- ExpressVPN has been hit by a category motion lawsuit over alleged “unlawful” auto-renewal charges
- A Californian buyer accused ExpressVPN of routinely charging him a month-to-month payment with out his consent
- Hottest VPN suppliers make use of an analogous auto-renewal system – a apply attorneys allege to go in opposition to California’s client regulation
A buyer within the US has sued VPN supplier ExpressVPN over allegedly “unlawful” auto-renewal charges.
Plaintiff Timothy Millar filed a category motion lawsuit in opposition to ExpressVPN in California’s Courtroom on June 13, 2025, accusing the corporate of routinely charging him a month-to-month payment with out his consent. Millar seeks to signify himself and all different California customers who’ve been charged unlawful auto-renewal charges at the least as soon as.
Regardless of a number of exceptions, nearly all the most effective VPNs available on the market have an analogous auto-renewal system in place to deal with person subscriptions. One other supplier, NordVPN, is dealing with an analogous authorized case within the US, as a regulation agency has already introduced lawsuits on behalf of 4 plaintiffs to date.
What the lawsuit in opposition to ExpressVPN is about
As claimed by the lawsuit, Millar purchased one month of the digital non-public community (VPN) software program in September 2022, considering he was making a one-time buy.
But, after his month-to-month plan expired, “Unbeknownst to him and with out his consent, ExpressVPN enrolled him in an routinely renewing month-to-month plan,” reads the go well with, alleging that “that cost was unlawful and must be refunded.”
Based on Miller’s attorneys, such conduct is in clear distinction with the supplier’s obligations beneath California’s Automated Renewal Regulation (ARL). The regulation, actually, requires corporations adopting auto-renewal cost methods to supply “clear and conspicuous” disclosures concerning the auto-renewal plan and procure “affirmative consent” to enroll customers. One thing that – the lawsuit claims – ExpressVPN did not do “in practically each method.”
Moreover, ExpressVPN is accused of violating the False Promoting Regulation by disseminating deceptive commercials concerning the routinely renewing nature of its plans.
Miller is now demanding a jury trial and financial damages for himself and the proposed class.
TechRadar approached ExpressVPN for feedback, and an organization spokesperson shared this written assertion: “We’re conscious of the submitting in relation to a subscription from a number of years in the past and intend to defend it. Sadly, we can not touch upon the precise allegations made on this grievance.
“ExpressVPN has at all times prioritized transparency and giving customers clear details about pricing, billing, and auto-renewal – this data is obvious and extremely seen at every step of the checkout course of.
“As a cybersecurity firm, offering uninterrupted safety is necessary to our prospects. This subscription mannequin ensures that prospects get the safety they want, with out fail, on their gadgets. Clients can swap auto-renew off anytime by way of their account dashboards or by contacting assist.
“We stay targeted on delivering worth to our customers; making certain they maintain management over their digital privateness.”
Time to ditch auto-renewal VPN plans?
As talked about earlier, NordVPN can be dealing with a lawsuit over alleged “unlawful and misleading” auto-renewal practices.
The Wittels McInturff Palikovic regulation agency has already offered authorized complaints on behalf of 4 former NordVPN prospects since April 2024 – and urges all NordVPN customers who had been charged for a subscription they didn’t need to come ahead.
The identical regulation agency has beforehand opened investigations into auto-enrollment practices in opposition to ExpressVPN, too, alongside Proton VPN and Non-public Web Entry (PIA). But, attorneys filed no lawsuit in opposition to these suppliers.
Whereas it’s nonetheless early to know if these ongoing class actions will change how VPN suppliers deal with person subscriptions as soon as and for all, there are a number of exceptions available on the market already which you can go for as an alternative of getting locked into an auto-renewal plan. Mullvad VPN, which axed all recurring subscriptions in 2022 within the identify of customers’ privateness, is one among them.
