This article is reposted from the author’s personal blog — 美卡攻略.

[2022.11 Update 2] Right now, Pure is 110%, Nord is 100%, and Surfshark is 105%. Don’t forget to double dip:

  • Complete everything in one browser, and do not close any of the browser windows
  • Depending on the deal you’re buying, first click the NordVPN 30-day free trial link, the Surfshark VPN 30-day free trial link, or Pure VPN 31-day free trial, and do not close that page
  • Go to the cashback site, search for the money-making deal, open the link there, and make the purchase through that link
  • Note: buy the base plan with the longest term available (usually two years). Do not buy extra bundled add-ons, since those extras may not qualify for cashback

A quick note on using these VPNs in China:

  • Pure VPN works quite well in China on mobile, though the desktop experience is a bit worse.
  • Nord VPN and Surfshark are not very good in China, but since they’re money-makers, they’re good enough.

If you don’t like them, just contact chat support within 30 days and get a refund. Also, don’t forget to turn off auto-renew right away. Personally, I think Pure VPN is usable, and the 5-year option is not expensive.

[2022.11 Update] TopCashback recently has several money-making VPN deals. Don’t miss them, and also don’t forget the “cashback site cashback + referral bonus” double-dip trick. Among them, PureVPN can be purchased for 5 years (60 months; after opening the link, wait for the website pop-up reminder).

Cashback tracking is fast. You’ll usually see it within a few hours, or receive a confirmation email. If not, these VPNs all support a full refund within 30 days, so there’s no need to worry.

Overview

VPNs are very useful tools for points-and-miles gamers, especially readers using US credit cards from abroad. Also, for AMEX credit card welcome bonuses, we can often use VPN geolocation + incognito mode to pull up better offers than the public ones. My top personal recommendation is Express VPN. The reason is simple: one account can be used on almost all of your devices. The downside is that it’s more expensive, and you absolutely need to keep it updated promptly — if you see an update prompt, update it right away.

Now let’s get to the main topic: money-making or free VPNs. Quite a few VPNs frequently partner with cashback sites and launch money-making deals to attract subscribers. Keep in mind that a given VPN may not necessarily be great, but making money is making money. The most common ones are NordVPN and Surfshark VPN. In my opinion, these two are second only to Express VPN. Even when there isn’t a deal, you can still buy them directly at a lower price, but in my personal experience they’re less stable than Express VPN. You can try them first and then decide whether to subscribe:

Like most deals, referral links can usually be stacked seamlessly with cashback-site tracking links for a double dip, and these money-making VPN deals are no exception. This gets you an extra month added to the subscription term. One important warning: don’t self-refer. The cashback site and the VPN may shut down your account. Don’t ask me how I know. TopCashback is the cashback site that most often runs these kinds of money-making deals. If you don’t have TopCashback yet, you can sign up here:

How to Double Dip

The cashback site cashback + referral bonus double-dip method works for almost all deals (all kinds of sign-up bonuses can be triggered).

Steps

Next, here’s how it works:

  • Complete everything in one browser, and do not close any of the browser windows
  • Depending on the deal you’re buying, first click Pure VPN 31-day free trial, the NordVPN 30-day free trial link, or the Surfshark VPN 30-day free trial link, and do not close that page
  • Go to the cashback site, search for the money-making deal, open the link there, and make the purchase through that link
  • Note: buy the base plan with the longest term available (usually two years). Do not buy extra bundled add-ons, since those extras may not qualify for cashback

Cashback tracking is fast. You’ll usually see it within a few hours, or receive a confirmation email. If not, both of these VPNs support full refunds within 30 days, so there’s no need to worry. Some apps will directly tell you that you were referred (such as Nord VPN), while others will not (such as Surfshark VPN), but that’s okay — they will still track in the end.

Using NordVPN as an example, after purchase, TCB will notify you very quickly:

You can see the referred-user reward: after the purchase, the validity period is extended by one month. Meanwhile, the referrer can immediately see an email notification:

Things to Keep in Mind

  • Do not self-refer (the VPN may shut down your account). Under the same IP, for one app, do not place more than 3 orders
  • For one cashback-site account and one app, only buy once per withdrawal cycle (making repeated purchases in a row may get your account shut down)

These are all lessons learned the hard way from DP data points.

Recommended Completely Free VPNs

There are quite a few useful free apps available for download in the US App Store or Google Play. They generally fall into two categories:

  • Ad-supported: such as shadow X
  • Restricted options (slow speed or no geolocation): such as Star VPN and VPN 360
  • After purchasing, remember to cancel the subscription (some VPNs require cancellation through chat support)

Bonus: Suggestions for Use in China

  • Absolutely do not use them for illegal activities (just use them to squeeze some value out of capitalism)
  • Avoid using them on public computers at all costs (there is a risk of data being uploaded)
  • If the software has an update, install it immediately