Beware NordVPN cash back bait-and-switch scam

Multiple VPN providers are advertising high rates on cash back right now, I tested three of those cash back offers. Two paid the cash back exactly as advertised, only NordVPN did not.

I purchased the option that NordVPN advertises as their “Complete” service. But under the hood, NordVPN actually handles the transaction as a bundle of several subscriptions, and NordVPN only paid the cash back for merely one of the subscriptions. There is no way to know this prior to paying for the order. On the pricing page and throughout the checkout process, my purchase was portrayed as one single item at one set price. NordVPN only reveals this pricing breakdown in their emailed payment confirmation receipt.

I got nothing except the runaround when I contacted customer service. My whole experience with NordVPN has been a waste of time. But more than that, this is a big red flag that NordVPN engages in dishonest tactics.

If they can’t be transparent about something so simple as a Black Friday promotion, do you really trust them to get everything else right?

As others have said, it sounds like you didn’t read the terms. Both SlickDeals and TopCashBack (the two most advertised offers I’ve seen) state it’s for the VPN subscription only.

Let me guess…

You didnt read on the cashback website What actually gets cashback , the rules of the cashback and stuff aka the terms.

then simply visited Nord VPN

https://nordvpn.com/de/pricing/

and bought the most expensive package ?

yea… its your fault.

Read the terms of the Cashback which was very likely for the VPN package not the all in one package.

i bought NordVPN on the black Friday cashback deal and i had zero issues.

the cashback site i used specifically said that it’s for no upgrades…

this is 100% your own fault. you didn’t read the nordvpn website correctly.

but you are lucky because nordvpn offers 30 day money back guarantee so just ask for a refund from nordvpn and next time read properly.

have a look at my image/ screenshot. i show you where you can find the info which you missed.

https://imgur.com/a8hzlxy

I did read the terms, you are missing the point. Show me where exactly NordVPN portrays any particular offering with a set advertised price as “the” VPN subscription. Or show me where exactly NordVPN portrays the other offerings as not “the” VPN subscription.

Every offering includes VPN. They are all VPN subscriptions.

I agree 100%. The entire cash back industry is the same. They advertise a percentage and show you a website. It’s up to the customer to see what’s included/excluded, and often, there are different cash back rates for different categories of items.

If you just blindly click through and buy something, chances are you will be disappointed.

A few days ago, I commented on another post here that I got 105% cash back for buying a Nord sub via a reputable cash back company.

So I actually got paid $4 and change to buy Nord for 2 years. The cash back tracked properly and is showing in my account.

Before purchasing, I read the T&Cs like you should always do, and it said that cash back was available only on VPN subscriptions. Given that Nord offers a few different services, I took it to mean that purchasing a more expensive bundle would result in not getting cash back for the entire purchase, since only the VPN portion would be eligible.

I’ve been taking advantage of cash back deals for years, and I’ve rarely ever had an issue. Even if I did, it was always corrected by customer service because I made sure to follow the terms.

I did read the terms. I have been doing cash back for 20 years, this is not my first rodeo.

Show me where exactly on that pricing page does NordVPN portray any particular package as “the” VPN package? Is it the one that includes VPN??? Weird, because all of them include VPN.

It is confusing on purpose.

nah he didnt read the terms of the cashback , they are often limited to certain products or lenghts of subscription like 2 years + 4 months free are eligible but a 3 year deal isnt and stuff.

Looking at their pricing page, NordVPN does not use the term “bundle.” How did you know they were bundles?

NordVPN barely uses the term “subscription,” it appears only once on that page in the FAQ. This sure sounds to me like any of the plans shown on that page are bonafide VPN subscriptions.

​How do I buy a NordVPN subscription?

The best way is to order straight from our website — we offer unbeatable NordVPN prices as part of our special deals. All you have to do is scroll up to the top of this page, pick the plan you want, and click Continue to Payment. In the order page, simply enter your email address, select your payment method, and finish the transaction.

Exactly.

And rarely it’s not only limited to vpn but also certain plans like 2 years +4

Rven while there might be “better” deals for 3 years up but you only will get cashback then on the 2 +4 deal if its listed in terms.

And I mean it’s understandable if these websites only get paid for this sub they will obviously only share the payment with you if they get paid.

I don’t know why it’s so hard…

They are called ( on the German site) standard, plus, complete.

Then also list the difference clearly.
Standard only listing vpn related stuff.

It’s not secret, it’s not covered, it’s not hidden, it’s not even in drop down menus it’s literarily open.

Also you should have read the cashback terms.

This comment encourages us to pay attention before taking advantage of any offer, and that’s totally true! No matter what service it is - read the conditions

Your comments cause Nord to lose more customers.

Uh no , and i couldnt care less about that.

what you meant is " Your comments cause *cashback website* to make customers actually check the terms of the cashback"

You can try arguing that with the cash back company and maybe theyll give it to you, but I just figured anything that wasn’t a VPN, like their password manager and whatever else they have, wouldn’t get credit.

Standard only listing vpn related stuff.

Malware protection is not VPN. Ad blockers are not VPN. Yet both are included in the Standard option. So what makes that option “the” VPN subscription when the others are not?

So you purchased an option that does not include “Malware protection” and “Ad blocking”? I don’t see one.

I know your coming to argue and searching another entity to push your faults on.

But you simply didn’t follow the terms of the cashback.

Has nothing to do with nord.

I chose “standard” on that page.

The other options have little icons denoting that they include other Nord services. Tbh, if you’re not already familiar with Nord, I can see why you’d be a little confused.

The “complete” option on that page includes the VPN plus a password manager and 1TB cloud storage.

The “plus” includes the VPN and password manager.

The “standard” is just a VPN.

It would probably be much better if they advertised it as

Complete - VPN, PW manager, and cloud storage

Plus - VPN and PW manager

Standard - VPN

Instead, they’re listing out features separately to make it seem like you’re getting more without really specifying that they’re separate services. Other than the little icons, there’s nothing really there saying that those tiers include separate Nord subscriptions.

I’ve never really liked their advertising and marketing practices. That’s why I was super careful when I did the cash back deal, I really didn’t want to get screwed out of $84, but I already knew to be careful.

You should try arguing it tbh. Send a screenshot and say that all of them just look like VPN services with varying features. Maybe they’ll give you a courtesy credit or something.