after such an email and do not wait for the billing date. The full prices of all plans are collected on the Bitdefender VPN pricing page.

VPN as part of a bundle

Bitdefender also sells the VPN inside the Premium Security and Ultimate Security bundles. If your VPN came that way, it is worth checking in Central which subscription is actually renewing: Premium Security costs $79.99 for the first year, and the renewal is $129.99.

If the charge has already gone through

You can get the renewal money back: send a request to refunds@bitdefender.com within 30 days of the purchase or renewal date. Details are on the Bitdefender VPN refund page. If you only need a VPN occasionally, after cancelling you can get by with the free version, which offers 500 MB per day on one device.