Deceptive Patterns
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ProtonVPN: Canceled subscription given as credits

Author
Dark Patterns Tip Line
Date
11 Feb 2022

“This is an Email and VPN provider; If you cancel your subscription it will be canceled with immediate effect, and the remainder of the month will be given back to you as “credits”, which you’re supposed to spend on some of their services at some point.”

ProtonVPN, an email and VPN provider, was reported to the Deceptive Design Tip Line over how cancellations are handled. According to the report, cancelling a subscription takes effect immediately, and the remainder of the paid month is returned not as a refund but as “credits” that the user is expected to spend on the provider’s services at some later point.