[Updated 2022.4] For now, when you buy a 12-month Express VPN membership, you can get 3 months free. If you plan to use the service long term, this is still the better deal. This offer seems to be available all the time. Express VPN actually works pretty well in China; if the app prompts you to update, make sure you do, since it tends to be more stable that way.

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  • If you only want to use the IP-switching feature for trying for a card bonus or for other temporary purposes, just register through the link below for a free trial

About Express VPN

Express VPN is one of the largest VPN companies, and its service is excellent as well. A VPN is like a bridge between your device and the website you visit: on one hand, it makes it much harder for the other side to track your device’s true origin; on the other hand, it can help you get around certain restrictions so you can freely access different kinds of content.

Based on my personal experience, Express VPN has stable connections, supports many platforms, offers fast speeds, has devices around the world, and works well for streaming too. The pricing is also fairly reasonable. After all, the best service is one that is both reliable and practical. Express VPN is also said to be especially friendly for users in China.

Sign-Up and Sign-Up Bonus

Right now, if you sign up for Express VPN through a referral link, you can get one month of membership for free. Express VPN also has an unconditional 30-day refund policy, so you can try it first and then decide whether to subscribe monthly, semi-annually, or annually.

If you need access to content from different countries, or if you need different IP addresses, the $99 annual membership is the best value. If you only need it for a trip back to China during a holiday, the free month plus paying month to month is probably enough.

There are many payment options. If you do not have a U.S. credit card, you can also pay with Alipay.

Use it free for one month: If you just want to try it out, you can register through the link above and then contact online customer service to cancel when you are close to the one-month mark. Refunds are processed very quickly.

How to Use It

Register Your Device

After creating your account, the next step is to register the device you want to use with Express VPN. Each membership can connect up to three devices at the same time, and different devices require different installation packages. The installation steps are simple, and the whole process is straightforward—basically no different from installing ordinary software or an app. You do not need to configure anything yourself, so it is very beginner-friendly.

I have tried it on ipad, windows, and android phones, and all three platforms worked very smoothly. You can also browse youtube videos normally over 4G+VPN.

Enable the VPN

Open the VPN software and you will see VPN connections from all over the world. You can choose the fastest and most stable server based on your needs. Of course, some content can only be viewed from an IP in a specific country, so you can simply switch to that country directly.

There are this many servers in the U.S. alone, corresponding to IP addresses in different regions. That is very useful.

Key Features

Express VPN officially lists the following features:

  • 24/7 customer support, including live chat support
  • Unconditional 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 1,500+ servers in 148 VPN server locations in 94 countries
  • Speed-optimized network
  • Easy-to-use apps for all devices: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and routers
  • Browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox
  • Anonymous VPN service with no activity logs and no connection logs
  • Best-in-class encryption

I do think it is a mature and stable product.

Using a VPN to Find Better AMEX Welcome Offers

AMEX has long had a reputation for showing different offers to different users. For IP addresses in certain regions, you can sometimes see welcome offers that are higher than usual. So you can use Express VPN to connect through different parts of the U.S. and check whether there is a better deal available. After connecting to the VPN, you can go directly to the following link:

Watch NBA Live Streams

If you like watching NBA live streams, here is a subreddit recommendation. It works very smoothly with Express VPN. Basically every game has a stream, and there are usually both home and away commentary options. Of course, if you are already in the U.S., you do not need a VPN.

Use an IP From Your Usual Region to Access Websites

If you are not in the U.S., visiting certain high-security websites, such as banks, from a foreign IP may prevent you from logging in or may trigger a lot of identity verification. Using Express VPN to get an IP near your usual location can greatly reduce that risk. This is also an advantage that only a VPN with a large number of U.S. servers can provide.

Use a U.S. VPN to Access Chinese Websites

One issue that used to bother me was that when I was connected to a U.S. VPN, Chinese websites like Weibo, Baidu, and Hupu often would not load. Sometimes I even had to turn off the VPN just to view Google search results that led to Chinese pages, which was very inconvenient. Now it seems Express VPN has improved this, and you can access Chinese websites normally even while connected to the VPN.

What to Do If the VPN Is Unstable

According to friends in China, VPN connections have not been very stable these past couple of days, so I suggest checking the article below for troubleshooting. It may still have a few bugs, but you still need to use it. To be fair, their response to problems has been pretty timely.

Registration Link