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How much can you save by using a VPN?
Following its research, NordVPN says consumers are subject to “wildly fluctuating” prices on car hire, cruises and theme parks depending on where they logged on – Telegraph Travel put it to the test.
While there was no variation in flight prices when we searched both British Airways and easyJet, nor in the prices quoted by some major hotel brands, at the other end of the spectrum, car hire varied enormously, with a staggering £164 difference in the cost of renting a small car in Faro, Portugal, for a week in June. Using Hertz.com from a US location, we were quoted £52.36 to hire a Fiat 500, which rose to £196.95 when we searched from the UK and then £216.73 from Portugal.
The dates available for some trips also varied from country to country – searching for a Norwegian Fjords cruise from the US offered only August departures, twice the price of July departures that were available to UK and Australian searchers.
Disneyworld packages varied, too – but not only in the cost. Searching for three days’ access during mid-July from a location in India we were offered tickets to only two parks – Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park – at a cost of £1,241.85 for two adults and two children. Using a VPN in the United States, the cost rose to £1,527 for three different parks on three different days. Accessing from the UK, we were only offered seven- or 14-day tickets, with multiple parks on any day, for a cost of £2,156 for the same family of four. While each version of Disneyland’s website offered a telephone number for guests to call, where perhaps a wider variety of tickets would be available, families were instead directed along a prescribed route when booking online.
Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer at NordVPN, says: “Never assume you’re getting the same deal as everyone else. Your location, the number of times you visit a website, and how your search fits in with the school holiday schedule can all influence the price you’re offered.
“Online tracking used by travel websites means they can tell what holiday we’re looking for before we do, while algorithms can adjust holiday prices to the spending power of different countries.”
There was no clear pattern on which country gave the best prices, so finding bargains will take patience and effort – and it’s vital to read the small print when booking to ensure you are not breaking the law.
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